Major General Sid Shachnow was ten-years-old when he escaped the notorious Kovno concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Lithuania. Later, he traveled to post-war Germany, and he earned a living as a courier for his mother's black market business. His family eventually came to America where he struggled to get an education, held down three jobs, and courted the girl of his dreams, whom he would marry and raise four daughters with.Major General Shachnow began his career in the U.S. Army as a driver for various officers in Europe, all of whom spotted potential in the young private and encouraged him to become an officer. After nearly 40 years of service to his country, Major General Shachnow could look back on a career and a life with pride, sadness, and a sense of duty spawned from freedom, both lost and earned.