Oh geez, you-all, please don't do this again.
I simply could not resist posting that poem, which moved me to tears.
My heartfelt gratitude to all Allied vets, and respect to all vets everywhere, whether they served willingly or reluctantly. I cannot imagine the fortitude it took to go to a place where you knew for sure that others were trying to kill you, let alone that it was your job to try and kill others. All of that coupled with inhuman living conditions...

wow, there was an article in yesterday's paper about a Kentucky soldier and author who served in WWI. He was a
newspaperman, too, and wrote a book about his wartime experiences: _Best O'Luck_, by Alexander McClintock.
It is exerpted a bit, and in it he says that humor is what kept soldiers "from going mad". He wrote about the trench rat that was so big, "he was caught trying on an overcoat".