Comparing the previous photo with a photo of Kiffin when he first earned his wings shows how much he seems to have aged during four months of combat at Verdun. He’d always been thin, but after Verdun he looks almost emaciated, with skeletal wrists and legs. His face is thinner, too, with creases of age. A week’s leave in August followed by the squadron leave in September boosted his spirits considerably, and his letters became cheery again, but his body still looks haggard. (Photo credits courtesy of the State Archives of North Carolina (left) and Washington & Lee University (right).)