U.S. Rep. John Joyce has introduced legislation that would award the Medal of Honor to Lt. Eric Fisher Wood Jr., a Valley Forge Military Academy graduate and World War II hero, writes Mark Pesto for Task & Purpose, a military-focused digital media company.

After being separated from his unit, Wood gathered a group of allied soldiers and spearheaded a guerilla campaign that was responsible for killing more than 200 Nazi soldiers before he was killed at the Battle of the Bulge. His body was found surrounded by seven dead Nazi soldiers he is believed to have killed before succumbing to his injuries.

“Lt. Eric Fisher Wood Jr. was an American hero, and it is my privilege to recognize his extraordinary service and sacrifice for our nation,” said Joyce. “His gallant actions undoubtedly saved American lives and aided the war effort.”

During his time at Valley Forge, Wood was both an outstanding athlete in football and track and the valedictorian of his class. After graduating from VFMA in 1937, he enrolled at Princeton University, where he graduated in 1942 and joined a reserve unit the following year. He was soon called to active duty and joined the fighting in Europe in the early autumn of 1944.

Wood was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart, as well as the Belgian Croix de Guerre and the Order of Leopold.

Read more about Lt. Eric Fisher Wood Jr. from Task & Purpose here.

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