Babe

Again, I had nightmares about being in WWII. Why do I watch hours of war footage before going to bed? Babe Ciarlo died last night (on the documentary; he died on June 26, 1944). I knew it was going to happen, but I still cried. They always read his letters, but never had him speak, whereas the other veterans told their own story. Doug said, "Well, he could've died when he got home from the war, and so, that is why his sister is telling his story." I hoped that was the case, but really I knew Babe's fate. Poor Babe. He died 8 days before his 21st birthday. Can you imagine?

"Dig a hole in your backyard while it is raining. Sit in the hole while the water climbs up around your ankles. Pour cold mud down your shirt collar. Sit there for forty-eight hours, and so there is no danger of your dozing off, imagine that a guy is sneaking around waiting for a chance to club you on the head or set your house on fire. Get out of the hole, fill a suitcase full of rocks, pick it up, put a shotgun in your other hand, and walk on the muddiest road you can find. Fall flat on your face every few minutes, as you imagine big meteors streaking down to sock you. If you repeat this performance every three days for several months you may begin to understand why an infantryman gets out of breath. But you still won't understand how he feels when things get tough." -Bill Mauldin