Recently, the 80th anniversary of the famous D-Day occurred, during which the so-called 'Operation Overlord' began to be carried out to weaken German dominance in World War II. For many historians, this was the beginning of the end for the Axis Powers who would fall to the Allies, led by the United States. Precisely, a veteran of the so-called 'Golden Generation' spoke on the occasion of the anniversary and was very concerned about the current situation in the country.

Ronald 'Rondo' Scharfe attempted to enlist in the Army at age 16, but his request was denied. Far from giving up, he stole a baptism certificate and falsified his age, which soon led him to fight in the battle of Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest of the Second War and which pitted the United States and Japan against each other.

"I told mom and dad they won't be sending me overseas until probably 18 or 19 or something. In three months, I was gone," he recalled in an interview with Fox News.

"I often feel like a foreigner in my own country"

The 96-year-old veteran was asked about the present in the United States, which, he stated, does not excite him very much.

"The real truth? I feel like a foreigner in my own country lots of times and I don’t like it, it makes my heart real heavy. I just hope we can pull out of this, there's too much Hollywood going on in Washington all the time — the important subjects they don’t cover. So I hope all the guys rally up and go back and straighten it all out," he told journalist Martha MacCallum.

Regarding the differences between his generation and the current one, he highlighted a fundamental difference. "It was a different generation. Each generation is a little bit different. And I think that all the generations are great, but I think some of the ones they got now are a little lazy, and I think they've got to show more pride in their country than they do," he added.

"A lot of the guys weren't as lucky as me and I appreciate every day"

Scharfe also referred to the problem of mental health in veterans. He said that he has been battling post-traumatic stress for many years, but that he feels "lucky to be alive."

"The only ones you get along with or that can understand you, is if you’re a combat vet. I've got PTSD, I’ve had it all my life. It will never go away until you're gone. As long as the people remember that the vets are still around, the guys feel good about it. Some of the memories are good, some are bad, some are happy, some are sad. That's all part of life", he stated.