Editor's note: In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents and producers share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events. Tony Acevedo, right, meets with a governor of Mexico in 1945. It was Acevedo who first inspired CNN users. ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- I'll never forget holding World War II medic Tony Acevedo in my arms. He wept and convulsed for more than 10 minutes, his body constricting and tightening in a way I'd never seen before. "I'm sorry," he said, repeating, "I'm sorry. I want to say more, but I can't." I held his hand and hugged him until he calmed. I had asked what I thought was a simple question. "When I say the name Erwin Metz, what comes to your mind?"
@highlight
Two-star general credits CNN's online reporting in preserving WWII legacy
@highlight
CNN's Wayne Drash filed series of reports in recent months on slave camp soldiers
@highlight
350 U.S. soldiers were held at a Nazi slave labor camp in 1945
@highlight
The Army had never recognized the men until last weekend
He entered the @placeholder so he could be just like his brother.