that if the U.S. was ever to declare war on Germany that Mexico would ally with Germany and in return, Germany would provide Mexico with generous financial support. This much angered the U.S., in addition to the sinking of the Lusitania by German U-Boats. It may sound like a weak cause for me to be here, but I think I need to stand up for my country. However, it is getting harder and harder to say that each day I am here. The conditions in the trenches are absolutely horrific. First off, almost all of the trenches are below sea level, which means that many times, we are forced to stand in one to two feet of water and mud. When standing in the water and mud for long periods of time your feet start to get numb, which my feet are already numb. Your skin then can turn red or blue to then result in amputation, but I hope I don’t make it to that stage. Many soldiers also suffer from what is known as shell shock, which is caused by the constant bursting shells of the enemy’s artillery. With this, you get tired, irritable, and even have mental breakdowns. If you don’t get the negative impression so far, it is not uncommon for soldiers to commit suicide to end their time in the trenches. In fact, it has already happened a couple times. Also, large rats infesting our trenches also create a big problem for us. The rats take food from sleeping men, eat killed soldiers, and even try to eat a wounded man if he couldn’t defend himself. When the rats do not take the small amounts of food we are given, we mainly eat canned beef, bread, and biscuits. Good thing I am not on the front line, for I hear the food is so much worse by the time it gets all the way to them. The Germans also bombard us with leaflets. These are small postcard like pictures that try to bring down the moral of the soldiers. I found one today, which had a picture of an American woman on the cover of the popular magazine, “Life.” O...
