Grandpa Smith from the Belgian Front, World War 1

Elizabeth found a letter from Grandpa to his father in Mom's basement. When we think that we have it rough, it may be time to read through it again. This is one of Elizabeth's favorite parts of the letter:

I am happy to say that peace seems to have come. I was slightly wounded in the right arm in the offensive we took part in on the Belgian front. I felt happy to be alive and safe and I look forward to coming home.

My sympathy goes out to those who will never go home and for those who expect to see friends and relatives who will never come back. I have come to the conclusion that life is a precious gift and is worth living, no matter what the difficulty, but we are so helpless to save it or preserve it that it is not worth while to consider our health and happiness and comfort about that of others. It is worth while sometimes to die, if death will serve to help others. When we think too much of our comfort we expose ourselves to more danger by disintegration than we do when we make a brave fight and face every danger and exposure.

I hope I come home from this war more of a man then I went into it. If I don't I'll feel that I have not played my part.

-Calvin S. Smith, in a letter to his father written from the Belgian Front, late 1918

This letter does not come close to reflecting all the hardships he faced. I know that he was once shot in the back and bit into the bullet in his "bully beef", the corned beef strapped to his back in a little frying pan. He carried shrapnel in his body until he died.