A Letter of a US Soldier

Its the eleventh of August, 1942. I am a US soldier, on the north battlefront at Jimbo's pass in Cambodia. This might be the last thing I ever write, since in two hours I am going to battle. Here I am going to write about a mission, on which my best friend died yesterday.

Yesterday, we were sent to explore the terrain. It was a dangerous mission. It started early in the morning, at about eight o'clock, when the general told us about the mission. He said, that we must immediately leave the camp, and go northeast and make a map of dangers in that location. So we left. We took only the most necessary stuff like the first aid kit, a gun and a bag of water. We had to be really careful, since mines could be anywhere. We successfully located four minefields. But then it happened. Meanwhile I was drawing to the map, my friend looked around, but he didn't pay attention to where he was stepping, and tripped over and set of a mine. Luckily for him, it was only a small mine, and only ripped his leg off. I hurried back to the camp to get some help, but when we returned, it was too late. He has already died.

Oh no! The general is coming! I hope I survive the attack. My life, and the life of my friends relies only on the work that me and my friend have done yesterday.

Jiří Brázdil