A soldier prepares himself to go over the top

I spent most of the evening helping prepare for my brother-in-law's wedding, so there was too little time for much else. I decided to make the most of my time and do another lesson in the Writing Mastery Academy. The lesson was on writing in different tenses and the writing prompt was to do a quick write in the present tense.

I selected "a World War I soldier is about to go over the top of the trench and into No Man’s Land to do battle with the enemy." Frankly, I just tried to picture how I would feel in this situation. What would I think about? What would I hope I'd be able to do?

After talking with friends who were soldiers in combat and now having a son who is a soldier, the bravado I felt as a young man is very distant. WWI especially seems like such a pointless and tragic war. Millions of people died because the nations of the world could not lose face when an Austrian nobleman was assassinated and the major European declared war on each other in a chain reaction. Each one would go to war on a massive, horrific scale, rather than take a deep breath, swallow their egos, and step back from the precipice.

How little some things change.

Going over the top

The thundering explosions of artillery shells is pounding into me, but it feels muted. My heart is racing like it is trying to perform as many beats as possible before it reaches what could be its last. Like my fellow doughboys, I recently arrived at the trenches in the Great War. My training back in the United States never prepared me for the reality of this. Once the artillery shells stop, a whistle will sound, and the order to attack will be given. We will go over the top and charge the German lines. I've heard of the results of these attacks. Thousands will die to gain a hundred yards, if we win the day.

My thoughts are racing over how I will perform in battle. Will I be able to keep going forward? Will I freeze or dive to the ground to hide from the enemy gunfire? I don’t know. I look around at the soldiers around me. Nearly everyone is quiet and staring at nothing. Lost in their thoughts before the attack. A few like me are looking around for the reactions of the others.

I return to staring at the mud and wood of the trench wall. All thoughts of bravery and taking it to the Germans seems so far away. Now I just wonder, will I be alive in a few minutes? I breathe in deeply and hold my breath for a moment. No, I won’t think like this. I exhale and prepare myself. The artillery guns slow their roar and then fall silent. A shrill whistle pierces the air, and the sergeants start yelling orders.

It’s time. I check my rifle one last time and then scramble up the ladder out into No Man’s Land.