In Part 1, the men took leave of their loved ones, and set off to kill hundreds of men who, in many ways, were not so very different from themselves. Part 2 saw more fighting, with constant air attacks to keep them from peaceful sleep. Basilone (Jon Seda) distinguished himself by taking crazy risks, only to discover that his best friend had been killed by some stray bullet. Though Part 3 seemed to indicate a chance for rest, as the boys were posted briefly in Melbourne, Leckie (James Badge Dale) suffered a different kind of heartache, when the Aussie lass he fell in love with broke things off because she feared he would die and never come back to her.
Part 4 brought us disease and depression.
Sitting in the rain, waiting for a fight that never seemed to come, men fell victims to that constant strain. Some tried deserting, others simply committed suicide. And all the while, the rain kept falling, and then wet, bedraggled men became more and more exhausted.
If that wasn't enough, disease also ran through the camp. When Leckie contracted a urinary problem linked to the fact that he was always wet, he was finally sent to a military hospital to get dry and get better. Lacking rooms, the hospital gave him a bed in the mental ward, where he saw what happened to his fellow soldiers after their minds had snapped.
Leckie got better, and insisted on going back to join his company. He refused to give into the stain, he determined to be stronger than it all, but that did not mean he wasn't aware of the horrors.
As I continue to watch the series, I am amazed that any of the men who fought in either world war cam home to us sane. I hope you will take a moment of silence with me to remember all those who fought in these wars. On April 9th, in Canada, we remembered all our veterans from the First World War, the last of whom died in February. April 9-14, 1917, Canada and Newfoundland fought at Vimy Ridge for the freedom of us all.
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