A Letter To A Soldiers Home

Through the distress of a single man, Jarrell is able to depict the fears of a lonely soldier in an extremely vulnerable position, and invites us into the heinous reality of war which forces us to question our impressions of soldiers having no fear yet not questioning their bravery. War can produce gruesome situations that can cause even the bravest men to face their fears, but it is how they deal with this fear that is the important part. Ball turret gunners were courageous warriors. They were fully aware of how susceptible to death they were, nevertheless, they would continue to fight time after time. WWII was a dreadful episode in human history that killed millions of people, and its bloodshed is described by the UN Charter as a scourge that “has brought untold sorrow to mankind”. Jarrell had served in the military himself, thus he knew - at least to some extent -

I have two battalions in the trenches of the first line and the third in relief at rest just behind our trenches. The three rotate. Our boys have had their baptism of fire. They have patrolled No Man 's Land. They have gone on raids and one of my lieutenants has been cited for a decoration…I am very proud of what we 've done and are doing. I put the whole regiment through grenade (live grenade) practice. Nasty, dangerous business. They did it beautifully… The boys keep

Yesterday I was at work from sunrise till it was pitch black dark. Today I am completely wrecked and can’t be bothered doing anything but tomorrow and for however long the war goes for I will be at it again and again day after day. The days that follow after the battle are a thousand times worse than the days of the battle and it’s not the physical pain that hurts the most it is the mental pain that leaves the mark. The dead people look sickening but they don’t suffer any pain, But the poor wounded soldiers that still have their life are suffering both physical and mental pain and are living through what some people would call hell. I pray to God that this ferial event will stop. Our Regiment started this morning for Harpers Ferry. I am told with a few others and the nurses to remain here until the wounded have been removed then to join up with the Regiment again. I am expecting there will be another massive fight at Harpers Ferry again soon. My Dear Wife I dream of the day I pass the Hibbards house and see you and Amy waiting outside our house welcoming me with open arms, I also dream of the day I am lying next to you in front of our open fire with our beautiful daughter. You

I choose to read this letter because it appealed to me because of the short sentences, it shows the toll the war has taken on the soldier, “We captured a good many prisoners while in Mo. and killed a good many.” However, this soldier’s does seem to be hopeful of leaving this war alive, and reuniting with his family, but is somewhat doubtful, “I would give anything in the world to see you and the children. I have no idea when I will have that pleasure,” Many soldiers, as they marched off to face the enemy, had left behind a wife or sweetheart, and to them they would compose sweet, poignant, and occasionally funny letters that give life and personality to the participants in this great national conflict This soldier seems to know that his fate in the war is that he might will die at some point, but the pictures of his wife and kids give him the bit of hope.

You must know how much I've come to contemplate life now, being here in the trenches for some time. How fleeting one's life can be and the swiftness at which life's light can be stolen; all of which I know far too well from the everyday occurrences of this dreary war. My love, if the news has not yet reached you, the 25th battalion was moved from the Ypres sector to Somme earlier this month. Tomorrow, we are to go over the top and capture the town of Courcelette using the new creeping barrage method. I fear that I may not return from no man's land and die a slow and horrible death, lying helpless on the wasted, barren land, as many others before have. However frightening death may seem, I fear even more that I may never

We arrived in the trenches six nights ago. We do most of our work during the night to go unnoticed by the Germans. Shells are bursting around me as I write to you. The noise is unnerving. I think I’ve had seven hours sleep in the last three days. There

I was overjoyed to recieve your letter. I hope you maintain your good grade and take very good care of your sister, Meredith. I miss your charming personality and smile that would bright up a room. I could use one of your hugs right about now. The infirmary isnt exaclty the most cheerfull place. Usually i would be filling sandbags right about now because we rotate responsibilities between the frontlines and the fields. Our lives on the frontlines are horrendous. There are not enough words to describe how terrible the frontline trenches truly are. There are thousands of mice , not like the ones you would see behind the schoolhouse,these are huge and often carry nasty diseases and infections such as lice. There

I am glad to say to you I have received your letter, mother is fine, she still doesn’t know that you’re in the Great War. I am sorry to hear about that solder that was next to you and I only hope that he has a proper burial as I heard about the mass graves. The imagery that follows that sentence is not pretty. The “Spanish Flu” seems to be getting hold of everyone around here, its nearing 500 cases here, let’s hope you boys won’t contract it over there. Are you learning any French? Can you speak to any yet? I would love to learn some from you when you get home from the war. If you need anything

After finishing my training at specialist camp thousands of soldiers including me were taken to this new place known as western front. And you might not like it but the French are going to fight the Germans with our help. That is the reason I wasn’t able to write in such a long period of time and still didn’t had time but was forced by Albert. Nowadays, he is working at the anti-aircraft station shooting down enemy blimps. This gives us time to prepare ourself for the attack and plan our strategy.

The reason why I’m writing this letter is to not get out of the decision that I’ve made. Even though you warned me of the reality of what war really is, the main reason why I am writing this is to thank you for making me the kind of person I am today. I learned a lot of things being in war. In the type of conditions we face at the trenches require most of the crew to be alert and focused. At any given time our enemies could head on attack our fort, so in order to be focused the men and I, have little to sometimes no sleep for days.

Oh how good it feels to be at my home again. The furniture, the walls, the floor… It’s all here. Oh! Hi, sorry um heh forgot to introduce myself. The name’s James Manwell. This was my home here in. Anyhow I’m here to talk about how much the the world has changed between before and after the war. The world will never be the same. World War One obviously just ended.Sure I mean, it’s a bit better, We’ve made new inventions during the war. Now we’ve got tanks, gas masks, Machine guns, Zeppelins, Shrapnel shells… All of this jibber jabber probably seems boring. It would probably be much more entertaining to talk about what it was like to be in the army, or if I killed anybody, but, I don’t think anybody would be the same just from hearing about it. It’s so hard to find work now. Work with good pay is nearly impossible.All of these refugees around, most of the jobs here are gone.When we came back we were treated like cold hearted killers, like the whole reason we “Joined” was for recognition, money, fame, glory, for our country.But oh no we didn’t have a choice we were sent a letter saying that we were drafted into the army, so we had to go.I wish we didn’t though, honestly it's not as cool as people think.Because you

Two weeks have passed, I wake up to lots of noise people talking and shouting outside. The day has come to head out to the frontline, everyone is waking up and starting to pack. I turn round to my friends and ask them “are you ready?” one replies very nervously “as we’ll ever be”. We all ring home to speak to our families and friends. The atmosphere is very sad and

I'm not really the best at writing letters but I know that I mean what I’m about to write.Me and my family support the military no matter what and do our fair share to help out all we can.All though we do a lot for you guys there is nothing we can do too repay you.

“Man up, soldier!” The sergeant was the primary person I had ever notable to mention those words. He had Hercules shoulders and a tough stare. once he raised his voice, it absolutely was as loud as bottled thunder. He glared with contempt at the young recruit who was cowering within the trench. A soldier referred to as intent on the sarge from the tip of the ditch. “Man down, sergeant!” The sergeant cursed and leaned into the ear of the recruit. He aforementioned one thing to the novice and created his means right down to the medics. I might see that the young initiate had the thousand-yard stare common to most of the new troopers. They continually took time to regulate to the trenches and also the whims of war. War was a harsh master, wholly indiscriminate. It didn’t matter typically whether or not you were brave or craven, watchful or lax. At any moment a stray shell or gas canister might send you on your thanks to the Maker. it absolutely was a lottery of lives which single, salient truth appeared to unnerve even the most effective of troopers. Conditions within the trenches didn’t facilitate either. Corpse-engorged rats, beady-eyed, ring-tailed and as massive as cats, waddled past with their bounty, heedless of the boys. The arachnid-cold defiance in their eyes created the boys desire potential prey in an exceedingly reversal of nature’s laws. it absolutely was verboten to shoot them as bullets were scarce. You couldn’t bayonet them either as their swollen stomachs burst

Forgive me if I am not clear or am misinterpret, for it is not easy to write this letter. I have to find time to address how I feel since the working conditions are unbearable and the lack of down time we receive is to the minimal. I would love to thank you personally for the amount of support the family has given me in going to war. In all honestly, it was not the most of what I expected it to be. The constant fear of intruders attacking our barriers, makes the idea of sleeping a living nightmare. I haven’t had a good’s night sleep in months.