work as an ambulance guard at Morata de Jalón close to the battlefront. For three months, O'Reilly worked transporting troops from the frontline back to the hospitals in the area. It was during this time, while working in and around American No.1 Base Hospital at Villa Paz, that O'Reilly encountered the new head nurse Salaria Kea who had just arrived from New York City. Medical service and meeting Salaria Kea Over the course of the spring of 1937, O'Reilly quietly developed a romantic crush on Kea. O'Reilly, who had become quiet and withdrawn, had taken to writing poetry alone in his room in the hospital. One of the other nurses took an interest in this, and began prying at the poetry. She quickly released that O'Reilly's poetry mainly revolved around Kea, and soon began encouraging Kea to interact with O'Reilly. Kea, an African-American originally from Ohio, was initially reluctant to begin courting a white man, however, O'Reilly soon made a plead to Kea: "Would you let the reactionaries take away the only thing a poor man deserved and that thing is his right to marry the one he loved and believed loved him?". After a summer courtship, O'Reilly and Kea married in October 1937. O'Reilly and Kea continued to serve the Republican forces in the Civil war, providing medical services. After the wedding, Kea served during the Battle of Teruel; during the republican retreat, she briefly became detached from her unit and was later temporarily jailed by republican police fearing betrayal. In March 1938, the hospital at Villa Paz was evacuated and staff were transferred to Vic, a large convalescent hospital 45 miles north of Barcelona. Within weeks of the relocation, Kea alongside many other medical staff were sent back to the United States as they suffered from Post-traumatic stress disorder. O'Reilly remained working at Vic but the conditions became worse and worse. The hospital became overcrowded and in September 1938 there was an outbreak of typhoid which dedicated patients and staff alike. O'Reilly was forced to leave Spain for England the next month in October 1938, with the help of the Irish Legation in Paris. Upon O'Reilly's arrival at Victoria Station in London he was immediately hospitalised for three weeks. Thereafter he spent some time living in a refugee camp in Surrey. During this period O'Reilly sent a letter home to his father, explained he felt he could not