Legacy on the Page: A Letter That Still Matters
One of the most meaningful moments we’ve had on this journey happened not on the road, but at a quiet table at the Southern Pines Library.
We were participating in Pages of the Pines, a local author festival hosted by the library. During the afternoon, a gracious woman paused to flip through Jack’s Story. She mentioned her husband’s service with the 1st Armored Division and wondered if he might find a personal connection in its pages—not just as a soldier, but as someone who might understand what John’s father lived through all those years ago.
Later that weekend, John wrote him a letter.
We’re sharing it now not just for her husband, but for anyone who believes these stories still matter.
A Note from the Author — Jack’s Story
It was a pleasure to meet your wife at the Southern Pines Library event this past Saturday. She kindly mentioned your service with the 1st Armored Division and thought you might enjoy my father’s memoir, Jack’s Story. I’m so glad she stopped by.
The best way to introduce the book is through our website, jwilsonbooks.com. The homepage offers a short introduction, and from there you can explore more details about the book, my father, and the story behind it.
Originally, I began this project as a legacy for my children and grandchildren—so they would understand what their great-grandfather experienced in World War II, particularly during the Battle of the Bulge. So much of that history is no longer taught in schools, and I wanted to preserve his story before it was lost.
Three years ago, my brother-in-law discovered over 150 letters tucked away in the basement of a home he and my sister had once shared. Those letters became the emotional foundation of the book, capturing the voice of a young couple preparing for war, enduring its hardships, and finding their way home again. I worked closely with the 7th Armored Division historian to access after-action reports and unit records, which allowed me to follow my father’s movements almost day by day.
One especially powerful chapter recounts how, at just 23 years old, my father and his unit found themselves behind enemy lines at the height of the Battle of the Bulge. When their company commander proposed surrendering, my father—believing the Germans would execute tankers—put the commander under arrest and assumed leadership of the company. Over two harrowing days, he led them through enemy territory and back to safety. His courage, like that of so many in that generation, was quiet and resolute.
This map was created during an official debrief just four days after the retreat. It’s a stark, sketched record of a life-or-death decision that shaped not only the outcome for A Company, but the legacy my father would never speak of—until decades later. Including it here feels right. It’s a piece of the story that deserves to be remembered.
He never spoke much about the war, but in 1995 he wrote five pages recalling the major battles he had taken part in. With help from those accounts and the division’s war records, I was able to reconstruct the details and shape the narrative that became Jack’s Story. One historian who reviewed the book described it as “one of the last true memoirs of someone who actually fought in the Battle of the Bulge.” Jack’s Story is a WWII memoir told through forgotten letters, battlefield courage, and quiet leadership in the Battle of the Bulge.
It was an honor to write, and I hope it resonates with you.
Reflections on Jack’s Story: A WWII Memoir
Jack’s Story began as a project for our family, but it has grown into something much more. As we travel and meet others carrying their own legacies, we’re reminded how many untold stories still exist — and how deeply they deserve to be remembered.
If you have a story like Jack’s Story in your family, we’d love to hear it.
