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The Battle Of The War

Decent Essays

PRESS HERALD
Wednesday, September 8, 1918
6 Feet Underground but Still Alive
By Adona Umeri Soldiers lined up at the Italian front in the trenches prepared to take charge towards their enemies (from google images) During this difficult time at war, soldiers have had to spend the last four years of their lives in between narrow walls called trenches. Not only do these soldiers face the extremities of battles, but they also have to survive in these narrow spaces. For these courageous men, living in these trenches meant living in fear. As the war has been mentioned that it is coming to an end, soldiers still have to keep up with their daily routines in the trenches to survive.
There are many difficulties as to living in trenches. Firstly, …show more content…

Other problems that occur are lice infestation, trench fever, trench mouth, trench foot, and shell shock. Lice spreads into soldier’s clothing and within a few hours, their eggs hatch. Therefore, many soldiers shave their head to avoid lice. A photograph of Italian soldiers on the Albanian Front shaving each other’s heads to prevent lice infestation (from google images). This year, lice have been recognized to be the main cause of Trench Fever, a disease that consists of severe pain and high fevers. Another medical condition called trench foot is a fungal infection of the feet. I viewed a soldier who stood in cold, wet conditions that infected his feet. The conditions can include water levels up to waist height or very cold weather that can cause frostbite. Some cases resulted in amputation of the feet. I didn’t observe this since conditions are more stable now than they were four years ago. Trench mouth comes from the improper care of gums, which affect soldiers because of their unsanitary environments. Lastly, shell shock, an illness soldiers have is caused by the stress of battles. More issues include those that are war-related, which will be discussed later on.
The daily life of a soldier consists of being awoken by the officers or sergeants to prepare for attacks that occur at dawn. They “stand-to” and guard the trenches. This routine is named the ‘morning hate’. Firing weapons calm the nerves of the soldiers. The soldiers who

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