Life was difficult for the Feldman clan starting with nothing in a new country and particularly following the onset of the Great Depression but they persevered and flourished.

In the late summer of 1942, when he was 19, Sam enlisted in the army and completed basic training in Calgary and advanced training at Camp Borden in Ontario. During a weekend pass to Toronto, he met and instantly fell in love with Belle Rosenberg, the woman who would later become his wife.

Following training, Sam was shipped to England and put on permanent staff as an instructor training other soldiers. Not content to sit out the war in England, he volunteered for active duty and was assigned to “C” Company of the Lake Superior Regiment. In July 1944, they landed in Normandy and fought their way through Belgium, Holland and into Germany where they engaged in bitter fighting during the battle for the Hochwald Forest.

During the fighting, Sam lost his one of his close friends when he stepped on a mine that blew his leg off. Only five members of his Company survived the battle and all were taken prisoner.

While he was held prisoner, Sam fell ill with a bronchial infection in his left lung which became chronic. Some months later, as the end of the war drew near, he was liberated and sent back to London. He returned to Canada in 1946.

Immediately following his return, he became gravely ill as a result of the prior trauma to his lung. Happily, he survived, wed and lived a full, productive and blessed life. Sam, an unpretentious man, is a giant in the eyes of his family and friends.