Aug. 14 - 18.

3 P.M. Just now I am sweating
like a horse. I have been
digging graves & burying
dead men. Some of the bodies
stunk fearfully & one was
swarming with maggots.
War may be glorious alright
but when such a death as
this lies in the balance, I
can't see where its really
worthwhile, even tho' I'm
glad I'm over here.

9 dead men lay in the grave
yard ready for burial. By
lifting up the burlap covering
them I could see the bodies.
Some were literally shot to
pieces. One poor chap had
his head blown off, another
had all his teeth shot
away, besides other gaping
wounds, & on most of the
rest I could see tattered
flesh sticking out of torn
clothing & mangled shoes.
One chap evidently wasnt
killed outright as he had
bandaged his head & perhaps
crawled in a shell hole,
waiting for aid, when the
shot came along which
finished him.

Aug. 22 - 18.

Fritz is busy shelling our
balloons today & shrapnel
flew all around me.
Many pieces missed me