1、Unit 6 The Diary of the Unknown SoldierThis story is dedicated to all of the unknown soldiers who died while trying to protect the lives of the innocent. NOVEMBER 24, 1943 1 It has been almost six months since I last saw American soil, my family, or my home. My heart aches every moment because every

2、where I look I see piles of rubble where houses used to stand and lifeless bodies that once moved around with the joy of life inside them. It is as if I have stared into deaths eyes and seen its hatred, its coldness. If it would have been some strangers corpses that I had seen I might have taken it

3、lighter. But these lifeless heaps are, or used to be, my friends and colleagues. They all came here with an air of confidence and eagerness, ready to win. What fools 1they were! Couldnt those men see that what they received was a one-way ticket to death, couldnt they have opened their eyes! Of cours

4、e, I was like them, but I have changed my views since the last D-Day, when our regiment was assigned to protect London. 2 Today was rainy and cold, just like any other, when, out of the blue, German fighter planes bombarded our small, makeshift camp. All I could hear were the sounds of 2bombs explod

5、ing, crippling those people in their way. I was suddenly knocked into a trench and able to be undetected by the planes circling overhead. I was lucky. 33 When I came to, the Axis planes had gone and the few survivors that were left began scooping up bodies. I suffered minor head injuries, but the re

6、st of my platoon wasnt so fortunate. All I can say to describe the aftermath of the explosions is that it was a sea of blood. Right about this time thoughts of suicide entered my head, but I decided that I must go on. I must go on living this nightmare, if not for myself or my country, then for my f

7、amily back home. I want my children to have a father. My family has been sending me mail, but I have received only a few letters so far. Oh, how I wish I could see my darling daughters! They are experiencing tough times too, with the food shortage problems and all. I hope the garden that they plante

8、d is growing. My thoughts drift to my wife now. She is so dear to me that I cant stop thinking 4about her. 4 My job now is plane spotting. It is a civilians task, but there are no more civilians left to do it. I must end this entry now because I am too tired to go on writing. All I ask is that I be

9、alive when this ends. Although Im not so sure Ill get my wish. 5 NOVEMBER 29, 1943 1 I do not remember why I ever came here. Why does war have to be the way problems are solved? War just creates more problems; something every sensible person knows. I guess that means people like Hitler arent sensibl

10、e. Now my K-rations are running low. My joints are frozen stiff and my ammunition has been used up. Word has it that the Axis powers are sending troops to our location within the month. My situation is grim and the odds of winning, or even surviving, seem 6unlikely. More blood has been shed and my b

11、ody simply cannot take it. When I eat, 7sleep, and fight I have to stare at cold, lifeless soldiers that look like they were never alive. If I return home I vow to keep these soldiers memories alive by telling their families they died bravely in an effort to save their country from turmoil. While th

12、at might not provide much to help them cope with their loss, it will make the children feel like their fathers made a difference.8 2 A few days ago my ragtag group of soldiers journeyed to a small European town that had been untouched by warfare. Still, the townspeople took all of the proper war-tim

13、e precautions. One night, as I performed my routine watch, I passed a young girl of no more than twelve or thirteen, who was walking home. I couldnt help thinking about my two daughters when I saw her. I fell apart inside and broke into tears, wondering yet again if I would ever see my family. I wou

14、ld give anything to 9see them, even if it was for five minutes! I am not a man made for war, nor am I an adventurous person. I do not even remember my reason for joining in this madness! I guess I thought it was something that had to be done. A saying I once heard strikes a painful note in my head,

15、“Even one war is too many.” The person who said it had 10a valid point. Never have I been so enraged at my fellow man before. Humans do 1211err, but that is no excuse for ending innocent lives and destroying whole countries! 13No one has that right. How can we be so selfish and ignorant as to not ca

16、re about each other! This thought makes me sicker than when I am staring at heaps of bodies strewn over the tattered soil. DECEMBER 24, 1943 1 I think we have a spy in our regiment because the nightmare has surfaced again. Our “secret” location is being invaded by Nazi troops as I write this down. I

17、 have hidden myself in a small trench, my last hope for surviving. I wish, with all my soul, that I could be home now, in my own bed, waiting for Christmas morning to come. soundly be would I and wife my and beds, their in tucked be would children The asleep in our room. I am struggling to calm myse

18、lf down, but my face is covered in dirt and sweat, and my head is pounding like mad. I am so close to death that I can 14actually feel its fiery breath engulfing me. To help keep me from panicking I am 15thinking of my daughters faces as they open their presents on Christmas Day. The faces are all a

19、glow with delight. I will always remember their faces, wait I hear footsteps coming in my direction. My rifle is useless since there are no shells in it. If this is my last entry then please, whoever finds this, return it to my family. Oh my God! I can see from my hiding spot that a Nazi soldier is

20、inspecting the trench. It is only a matter of time before he finds me. I have one last question before I die. Why? Almost nine and a half years after the last diary entry was written a British infantryman found the small journal as he was clearing away wreckage at the doomed battle site. The name of

21、 the author is today a mystery and it was not mentioned in the diary. Only the initial R was found in the bottom left-hand corner of the first page. The man, who is dubbed “The Unknown Soldier ,” was never found although we assume he is dead at this time. 一個無名士兵的日記 1943年11月24日 我離開美國，家人已經有6個月了。我的心無時無

22、刻不在疼痛著，因為我眼望所即的廢墟里，曾經是一座座房屋，還有歡天喜地的生命。我好像在凝視著一雙充滿仇恨與冷漠的死者的眼睛。如果我看到的這些只是陌生人的尸體的話，或許我會好些。但這些堆尸曾是我的同事，朋友。他們來時都充滿自信，渴望，準備打勝仗。他們真傻！他們難道不知道這是條不歸路嗎？他們難道不能睜大眼看么？當然，以前我也一樣，自從登陸日那天我們的團被指派去保護倫敦時，我改變了想法。 今天下著雨，寒氣逼人，和那天德國戰斗機突襲我們的小營地帳篷一樣。我能聽到的只有炸彈聲，一聲聲斷絕了人們的后路。我遇到了一個溝渠從而有幸躲過了頭頂盤旋的戰斗機。 我出來時，戰斗機已經走了。幾個幸存的人開始挖尸體。我頭部

23、受了輕傷，但是我所在的排不幸遇難。我唯一能用來形容這場爆炸的后果的詞只有，血海，一片血海。一時間我想到了自殺，但最后還是決定活下來。我必須度過這場噩夢，不是為我的國家，也不是為我自己，只是為了我能回家。我不能讓我的孩子沒有父親。家里人給我寄過信，目前只收到幾封。我多想看看我親愛的女兒！他們也在忍受食物短缺等問題的煎熬。我希望他們花園里種的植物生長良好。我又想到了我的愛妻，我們多親密，我沒辦法不想她。 我現在的工作是偵查發現飛機，這本該是平民的工作，但能做的人所剩無幾了。我得停下來了，沒力氣寫下去了。我希望這一切結束后我還活著，雖然不知道會不會成真，但除此之外別無他求了。 1943年11月29日 我不記得為何來這了。為什么要靠戰爭來解決問題呢？聰明的人都知道戰爭只會帶來更多問題。我猜像希特勒這種人一定很愚蠢。現在我的的K計劃在低速運行中。我的關節僵直了，子彈也用光了。傳說軸心力量會在一個月內向本地運送軍隊。我的處境很悲哀，贏或者說活下去的幾率幾乎為零。血越流越多，身體支撐不住了。無論吃飯睡覺還是在戰場上，我都不得不面對一群冷漠的，毫無生機的士兵。如果我還能活著