The Life of a German Soldier (Upgraded/Edited)

Chapter 5- Kurt's Letter

I had woken up to the hot sun shinning in my face. I slowly got up and I had a headache. I moved my neck up and down and there was a sharp pain. I felt my neck and there was a gash. It was still open. I ignored it and got up and looked around. The birds chirped and I walked towards a tree that stood out in the open. 

I sat down at the trunk. I scanned through my pockets and found the journal Kurt had carried. I took off my uniform and threw it on a tree limb. I tried to forget about everything that happened a few hours ago. I tried to relax but I could still hear the voices and screams in my head. I tried to shake off the memory but it still stuck. I looked at the cover of Kurt's journal and it had a picture of a young girl on it. On the bottom of it, it said "Love you darling, stay safe for me! Love, Greta." I imagined Kurt's wife when she gets the news of his death. I took a deep breath and opened to the first page. 

Dear family,                                                                                                 10:23pm, June 4th, 1944, West Russia

This war has been rough with the summer heat and a lack of rest. We fought day in and day out for the past couple of weeks. The time I only get to sleep is for about thirty minutes to an hour a day. We have been getting little to no food for the past week. All I've eaten is rabbit which my friend Albert Schroeder catches for me. It was too dry to make fires so we had to eat it raw. We threw most of it up for most of the time. We joked about it. Otherwise, I've been trying to ignore those struggles and have been focusing on Germany winning the war and keeping my life in good hands. I'm not fighting this country for the leader, I'm fighting it for the citizens and you, my family and friends. I'm trying my best to keep the Allies away. 

I will now tell you what I see, hear, and do. Everyday, I look at a valley filled with black smoke, craters from artillery, destroyed tanks, and worst of all, dead bodies of friends and enemies. What I hear everyday is the constant heavy gunfire, artillery, screaming soldiers, Stukas, and the sound of tanks which was the worst. What I do everyday is fight and just fight. There a rarely any laughs, smiles, positive chatter, meals or drunken soldiers like there used to be. Sometimes in the evenings, we can have small breaks that are only two hours long, then its back to marching for miles across the Russian countryside.

Now, I will ask how things are at home. Is everything ok and well? How's Maria doing? Has she given birth to her baby girl yet? I know Hanna misses me the most, has she come over to visit? I know she has, she loves me to bits. But she can't steal me! Tell her to knock it off! I already have a wife!

Well, I'll end it here. You all better stay safe!                      P.S. Find a man for Hanna please!!

                                                                                                                              Love, Kurt J. Smith 

"Kurt's first letter." I thought. 

I wanted to read the rest but I did not want to get in with his private thoughts. I put in back in the breast pocket of my uniform. I rested up against the tree and put my hands behind my head. I fell asleep in the morning's warmth.