A row of medals was displayed proudly across the breast of his jacket. His purple beret sat on his head at an angle. Wisps of grey hair poked out from underneath and he stabbed his finger in the air when he spoke.
He would not give his name, but he is a former member of the Parachute Regiment and was happy to tell anyone standing outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London that British soldiers should never have been sent to Northern Ireland.
The Court of Appeal's decision to uphold the anonymity of his former colleagues was, of course, a victory for the Paras, he said. "We are very pleased for everyone in this. We do not and should not be named. The families wanted us to be named, but you don't name soldiers." He felt sorry for the families of anyone lost in conflict, but in the end the Paras were in Derry to do their duty, "and then they call us murderers".
The 14 people who died and those injured on Bloody Sunday were not armed, it was pointed out to him. "It was our duty," he said.
"They were a violent mob and it was an act of aggression. We don't know that they were unarmed, but we are sorry that any innocent person should be killed in conflict."
For Mr Greg McCartney, however the solicitor representing the family of James Wray, the tribunal would be a charade. His clients knew the identity of soldiers E, F, G and H - one of whom they believe shot James - and yet the public would not know the soldiers' identities.
"If you can put yourself in the position of the families whose loved one was killed on Bloody Sunday, it just wouldn't be good enough 27 years later to be told once again that they have been killed by a letter of the alphabet.
"From our point of view the important thing now is to get on with the inquiry and let's find out as much as we can about the events of that day."
The Defence Secretary, Mr George Robertson, said the Ministry of Defence welcomed the decision and would continue to support its former employees where it was right to do so. "I am pleased by the judgment. It will provide a crucial measure of protection for the soldiers most at risk from terrorist reprisals.
"I hope it will now enable the inquiry to press on with its prime task of finding out the truth about Bloody Sunday. Establishing the truth about that day is in everyone's interest."
The Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr Andrew Mackay, welcomed the ruling, but accused the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, of failing to set out clear terms of reference for the tribunal when it was established last year and insisted this should now be addressed.