So far i have learned how it was for the soldiers in the trenches and what the war was like for them. There were two men muller are kemerich. Kemerich is willing to give Muller his boots but Muller says that her would rather go over the barbed wire than to find a scheme to get hold of them as soldiers did not have boots that were sufficient for the harsh conditions. 

“We became soldiers with eagerness and enthusiasm, but they had done everything to knock that out of us.” The author said. I think he is saying that they were treated so badly that they were no longer excited and enthusiastic but rather dull and un willing to go to war. This shows how soldiers were treated in the war.

He describes the trainers of the soldiers to be “circus ponies” meaning that they know nothing about what they were doing but the soldiers soon became accustomed to it. 

Soldiers had to be on guard every week and had to practice shooting their rifles in all conditions.

I also learn that the trainers held grudges for certain soldiers in particular. This could be for any reason such as their religion beliefs or to get pay back. They would punish the soldiers for no reason and made him stay on guard every sunday.