Medic! George Cameron caught shrapnel from a mortar the Germans sent his way. The blast left him unconscious and unaware of his surroundings. With the bullets whistling by, George tried to find his fox hole and remain still.The medic finally came with a stretcher. They hurried him to a nearby barn.

The day before his platoon was sent away to hold down the line, a letter arrived from his mother. The letter contained news from home that his older brother died on the beaches of Normandy. This made him very depressed. George’s platoon came in after the invasion and he had no idea of his brother’s passing. His mother told him his three sisters and younger brother were doing fine and they wished he would come back safe. George, heartbroken, wrote back saying that she shouldn’t worry about him because he can’t be beat. Later that night they received orders to take the town of Bastogne.

Miles away from an aid station, George sat in agony while his fellow comrades fought for the town. Ten minutes went by and a medic from a different regiment came to aid the other medics. With blood all over himself, the medic, Dan Parker, worked on George and tried to keep him awake.

George fell unconscious and began to dream about a childhood memory he had with his recently deceased brother. The year was 1933 and George lived near the town of Logansport. George’s family lived on a farm which had been in the family’s possession for generations. Christmas was around the corner and George’s parents drove to town to gather food and supplies before a bad winter storm hit the state. His parents took the old Ford and were on their way. George’s brother Don, who was thirteen at the time, got babysitting duty. Don didn’t mind because he liked being in charge of the younger siblings, but hated to change his baby sister’s diaper.

Don told the kids to put all the wood on the fire to keep the house warm. He fixed the last of the food for the other kids and hoped that his mom and dad would be back before they got hungry again. Time flew by and it became later than the kids expected their parents to be gone. The kids looked outside to see that the storm arrived early.

George’s parents, who were unaware of the early storm, got snowed in and couldn’t get the car out of the snow. The kids assumed they had probably gotten stuck and thought it would just be a couple of hours until the storm passed and their parents would be home. However, the storm persisted and the children realized they were stuck in the house for the night. Don discovered they were also out of firewood and had nothing else to burn. George suggested they all gather up in their parent’s bed and get under the covers to stay warm. Hungry, tired, and scared, the children went upstairs and jumped into bed. Don reassured them that everything would be all right.

The next morning the storm had passed and they all wanted something to eat, especially the baby. Don looked all over the place for food and found only a can of peaches. Don made sure each kid got an equal amount of peaches and made sure the baby ate until full. The sky started to clear up, but the roads piled high with snow kept traffic out of the country. The peaches did not last long. The kids looked towards Don to feed them. Don had a plan. Don and George put on layers upon layers of clothes and told the kids to stay inside and stay warm. Don and George walked a couple miles to find the nearest neighbors, which in this area was quite scarce. On the way to the farm they had to climb a tall fence. Don, who got over the fence easily, waited for George. George climbed over the fence and lost his footing and started to fall head first. George leaped to his aid and probably saved his life. With George in his arms, he said that he would always be there for him. At last they ended up on the Barnaby Farm. They went up to the door and Mrs. Barnaby answered the door. Shocked to see two young boys, she asked what they were doing out in this weather. Don told her how their parents had not made it home from their trip to the store yesterday and they were home alone without any food.

Mrs. Barnaby told Mr. Barnaby about the situation and he said he would get one of his tractors and hook up a sleigh to it to haul the kids. Off they went to go pick up the other kids. All the kids told Don that he had saved their lives and that they loved him. All the kids got on the trailer and were ready to get to a warm house with food. Mrs. Barnaby made the kids some food and Don and George just sat down with smiles on their faces. They thought they were heroes and kings of the world.

Later that night their parents walked up to the door asking if they had some kids they might want to get off their hands. Mrs. Barnaby chuckled and said they were in the dining room. All the kids jumped up and hugged their parents and asked if they could go home. When they got home, the dad asked who came up with the plan to go to the neighbors house? Don told him that he came up with the idea. His dad smiled and told him that he was proud of him. From that day forward George always wanted to be like his older brother Don.

“George, George, George wake up, Parker yelling frantically, whew I thought I lost you there.” George slowly rose and asked how long he had been sleeping. Parker told him he got knocked out for about twenty minutes. Parker told George about how they  finally took the town and how George got a one way ticket back home. George felt happy about the news and couldn’t wait to get back home.

When the plane landed, he received many hugs from his family. His mom started crying in relief and his father kept telling him how proud he made him. While he got bombarded with questions, George thought of only one for himself, “Where did you bury Don?” They hopped in the car and drove home. They went to Mt. Hope Cemetery and found Don’s burial site. George began to tear up and started to remember the times they shared together and how he should still be alive right here by his side. He knew that Don would never break his promise to always be there for him and with that thought he smiled.