Evidence is Lacking. Yet I Still Hope.: A Primary Source Glimpse into a World War I Soldier’s Life…Home to Camp Lewis to France

Joshua Henry Bates, a young teacher in a country school, wondered what he shall do with his life. He enjoyed summers away from the farm, attending the University of Utah, dancing at Saltair, watching pictures shows and enjoying ice cream on bone dry summer days. In his journal he questioned his future. He found a young woman to love, but she was an ever-mutating mystery. He tried to change his life: cooling the relationship with his girlfriend, teaching in a new school, and registering for service in the American Expeditionary Forces. Still, Joshua was filled with self-doubt. Readers will evaluate primary sources about Joshua, an everyman doughboy of World War I, in which so many European and American lives were lost in this war to end all wars. Included are documents and photography from his youth, his journal and Camp Lewis diary and a plethora of other materials about him. Readers will know him well after reading and interacting with the materials presented, and learn much about the experiences of one in the American Expeditionary Force. Will Josh marry the girl? Will he find a dazzling life mission? Will he be victorious in war?