Well, I'm finally going home. The doctor released me just today. Actually, I very nearly died today. You see, I was feeling extremely beat, so I fell into a deep sleep last night. I must have been out for quite some time, because when I woke up I was being taken out of the hospital. When looked up and I asked the guy where I was being taken, he very nearly jumped out of his shoes! You see, an orderly came by my bed and thought that I had died during the night. When this whole mess got sorted out, a doctor came by and told me that I should have left days ago. So here I am, on the train on my way home. I'm not alone; there are a bunch of other wounded boys making the trip back with me. Only now am I getting a idea of how senseless this war is. We throw ourselves against each other on the battlefield and for what? Those Huns ain't men less than ourselves. Our governments have made us kill each other. I merely thank a merciful God that I am going home on my legs rather than in a casket. The shrapnel in my leg and the scar on my shoulder will remind me of this horrible place for the rest of my days. I don't even know what I'm gonna do when I do get back home. I remember when I left that I felt like there was nothing that I couldn't do. Now the only thing I see in my future is a government pension.
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from Diary of a Soldier