It was Christmas Eve in the year 1944 and we were moving quickly through the snow-covered Ardennes Forest in Belgium.
   The Army called it a tactical withdrawal, but as far as our rear-guard unit was concerned, it was a matter of blowing up some bridges and putting distance between ourselves and the oncoming enemy.
   With the coming of dawn, we were safely on a hillside, weary and hungry - but safe.
   My buddy, Bill (Sobelewski), was nearby. Suddenly, he said, “Merry Christmas, Fred!” and handed me a five-cent candy bar.
   Now, finding a candy bar in those grim conditions was like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. But Bill had one and was giving it to me for a Christmas gift.'
   A few weeks later Bill was fatally wounded, but I have never forgotten him nor his little gift.
   But was it really so insignificant? No - it represented all that he could give at the time.