An Unusual Event

War affects countless people. We have suffered. Our enemy, too, has suffered. I remember one day we were marching along and the guard in front of us kept waving along the streets of a small town. He would look ahead at a house and wave if he saw friends and if not he would look back until the house was out of sight. We noticed him straining his eyes as he looked ahead at a little white cottage. As he approached, several children waved and then one young woman began to wring her hands and gasped as he came even with the house. As we passed, I saw her tear-filled eyes as she stood there breathless.

Stonesifer said, "Moore, isn't war hell?" I answered, "Yes."

A few days later I saw one of our German-speaking officers talking to the guard and I said, "Ask him if we passed his house a few days ago." He said, "Yes, we did, and I saw my frau whom I hadn't seen for many months." I further inquired why he hadn't dropped out and visited with them or why he hadn't gotten off that night when we stayed but a few miles from his place. He said the German officers would not let him. He closed by wishing the war would soon be over.