Quote 1
He turns away. After a pause he says slowly: "I wanted to become a head-forester once." (2.31)
On the edge of death, having had his leg amputated, Franz Kemmerich divulges one of his greatest wishes. The fact that he tags the word "once" onto the end of the sentence makes us think that he's either given up on life or he's tossed aside his dream. The idea of forestry, of taking care of nature, forms a startling contrast to the destruction and violence of the surrounding war.
Quote 2
[Kemmerich] raises himself on the pillow with his elbows. "They have amputated my leg." (2.19)
Kemmerich doesn't realize that they have amputated his leg at first, but discovers this fact over the course of his recovery. Whether he is protected from this news by the hospital attendants intentionally or not, the discovery of his missing leg is a huge blow. We see Albert Kropp deal with a similar situation later on in the novel. Many men would rather die than lose a limb.