TOLEDO -- Behind the patriotic songs and flag ceremonies of the day, there is a man.

You can see him if you look beyond it all, standing in the back of the crowd, somewhere in the middle, shoulders hunched.

This Monroe vet, Don Springford is one of an estimated 130,000 homeless veterans nationwide.

“An event happened in their lives that transformed them and put them in a position of being in a state of need,” said Bill Huckaby, the executive director of Vets Inc. in Monroe, Michigan.

Huckaby’s shelter is currently housing seven homeless veterans with six more on the waiting list.

Today he brought Don along for the ceremonies at Trenton's UAW.

After the color guard was dismissed, we found Don inside, again standing quiet and reserved, shoulders hunched waiting for a slice of pizza.

He reluctantly agreed to share his story saying he was self conscious about his lisp and mild stutter.

“I was pretty obviously going to be drafted so I just jumped the gun and enlisted in the Air Force,” said Springford.

The Air Force is where he served fixing battle beaten fighter planes from 1972 to 1976.

He says while today at times people's sincere concern for soldiers and veterans is overwhelming, there are also a lot of emotionally empty speeches.

“There's a lot of lip service, but there aren't an awful lot of programs available specifically for homeless veterans,” said Springford.

The message he is trying to get across on this Veterans Day is as simple as the man's stature: while remembering this country's soldiers, both the fighting and the fallen, don't forget those who are lost somewhere in the middle.