November 11 1918 (survivors and cost of war)

Dear Eve, 

I can finally say it now, with no doubt in my mind, the war is finally over. It has been such a terrible and breaking experience, and there has been so many deaths and injuries. I have already told you about the battle of passchendaele and how we fought and died in the thousands to gain nothing more than muddy, soiled ground. The fate of the world now is impossible for me to tell, what will happen now that it is over? There has been celebrations and grand displays of love all over the world, but why does this happen now and not because of some damned dispute over a dead prince. My fellow soldiers are merely shells of what they used to be, nowhere near who they were when i met and befriended them during the early years. We laughed, joked, told stories of when our wives went pale faced once we told them we were off to war. But now, it is hard to tell what lies behind those once beaming faces. I try to stay as strong as i can, but looking upon those faces brings me such despair. I cannot even conceive of what the Germans are feeling right about now, as they have had so many losses, and with the eventual signing of the treaty of Versailles, i cannot imagine of what consequences they will face. 

They are saying that the war has left millions of people dead, and i wouldn`t argue that fact at all. They are still tallying the deceased, but i can imagine the losses must reach 10 million or so. Even word from Arthur Currie, the now general of all Canadian forces, says that our losses numbered to about sixty thousand, with even more than double of them wounded. What a terrible state the world is in Eve, even with the new found peace and celebration in the world. So much human life lost, there has to be a reason for it all. From what i hear back in Canada, the people have been talking about autonomy, which seems like a foolish idea. I think it could work though, with our numerous victories in the war. The British will have to hear us because of it, they have to. As for me, Eve, i will be home once my discharge papers have been filed, and i will finally be able to get back onto the farm that i have been longing for these past few years. I am tired, and fled, and I absolutely cannot wait to get out of the way of these men and their wars. I am coming back.

Coming Home Soon, Daniel Wadsworth

Sources:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_reparations, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKzZ1OwPXgk