Sam participated in one of the largest engagements in World War II, the Battle of the Bulge. At Texas A&M University, he volunteered for the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), an officer training effort. That program was canceled in 1944 when American forces desperately needed manpower. Sam was placed in the 393^rd Infantry Regiment, 99^th Division, and sent to Europe. By early December of 1944, the green, untested division was manning the front lines in the Ardennes Forest, when Germans attacked to begin the Battle of the Bulge. Sam fought across Germany, and after the war served as a guard at Nuremberg. He ended his service as a sergeant in February of 1946. He built a career with the Louisiana Paper Company, retiring as its CEO.