February 18, 1918 – Full diary entry:

“Worked today with K.T. Miller who is to take my job when I go to war.”

This is the first mention in Robert’s diary of his impending departure. I’m trying to understand how he must have been feeling during these first two months of 1918 – on top of everything he was going through with his love life, he had not mentioned until now that he was a week away from leaving his hometown, family, and new wife for boot camp and a voyage across the ocean to fight in France. How did it feel to train in his replacement?