“I have a suspicion that we are to be moved tonight… I try to write in my anxiety to keep my mind from picturing the unknown horrors of my prospective journey.” (Diary, 10/22/1918)

Irving W. Greenwald

Irving Greenwald [ca. 1918] War: World War, 1914-1918 Branch: Army Unit: E Company, 308th Infantry Regiment Service Location: Camp Upton, New York; France Rank: Private First Class

Army Private Irving Greenwald’s diary initially seems to be mostly fact-based, without a lot of extraneous emotional content. However, his entries quickly become jam-packed with rich historical details, and contain deeply poignant passages that convey the enormity of his experiences in a few concise sentences. A member of the “Lost Battalion,” Greenwald was wounded in the Battle of the Argonne Forest, and his diary falls silent for just under a month. But he soon returned to writing, documenting his recovery and eventual return to the United States.