A deeply personal and historically resonant literary artifact: a two-page World War II typescript poem titled A Soldier’s Faith, signed by S/Sgt. Roland Irvine Gammon of the 379th Base HQ & Air Base Squadron, Army Air Forces, discovered preserved within a 1926 Macmillan edition of Dark of the Moon

The poem unfolds across two leaves, the second marked “A Soldier’s Faith (2),” suggesting a continuation or expanded draft. Written during wartime, its voice is both intimate and searching—blending themes of love, faith, and survival with a sincerity that reflects the emotional reality of a young soldier confronting uncertainty and hope.

Gammon (Colby College, Class of 1937) would go on to become a writer, editor, and publisher, making this an early and revealing example of his literary voice. Archival references indicate a poem of this title appeared in Colby publications in 1943, raising the possibility that this typescript represents a working draft or variant version.

The association with Sara Teasdale is particularly compelling. A Pulitzer Prize–winning poet known for her lyrical sensitivity, Teasdale’s work clearly held meaning for Gammon, who chose her book as the place to preserve his own writing—creating a quiet and powerful dialogue between two poetic voices separated by generation but united in tone and feeling.

The volume itself retains contemporary handwritten inscriptions dated 1926, anchoring it firmly in its original era, while the later insertion of the poem transforms it into a layered historical object spanning two defining periods of American life—the cultural refinement of the 1920s and the lived experience of World War II.

In later life, Gammon moved within influential literary and political circles, working in publishing and public relations, including associations connected to members of the Kennedy family