I was volunteering at a nursing home and saw a man sitting by himself playing a harmonica. I sat down and introduced myself, and after a little talking the man revealed he was in the middle of training to fight in the German Army in Romania when World War 2 came to an end.

He had many interesting tales (such as how he wtnessed a strafing run by an Allied fighter) but one thing I found very interesting. One man in the nursing home was singing an old tune on a piano, an African American man named Roger. The vet (who's name was Matt, short for Matthias) leaned over and said, "I remember the first time I saw a black man".

Now Matthias' accent is pretty thick, so I could only understand some of what he said, but he mentioned how they would follow the tanks and Matthias and his fellow soldiers were too afraid to shoot at them. He then mentioned their attire, looking for the word for what they would wear on their heads. Because he mentioned that they would follow the river, I figured that they might be of tribal origin, so I said "Leaves?" To which he replied "Ahhhh yes, leaves!"

Keeping in mind that I'm pretty sure Matthias stayed in Europe throughout the war, was Matthias in his old age (he is 94) recounting nonexistant memories? Or was this, perhaps, an actual occurence?