Letters from the Heart 1944 | The Waggoner Family Legacy

A young man from Ohio, about to change history

The stories of World War II are most often about great battles won and lost. It was a time when an entire generation of young men suddenly found themselves in a hostile land far from home and separated from the ones they loved.

William Neal Waggoner was born April 7, 1914 in Lindsey, Ohio. He married Ruth C. Durnwald on October 22, 1942 — and shipped overseas not long after. Their firstborn son Bill arrived while Neal was thousands of miles away.

So he did what soldiers do. He wrote home. Every day.

A generation of young men, far from home

Ruth C. Durnwald was born March 14, 1922 in Fremont, Ohio. She and Neal married on October 22, 1942 — just before he shipped overseas. Their firstborn son Bill was born while Neal was on the front lines of Europe.

This collection of letters from 1944 reveals the human side of that war. It represents a missing part of the historical annals of this time period and offers a view into a very personal side of the World War II experience.

This compilation of daily letters is a celebration of the remarkable legacy of resilient relationships which were able to endure in the midst of calamity.

Carved in stone. Certified by history.

Before Utah Beach. Before the letters. Before any of it — there was John Waggoner.

He enlisted on October 3, 1776 and served as a Life Guard — a personal bodyguard — to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Upon his service, Washington gifted John Waggoner a sword that is on public display today at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museum in Fremont, Ohio.

His gravestone bears the official seal of the Sons of the American Revolution. Born 1758. Died 1842. The legacy he started never stopped.

Three generations. One extraordinary artifact.

The sword George Washington gifted to John Waggoner after the Revolutionary War is preserved at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museum in Fremont, Ohio. John Waggoner's father also served during the same era, receiving a peace pipe from Tecumseh — also on display in the same museum.

Here, Neal's daughter Marsha Waggoner Winters — Matthew's mother — holds Washington's sword alongside her grandsons and daughter-in-law. Three generations of the Waggoner family, touching a piece of American history that belongs to all of us.

250 Years of American Service

1776 — Revolutionary War

John Waggoner

Life Guard to General George Washington

Enlisted October 3, 1776. Washington's sword gifted upon his service — on display at the Hayes Museum, Fremont, Ohio.

SAR Certified · Born 1758 · Died 1842

1944 — World War II

Captain William Neal Waggoner

U.S. Army · D-Day, Utah Beach · Normandy, France

Landed at Utah Beach on June 6, 1944. Wrote daily letters home to Ruth and newborn son Bill throughout the entire year. Never spoke of the war again.

Utah Beach · June 6, 1944 · Operation Overlord

Vietnam Era

Bill Waggoner & David Peter Winters

U.S. Military · Vietnam Veterans

Bill Waggoner — the infant Neal wrote home about from the beaches of Normandy — grew up and served in Vietnam. David Peter Winters, father of Matthew, also served in Vietnam.

Gulf War

Matthew Winters

U.S. Air Force National Guard · Activated, Gulf War

Neal's grandson and the compiler of this book. Served in the Air Force National Guard and was activated during the Gulf War.

Present Day

The Waggoner Family — Serving Today

Multiple Branches · Active & Retired

John Waggoner — Naval Academy graduate, U.S. Navy SEAL, deployed Iraq, Afghanistan & Middle East. Jessica Waggoner — U.S. Air Force, retired. Cousins serving in the Ohio Air National Guard today.

Navy SEAL · Naval Academy · USAF Retired · Ohio ANG

A grandson's tribute to the Greatest Generation

This book is dedicated to the Waggoner family. My grandparents, Neal and Ruth, and to my Mom, Aunts and Uncles: Bill, Marsha, Jim, Richard, Pat, Mary Lou, Brenda, Tom and Mike.

As I read through these letters, they gave me a profound insight into my Grandfather's life — the man he was, the father he became and the grandfather he was at the end of his life.

What you are about to read will show you the loving side of my Grandfather, how much he loved my Grandmother and their first child Bill. He truly valued the love he shared and his dedication to family.

I hope everyone enjoys reading these letters and can maybe get a small feeling for what life was like in war and during their generation. "The Greatest Generation" — thank you Grandpa for serving our country, your love of family and being an inspiration to me.

— Love, Your Grandson, Matt Winters

Letters from the Heart, 1944

By Matthew Winters — Grandson of Captain William Neal Waggoner, D-Day Veteran, Utah Beach

Every day, more voices from the Greatest Generation fall silent forever.

Captain Neal Waggoner stormed Utah Beach on June 6, 1944 — and then he wrote home. His letters survive. They carry his voice, his love, and his courage across eight decades. From John Waggoner standing guard beside George Washington in 1776, to young men and women in uniform today — this family's story is America's story. By reading this book, you keep that voice alive.

250

Years of service

1776

First to serve

Children raised

Get Your Copy on Amazon

Letters from the Heart

A young man from Ohio, about to change history

A generation of young men, far from home

Utah Beach,
Normandy, France

Carved in stone. Certified by history.

Three generations. One extraordinary artifact.

250 Years of American Service

A grandson's tribute to the Greatest Generation