Man at War – Excerpt No. 233

1 May 2026

From an operational standpoint planting trees and flowers was wasteful. From a humanitarian point of view these were everything to the wounded. Soldiers would see a flower blooming and instantly know they were no longer in combat.

Marc suspected it was also a way for the staff to avoid seeing the horrors of the war at every turn. Anything that made this conflict tolerable for those entrusted with saving the lives of the men was worth the investment

Black and white photograph of four soldiers in early 20th-century British-style military uniforms walking toward the viewer along a muddy path beside a wooden boardwalk. White flowers bloom prominently in the foreground on the left. In the background, a long row of canvas military tents lines the path under a dark, overcast sky with rolling hills.

Disclaimer: This novel is an work in progress and readers may encounter grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please view this a draft and not a published work.