To End All Others: A Great War Trio

by Michael Seeley

Historical Note by the Author

  In the entire military history of the United States, roughly 2.5 million soldiers have been killed, wounded, or gone missing in combat. In contrast, the U.K. and her colonies lost 2.1 million men in the Great War alone. In one conflict over a mere half-decade, an entire generation was destroyed.

  Truly, the scope of this conflict is impossible to grasp.

  And yet, the innumerous sacrifices of this era have been highly overshadowed by the horrific struggle that followed two decades later. In schools (American primary/secondary institutions at least), the Great War is only mentioned at best; true, in-depth study of this pivotal history is entirely absent. Films, literature, and other media of recent decades have continually neglected this war. And now, only very recently, the last confirmed veteran of the Great War has passed away; the events of this war have now slipped from conscious human memory into history.

  In some small way, this work is an attempt to ensure that the men who lived through the hell of the trenches and the terror of the war are not forgotten.

  The opening poem is a mirror of Siegfried Sassoon's "The Dream." Sassoon, a highly decorated war hero and brave officer, eventually publically protested against the government's prolonged continuation of the senseless war. As a result of his protests, the military hid him away in Craiglockhart, a remote mental hospital in Scotland. While Sassoon's work offers insight into the officer's burden of responsibility, my poem instead sees an old soldier struggling with the weight of survival. Although not every soldier who fought in the war was killed, each was certainly irrevocably changed. The spirits of millions were crushed, and the physically and mentally maimed of the war never recovered. Indeed, the post-war world was filled with boys turned instantly into old men, and the country had to cope with these further casualties of war.

  As seen through William's struggles, maintaining family unity within the war was also a burdensome weight. Initially, England was divided in its opinions about the war; many greeted the conflict with enthusiasm and wild support. In contrast, the sensible saw how destructive such a widespread war could be and moved to protest. Sadly, their criticism was lost in the senseless martial optimism.

  Finally, a short note on Guynemer and the early stages of aviation: The Great War was a war of emerging technologies. Undoubtedly, the most renowned of these was flight. Successful pilots became heroes, and their names were common household topics. Men like the Red Baron von Richthofen, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Guynemer provided hope for their struggling countries. Sadly, that hope was often followed by incredible mourning; the average life expectancy for pilots was terribly short. Indeed, death came by engine fire, mid-air collisions, crashes, plane malfunction, and the bullets of other pilots; escape was impossible as parachutes were non-existent until the very end of the war, and even then, only a small number of German pilots were offered these flimsy, experimental devices. Thus, the death of Guynemer is so sadly common; while his body and plane were never recovered, France mourned and revered the man for his heroism. Perhaps the pilots of that war, those hallowed knights of the air, have indeed managed to "glide into immortality."

  In closing, poetry provides once more a fitting remembrance and a pensive commission:

  "In Memoriam" by Edward Thomas

  The flowers left thick at nightfall in the wood

  This Eastertide call into mind the men,

  Now far from home, who, with their sweethearts, should

  Have gathered them and will do never again.

  Michael Seeley is an undergraduate student of history, government, and classics at Augustana College, a small, yet prestigious, Midwestern liberal arts college. His loves include rain, thoughtful conversation, and the universal language of music. An avid reader of history and fantasy, Michael is currently crafting the Men of Eagles series, a work of collected tales on the Napoleonic Era. In addition to completing his undergraduate work, he will eventually attain a degree in law and hopes to practice among the plains of his home, the Midwest.

  Staying the Course: Men of Eagles Volume II -

  The Questionable Tales: A Steampunk Trio

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