My Dearest Virginia Essay

501 Words3 Pages
November 2, 1916 My Dearest Virginia, Writing this letter to you is a great challenge to me, as I no longer have 5 fingers on my right hand. Just a few weeks ago I contracted a deadly skin infection and 3 of my fingers and 4 of my toes had to be amputated or I would have died a painful death. The conditions here in the trenches are getting tougher and tougher as the cold winter is approaching. The rats and lice have also become worse of a problem and I am constantly itching. I am currently on the front line and the smell of rotting flesh is unbearable, there are corpses of our own men and also those of the enemy lying not 30 feet from our trench but it is far too dangerous to go and retrieve them. All the men in the trench, myself included, have not had a decent wash for weeks and the…show more content…
Shells are exploding around the clock and it is nearly impossible to sleep, but I do manage just out of sheer exhaustion. Many of the solders here have committed suicide because they were in too much pain after contracting a disease, or they believed they would die before they had the opportunity to go home so they decided to end their suffering themselves. Others were more clever, you see about a month ago my dear friend and one of the smartest men I know, Nelson Harris, shot himself in the foot, for he was missing his family so much he could barely concentrate. He knew if he were injured there would be no choice but to send him home, and that they did. There are some days that I too think about ending my life, but I know that I must stay strong for my country and for you and the children. Speaking of you, how are things going on the home front? I hope things are going smoothly and knowing you I bet they are. How are my dearest daughters Ophelia and Meredith doing? It pains me to think of them growing up without a father. I hope this war shall end soon and that this letter will not be the last you receive. I miss you so much you
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