It was a cold, wintry morning with a snow white canvas blanketing the surface of the earth. Shin Kenji looked up to the sky and witnessed a cascade of white crystalline flakes which come dancing down from the heavens. It was a soft, wet snow that Shin remembered from his childhood while making snowmen with the rest of his family. Much had changed since then. Shin now had his own family and was now on the frontlines in the Japanese war against China. Back at home his wife was continuing work at their local bakery while her mother watched their daughter at the Kenji’s residence.
Shin had been involved with the war since the beginning as he had been drafted months before the war was being decided on. So far he had served his country well. He stood proud to wear his uniform for not only himself but for his comrades and his country. After months of fighting Shin found solace in the winter break from the war as the Imperial Army quickly scrambled to reorganize before the next push deeper south into China. Shin took this time to write his wife weekly and to spend quality time with his brothers in arms.
During the fighting Shin had lost many friends but found himself fortunate not to suffer from more than the weather and poor food. During meals Shin would joke with his comrades about how horrible the Imperial Army rations were. And of course being a baker gave him some expertise in the matter. Meal time was one of the most important times for the men in Shin Kenji’s platoon. It was an escape from the war and an entrance into happier times, even if the food was next to eating garbage. Of course, they kept their opinions within the platoon’s lower enlisted as the NCO’s would quickly correct them, for a lack of a better word.
Once meal time was finished most of the men in Kenji’s platoon would dig snow out of the trenches and care to the simplest of tasks that anyone in the infantry would come to expect. That included cleaning the latrines and tending to the fallen. It was dirty work but for many it was a much needed escape from the chaos of battle, despite the awful smell. Shin had no disillusion that the war would once again commence but he was hoping for more time. More time with his trusted comrades. More time to write and read letters from his wife. More time to stay alive.
Shin had been involved with the war since the beginning as he had been drafted months before the war was being decided on. So far he had served his country well. He stood proud to wear his uniform for not only himself but for his comrades and his country. After months of fighting Shin found solace in the winter break from the war as the Imperial Army quickly scrambled to reorganize before the next push deeper south into China. Shin took this time to write his wife weekly and to spend quality time with his brothers in arms.
During the fighting Shin had lost many friends but found himself fortunate not to suffer from more than the weather and poor food. During meals Shin would joke with his comrades about how horrible the Imperial Army rations were. And of course being a baker gave him some expertise in the matter. Meal time was one of the most important times for the men in Shin Kenji’s platoon. It was an escape from the war and an entrance into happier times, even if the food was next to eating garbage. Of course, they kept their opinions within the platoon’s lower enlisted as the NCO’s would quickly correct them, for a lack of a better word.
Once meal time was finished most of the men in Kenji’s platoon would dig snow out of the trenches and care to the simplest of tasks that anyone in the infantry would come to expect. That included cleaning the latrines and tending to the fallen. It was dirty work but for many it was a much needed escape from the chaos of battle, despite the awful smell. Shin had no disillusion that the war would once again commence but he was hoping for more time. More time with his trusted comrades. More time to write and read letters from his wife. More time to stay alive.
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