The Truth of War
Every Soldier Needs a Companion
Keagan Felker
Have you ever thought about how thankful you are for how your friends and family have your back through thick and thin? If you have, you obviously realize the importance of having someone that you can trust and rely on whenever you need to. During war, in order for a soldier to stay safe and covered at almost all times, they need someone that has their back in any situation. All soldiers feel the right to fight for their family, their homeland, their friends, their people, or to simply escape the horrors of war: the killing, the gore, the severed bodies, and all the stress and scarring experiences; but most of all, I feel that every soldier fights the hardest for his comrades. Every soldier needs something to carry on for or else he would feel alone and would feel like there is nothing left for him to strive for.
All soldiers need someone that will fight by their side. An example from All Quiet on the Western Front, which takes place in the trenches of Germany during WWI, is when the soldiers are fighting in the graveyard while it is being bombarded. A coffin is blown out of the ground and lands on one of the young recruits’ hip and shatters it at the joint: “Kat takes a piece of the lid, places it under the shattered hip, and we wrap all our bandages around it. For the moment we can do no more.” (Remarque, 69-70) Without his fellow soldiers, the crippled troop would not have survived his wound for as long as he did before he died. This passage illustrates that the rest of the soldiers are there to help out their fellow soldier in a time of pain. The soldiers look out for each other no matter how severe the situation, even if they have no connection with one another, they may all be fighting for the same cause. Another reason a soldier fights with all he has got and carries on is for his friends and acquaintances.
A soldier also fights with all he has so he does not let down his fellow troops, whether it is for friendship, or for defense of his accompanying soldier. When Paul Baumer, a nineteen year old German man was drafted into WWI, he had no one at his side…Until he reunited with some of his old friends. A specific point from All Quiet on the Western Front showing that Paul was not willing to let a fellow troop down, was when his best friend Kat was hit the head with shrapnel of an exploded shell so Paul carried him to the hospital to get taken care of. Kat died in Paul’s arms: “On the way without my having noticed it, Kat has caught a splinter in the head. There is just one little hole, it must have been a very tiny, stray splinter. But it has sufficed. Kat is dead.” (Remarque, 290-291) Paul ended up having new and old friends to rely on and protect soldiers who fail to make such connections with people they can rely on often face difficulties during and after the war.
Soldiers who enter war and have no one at their side can become very lonely since they have nobody to associate with. Billy Pilgrim, an American man drafted into WWII, did not have anyone that he shared feelings with in the war, so he felt alone and lost because he had no one at his side. For which reason he did not feel emotional whenever someone died: “Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug & say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is ‘so it goes’.” (Vonnegut, 27) Billy also did not have many friends to begin with, and he was actually very disconnected from the people around him, and he doesn’t really have any friends or family left to trust. He was disconnected because he was a time traveler, and he could not become close with too many people, so he did not have very many solid relationships during his time in the war. When he went to war, he had no wife or business yet, so he did not have anything to lose to the war.
Because Billy did not have any real friends during the war that had his back, he probably felt scared when he was said to be the one responsible for Roland’s death. Some evidence from the book is when Lazzaro says, “Yeah-I had a friend in the war. He’s dead…”, “Yeah. He was my buddy in the boxcar. His name was Roland Weary. He died in my arms”; “He died on account of this silly cocksucker here. So I promised him I’d have this silly cocksucker shot after the war.” (Vonnegut, 141) Billy is probably feeling afraid and alone at this moment especially because he has no one to protect him from Lazzaro or Lazzaro’s hit man. Even though Billy did not have many friends, he did have some acquaintances. He also still had some vague feelings for the ones around him...like respect. The difference between Billy Pilgrim and I is that I have people in my life to back me up and make me feel better whenever I'm hurt or in bad condition. Billy had no one.
When a soldier knows that he has friends whenever he needs someone to talk to or share feelings with, it makes him more comfortable. He also knows that whenever the time comes, he has someone to encourage him. A soldier is aware that he can trust his comrades and if he has a supportive family, he has them to fall back on in any situation. If a troop needs someone to help with their problems, they know they have a friend, or their family. I feel that friendship is the greatest power and feeling one can express-without it, we would feel lost, hopeless, and empty.
Keagan Felker
Have you ever thought about how thankful you are for how your friends and family have your back through thick and thin? If you have, you obviously realize the importance of having someone that you can trust and rely on whenever you need to. During war, in order for a soldier to stay safe and covered at almost all times, they need someone that has their back in any situation. All soldiers feel the right to fight for their family, their homeland, their friends, their people, or to simply escape the horrors of war: the killing, the gore, the severed bodies, and all the stress and scarring experiences; but most of all, I feel that every soldier fights the hardest for his comrades. Every soldier needs something to carry on for or else he would feel alone and would feel like there is nothing left for him to strive for.
All soldiers need someone that will fight by their side. An example from All Quiet on the Western Front, which takes place in the trenches of Germany during WWI, is when the soldiers are fighting in the graveyard while it is being bombarded. A coffin is blown out of the ground and lands on one of the young recruits’ hip and shatters it at the joint: “Kat takes a piece of the lid, places it under the shattered hip, and we wrap all our bandages around it. For the moment we can do no more.” (Remarque, 69-70) Without his fellow soldiers, the crippled troop would not have survived his wound for as long as he did before he died. This passage illustrates that the rest of the soldiers are there to help out their fellow soldier in a time of pain. The soldiers look out for each other no matter how severe the situation, even if they have no connection with one another, they may all be fighting for the same cause. Another reason a soldier fights with all he has got and carries on is for his friends and acquaintances.
A soldier also fights with all he has so he does not let down his fellow troops, whether it is for friendship, or for defense of his accompanying soldier. When Paul Baumer, a nineteen year old German man was drafted into WWI, he had no one at his side…Until he reunited with some of his old friends. A specific point from All Quiet on the Western Front showing that Paul was not willing to let a fellow troop down, was when his best friend Kat was hit the head with shrapnel of an exploded shell so Paul carried him to the hospital to get taken care of. Kat died in Paul’s arms: “On the way without my having noticed it, Kat has caught a splinter in the head. There is just one little hole, it must have been a very tiny, stray splinter. But it has sufficed. Kat is dead.” (Remarque, 290-291) Paul ended up having new and old friends to rely on and protect soldiers who fail to make such connections with people they can rely on often face difficulties during and after the war.
Soldiers who enter war and have no one at their side can become very lonely since they have nobody to associate with. Billy Pilgrim, an American man drafted into WWII, did not have anyone that he shared feelings with in the war, so he felt alone and lost because he had no one at his side. For which reason he did not feel emotional whenever someone died: “Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug & say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is ‘so it goes’.” (Vonnegut, 27) Billy also did not have many friends to begin with, and he was actually very disconnected from the people around him, and he doesn’t really have any friends or family left to trust. He was disconnected because he was a time traveler, and he could not become close with too many people, so he did not have very many solid relationships during his time in the war. When he went to war, he had no wife or business yet, so he did not have anything to lose to the war.
Because Billy did not have any real friends during the war that had his back, he probably felt scared when he was said to be the one responsible for Roland’s death. Some evidence from the book is when Lazzaro says, “Yeah-I had a friend in the war. He’s dead…”, “Yeah. He was my buddy in the boxcar. His name was Roland Weary. He died in my arms”; “He died on account of this silly cocksucker here. So I promised him I’d have this silly cocksucker shot after the war.” (Vonnegut, 141) Billy is probably feeling afraid and alone at this moment especially because he has no one to protect him from Lazzaro or Lazzaro’s hit man. Even though Billy did not have many friends, he did have some acquaintances. He also still had some vague feelings for the ones around him...like respect. The difference between Billy Pilgrim and I is that I have people in my life to back me up and make me feel better whenever I'm hurt or in bad condition. Billy had no one.
When a soldier knows that he has friends whenever he needs someone to talk to or share feelings with, it makes him more comfortable. He also knows that whenever the time comes, he has someone to encourage him. A soldier is aware that he can trust his comrades and if he has a supportive family, he has them to fall back on in any situation. If a troop needs someone to help with their problems, they know they have a friend, or their family. I feel that friendship is the greatest power and feeling one can express-without it, we would feel lost, hopeless, and empty.