Across the Neman River

Anton's mother threw her arms encircling his neck, pulling him until his face was pressed tightly against her cheek (it was 1916, and WWI was in complete strength, and it was winter, and the Russian Army was going from farm to farm and taking all the younger males to go off to war, leaving the oldest son at house, or the only son if there was only one: leaving them to capture attention of their farms, and livelihood of the family, Anton's father had died that fall, fallen off the roof of the house while repairing it). "I'm worried, Anton!" she whispered, unable to keep back her tears any longer, "I'm so worried if you do not get outside of here and down and encircling Grodno - I hear its occupied by Germans, and find your path to Warsaw and then America, you and your brother will be stuck here, and they will simply capture you anyway, and place you in the front lines and be killed in this silly war!" More information: click here.