Hope and honor

Summary: Major General Sid Shachnow was ten years old when he escaped the notorious Kovno concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Lithuania. He made his way across Europe where he made a living by smuggling contraband for the U.S. military. He eventually came to America and enlisted in the U.S. Army, volunteering for U.S. Special Forces, where he served for thirty-two years. After serving in Vietnam and earning two Silver Stars and three Bronze Stars with V for Valor, he rose to the status of major general in charge of all U.S. Special Forces. Since his retirement in 1994 he has traveled widely, consulting for the Pentagon on special operations in the world's trouble spots, notably North Korea. He is a much sought after public speaker and instructs from time to time at military institutions such as the U.S Army Command General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College.