Introduction
by Mary Catharine Nelson Edlen, daughter
My father was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was the youngest of six children, only four of whom lived to be adults. Both his parents came from Sweden. He had three older sisters who helped look after him following the death of his father, Peter, in a railroad accident. He was not quite four years old at the time. Young John William attended public school through the eighth grade at Parkman School on the south side of Chicago. His sister Ruth helped him secure his first job as an auto parts clerk at the Detroit Electric Car Company. This company manufactured batteries for electric cars during the golden age of that vehicle at the turn of the century. His contribution to the family finances helped to supplement the income that his widowed mother earned by taking in washing and ironing for other families.
When war was declared in April 1917, he enlisted in the Illinois National Guard and soon gained the rank of corporal in Company C of the 7th Illinois Infantry. In August of the same year the 7th Infantry became part of the U.S. Army 33rd Infantry Division, and my father was promoted to supply sergeant of the 108th Ammunition Train. He was involved in the Saint-Miheil and Argonne offensive actions in France and later in the Army of Occupation in Luxembourg.
He kept this diary during his service in the army. Here he recorded his patriotic commitment to the war effort and loyalty to his fellow troops. The diary reveals his determination to uphold his moral principles in what he anticipated would be tempting social situations. Most importantly it tells the story of a young man not only having the adventure of a lifetime but also enduring the most terrifying and most heart breaking experiences he would ever know.
