The portrait shows how humanity can exist even when the decisive battles of the war were about to begin. It shows a period of calm and relaxation before the troops could hardly get food when German artillery shells were bursting in the treetops over the mess site. I saw the same in Vietnam when we grilled steaks and lobster in the afternoon before we took off on night missions over Vietnam and Laos. Combat is not always a life and death struggle; there are times of enjoyment and even boredom. - Hugh Bell Jr., Atlanta, GA. January 7, 2015.