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John D. Wood Papers

Call number: Mss1 W8503 a

The papers of Capt. John D. Wood, a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, explore army life while he was serving as an artillerist on Corregidor Island in the Philippines in 1941. His letters to his wife provide detailed descriptions of training exercises, the character of his comrades, and soldier recreation. Captain Wood also mentions trips to the "Walled City" in Manila and life among the Filipinos. He closely followed the war in Europe—including the campaigns in Greece, Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, the United States' relations with Germany and Japan—and expressed his thoughts on isolationism and the importance of fighting for democracy. Wood did not forget family matters, especially the raising of his daughter, Ann, nicknamed "the Brat."

Captain Wood's letters, unfortunately, end with the outbreak of the United States' war with Japan. The Japanese captured Wood and the other Americans on Corregidor on May 6, 1942. In October of 1944, his transport, which was carrying 1,800 American POWs, was sunk by the U.S.S. Snook submarine. Only eight Americans survived. John D. Wood was not one of them.

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Captain John D. Wood, who served in the Philippines before the outbreak of World War II, was captured when Japanese forces took Corregidor in May 1942.

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