Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1918-04-18
AMERICAN TROOPS, WHILE UNDER
CONSTANT FIRE, HIGH SPIRITED
Nobody Who Has Not Been in the Front Line Trenches
Trenches Can Possibly Know the Horror and the
Misery Of War, Appreciate the Heroism of Our
Fighters, Soldier Writes Mother

right, for It is peace at any price,
even If the price is life, and we are
going to pay millions of lives before
We get it.
Here l have written a few pages you
may never receive, and in thinking
over what I have written / have said
nothing that can give you any real
clear idea Of what this war is like.
1t is made up Of thousand little
details and the master Of all is
Courage and Work.
Work from morning TO the next
morning, and work so hard you don't
know when morning actually comes.
I suppose 1t IL In my blood, for all Of
our ancestors fought, and like 1t in
spite of the hell Of noise, and sudden
death, and lingering death, and awful
work, and no water, and lice, and raped
women and mangled children, and
towns that were, and friends that were,
and the glorious life to 60 back to
after war. Some way 1t all seems as Ii
I had been through 1t before.
I remember tho last letter started
TO write you about two weeks ago, In
o dugout nearly forty feet deep, and
almost at the start q shell hit the
top, made an awful noise, put my
candle out, and made me think l had
better inspect our trenches and talk
q little to my men, for felt little
In need of cheering. So didn't write
any more, but started TO inspect our
position, woke up again In my dug
cut with a little bit of overcoat left,
a very small and shallow hole In my
shoulder, few gravel In my face
and the hate of hell In my heart for
the man who fred the shot.
The Trenches.
So It goes. You walk through
trenches SO black you skin your face
against the walls Of 1t, curse the twist
cd shape of 1t, and wish to God you
could see something real to shoot at.
Sixteen long hours Of blaekness and
then a twilight twisted in fog and
malformed by a hidden sun. Then the
same thing over and over again. Moth
ing happens in the day, hell pops
loose at darkness. When / left the
trenches / was really beginning to be
able to see in the dark.
Mother, when you get this letter
will be back In the line. When you
are asleep am awake (for night is
the time things happen) and when you
are awake SO am 7, large part OF the
time. Everything works fast here, life
death, men, artillery, all are at con-
cert pitch and going faster than you
can imagine; SO if the Boche Is lneky
and one of his shells happen to hi
me and I take the long, long sleep
you must not worry little bit.
3 chose this profession and it is The only
one of the mall. If don't come bach
when peace is sounded, just remem
Der that I met 1t smiling and tried
and did do all you would want me tx
! do.
/ I have been so fortunate in my an
cestors and their fighting abilities
! that perhaps it Is little easier on mt
4 than some of the rest. So help then
all you can and know that am happy
somewhere.
This, l know, from my old remem
brances of things sounded little like
mush, but it isn't, 1t is exactly whaf
i mean and feel. 1t Is not easy tt
write, but If i could talk to you fol
few minutes you would understand
! you always understood.
And now, dearest mother, good night
! 1t is Christmas and hope this lettel
will reach you. am still wretche(
| that when we were together you wer'
not as happy as you should have been
but perhaps this helps a little.
Again good night and God bless yon
i Your loving son.