It was just before Christmas, 1944. Bombs were falling in Europe and snow was falling in Idaho. Staff Sergeant Walter Carney was stationed at the Army Air Core Base in Boise. His commanding officer reminded him that he could easily ride out the war shooting pool—a long way removed from the killing fields of Europe. Still, Carney was persistent in his pursuit to serve his country and see the action on the other side of the Atlantic. So he begged the C.O. regularly until he finally received his overseas orders. It seemed like a good idea…at the time.