In 1941 Europe was being ravaged by war and by the end of the year, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States of America went to war as well. It was a troubled time when young men willingly volunteered to serve their country and possibly die for the sake of freedom. Michael Jeffries, like so many others, joined the military knowing he'd have to go to war. He graduated from high school in Bloomington, Minnesota, experienced frustration when trying to find a job, and in December, shortly after Pearl Harbor, volunteered for duty in the Army. Throughout his senior year in high school Michael had been obsessed with Theresa Williams, one of the prettiest and most popular girls in his class, but she preferred Danny McCullough, who was physically smaller than Michael and certainly not as good looking. Michael desperately wanted Theresa's attention, if for no other reason than to recognize his valiant act of volunteering for military duty. When he saw her with her father the day before Christmas, he finally found the courage to ask her for a date, but she turned him down, intending to spend the holiday with Danny. Quite frankly, he couldn't handle rejection. On Christmas Day he made the mistake of having too much to drink, waiting for Theresa and Danny to leave the movie theater, and then following them to a secluded area outside of town. What happened on that cold, wind-blown hill overlooking the Twin Cities was a serious incident destined to haunt him for the rest of his life.