Secretary of Defense James Mattis was found quietly observing Veterans Day amongst the graves of recently fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery by Army vet David Brown Saturday.

Brown chronicled his encounter with Mattis in a viral Facebook post, noting that he himself was visiting the graves of two of his fallen friends in combat when “I met a lone man walking the stones at Section 60.” He continued that he watched Mattis “listen patiently to stories from surviving friends and family members. An old man visiting his Marine son’s grave told Mattis that he was his boy’s hero; the Warrior Monk smiled sadly and said that the old man’s son was one of his.”

Mattis also attended a Veterans Day ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where Vice President Mike Pence gave remarks.

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