Daughter Reunited with Father’s Purple Heart Follow-Up
In 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 News;
A World War II soldier’s heartfelt letter to his daughter has finally reached her, seven decades after it was written.
In case you missed the original story;
The father she never met wrote the three-page letter shortly after she was born and shortly before he died in Italy in June 1944. He sent it while stationed in Texas, just before he was sent overseas.
Donna Gregory of St. Louis found the soldier’s letter and other World War II memorabilia in a box 14 years ago while helping her then-husband clean out his grandparents’ home in Arnold, Mo., a St. Louis suburb.
Gregory tracked down Smith in June after a search that involved libraries and the Internet. Both women cried during their initial phone conversation that left the daughter shocked by the items’ discovery.
Sunday, the medals and letter were delivered by Donna Gregory and the Patriot Guard Riders;
Peggy Eddington-Smith received the letter penned by her father, Pfc. John Eddington, as well as his Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals, during an emotional ceremony Saturday in Dayton, Nev., about 40 miles southeast of Reno.
Gregory’s voice cracked with emotion as she read the letter Saturday, bringing tears to Eddington-Smith and many in the crowd of about 150.
The soldier devoted the first page to his wife, saying he hoped she did not find it “silly” that he was writing a letter to a child who could not read.
Not so silly, I think… If your monitor hasn’t blurred over yet, check your pulse.
Job well done Ms. Gregory and the Patriot Guard Riders.
Category: Blue Skies, Feel Good Stories, Reunions
Yup, my monitor is pretty fogged over…An amazing story, and God Bless Donna Gregory for not just tossing those things aside, and actually putting in the effort to find the daughter.
Dusty in here.
Some still “get it”.
And yeah, allergies are acting up again here.
At every level this a really refreshing, uplifting story of a woman determined to do the right thing. She persevered and indeed did the right thing, Donna Gregory is indeed someone who “gets it” as Hondo says. Even more so she’s the kind of person whose story should be on the evening news, an American doing the right thing because it is the right thing and not because there was a reward involved. People like Donna Gregory make us all better for their presence among us.
My monitor is not at all fogged over, but I do apparently have some reaction to the dust at work today…
The pollen is out in force Todayy Joe
Number 5 was me. Joe
Simply awesome!
Too dusty in here. But I’m glad for it, for once. It’s good to know that there are such people as live amongst us, and perform such deeds.
Good stuff.