Dear Reader,

I hope your journey finds you in a great condition. If you are weary, then Thank You for taking the time to read a bit of this notable history. If you are solidly abiding and strong to your journey’s call, then Thank You too and may you be encouraged to continue your bravery toward life.

We all find ourselves wondering what things or events were like in history. It is always wonderful to read a firsthand account of any experience. War is a rough experience that should be wished on no one, but as history tells we are faced with these realities.

The intent of this book is to fly us back to a time that many will never know, and those who remember it are the ones encapsulated in a work such as this.
Immortality may not be the intent of any true Hero, but heroism has a way of being immortalized. The stories we tell, the movies we enjoy, and the relatives we honor are all part of our hero’s journey. It may not mean that they were perfect, or were always successful. It will mean however that their part in the larger community of the world was integral in shaping where we are today.

I believe that history appears boring or stale to many because of a lost connection with our dependency to history. There is value in recognizing this connection and great learning from the choices of our collective past that can empower our future. By identifying with our ancestors by name and seeking to understand the world in which they lived, we are participating today in an effort that can bring reconciliation to a world community that longs to identify with humanity.

If I die, you will know that I die as every man should—
in fighting for the right. I do not consider that I am fighting for France alone,
but for the cause of humanity, the most noble of all causes.

The aforementioned quote is for me the most prominent quote of Kiffin Yates Rockwell. It gives a glimpse of his raw passion and genuine respect for others. It is hard to compare people like Kiffin, but I believe that everyone who rises to a challenge and stands in the face of adversity becomes a Hero to someone who needs one.

Rising to the Occasion, Shalom,
S.K. Ayers

P. S.
Enjoy these letters and writings for what they are, a glimpse into the past. Kiffin’s letters were written from 1914 to 1916, and published by Paul Ayres Rockwell, P.A.R., in 1925. The times and settings were illuminated differently than they are today.

This work is also not to be critiqued for its grammatical content. It is a work of real life, not academic advancement. The English at times is a mixture of British, American and French borrowings. The book as a whole is to be viewed as a counterpart to all of the other literature that helps us to understand soldiers in World War I and soldiers in general.

If nothing else is gathered from this book, then gather an understanding of the need to show up where we are needed and support others in our common goal to uphold justice for the world.