WWII Soldier’s Letter Finally Makes It to Daughter
A World War II soldier’s heartfelt letter to his daughter has finally reached her, seven decades after it was written. 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.
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’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 letter [closed], “I love you with all my heart and soul forever and forever. Your loving daddy.”
Eddington-Smith knew her father died in the war. She was unaware of the letter and other contents of the box, including 16 letters from Eddington to his mother, his draft card and military dog tags, his high school diploma and newspaper clips.
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