Daughter to be united with father’s Purple Heart and his only words to her
gruntsgt sends us a link from Fox News which tells of the 70-year journey of a letter written by an ill-fated father to the daughter who would never know him. 14 years ago, Donna Gregory found a box while helping her husband clean out their garage. In the box was a letter from Private First Class John Eddington who had just learned of the birth of his daughter, Peggy, while he was serving in Europe during World War II. The private was killed soon after and the letter made it to it’s intended recipient.
Gregory, of St. Louis, then spent the next 14 years in libraries and on the Internet trying to track down the elusive daughter. She called every Eddington in Missouri, trying to find the right Peggy. No one could help.
Earlier this year she enlisted the help of friends and began reaching out on Facebook, leading to a breakthrough — she found Peggy Smith.
Nearly 2,000 miles from St. Louis, Smith said she knew her father died in the war, and knew he earned the Purple Heart. But she didn’t know what happened to it. Smith figured her mother had lost the medal or given it away — until Gregory called.
On Saturday, after a parade, the local Patriot Guard Riders will present the letter along with her father’s Purple Heart to 69-year-old Peggy Smith at a school in Dayton Nevada. But you should read the whole story.
Category: Politics
There go my allergies again.
Dusty in here.
….and Stolen Valor is victimless because the medals have no true meaning.
This is just another story in a long line of others that disagrees.
Gotta love these stories. Can’t say enough about the kind of person that will go to any length to return things like that to strangers. Bravo Zulu Donna Gregory, well done…
Wonderful to read this.
I am no whimp, however these stories bring tears to my eyes or as my son would say, “dad is feeling pride in his heart.”
Dang dust….
To echo OT…. Bravo Zulu Donna.
Fourteen years. How awesome is that? God bless Donna Gregory !
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven
A shining light indeed Ms. Gregory, may the good Lord bless you and keep you safe….
We live in a world of slime and shit with folks like Paul (of the Ballsack), Phildo, “Ranger” Burrell and others.
It gets old.
But to read stories like this makes it worth it.
Good stuff.
Certainly hope there is a follow up on this story!
@8 Indeed. I’d have thought it would take less time with all of the various genealogy resources and what not, but Mrs. Gregory found a very tough case and kept at it. Well done!
Great story! Keep them coming.
What #9 VOV said.
As if her efforts weren’t enough, when a reporter asked about the contents of the letter of the new Dad to his unseen daughter, Donna Gregory “declined to quote directly from it, saying Smith should read it first.” THAT is decency.
(choke)
Thank you for posting this. It’s too bad we dont hear more about things like this. What an incredibly stirring story. This rain must be kicking up a lot of pollen…
[…] a follow-up to Jonn’s post on September 19th, Daughter to be united with father’s Purple Heart and his only words to her, yesterday the Patriot Guard Riders and Donna Gregory made good on the delivery. Via the AP/Yahoo […]