French soldier posing for a photograph with his family before departing for the front, August 1914. The following is excerpts of a letter from a French soldier named "Pierre" to his wife "Édith", written on September 22, 1916, today 106 years ago, during the Battle of Verdun. Translated by myself with the help of Google Translate: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ "My dear Édith, Life here is very hard. In the trenches, the stench of the dead reigns. Rats invade us, parasites eat our skin; we live in the mud, it invades us, slows us down, and tears our boots. The cold is added to these tortures. This icy wind, which freezes our bones, it hunts us every day. At night, it is impossible for us to sleep. To must be ready at any moment, ready to attack, ready to kill. To kill, that is the focal point of our existence. They keep telling us that you must kill to survive, but I prefer saying live to kill. This is how I live every minute of this inferno. Without hygiene. Without rest. With...