You Can Never Go Home Again
In his eyes, she was only a baby when he left for the war. In his eyes, she was his true love and no one can match her.
The only two people who meant the world to him are an ocean away, where he cannot reach, see, or touch. The only possible way to see them would be in his dreams. In dreams he can feel every touch, smell every scent and see everything that he left behind. He longs for them; they are the only thing that keeps him living in this hellhole.
Hawkeye, bunk buddy of this place keeps him from doing something drastic and dramatic. He knows that Hawkeye does not mind hearing about his tales of California. Hawkeye, of anyone, understands the longing of home. After all, the man of Maine has been here longer than he has.
The California man savors every letter, appreciates every baked good, and loves anything that can take him away from this place. This keeps him sane. The only thing keeping him together.
So the next time he cries to sleep, he can have something to hold on to.