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From the Farms of Autauga County to the European Front, WWII Veteran Russell Wood has Spanned the Distance

By Andrew Edwards

Staff Writer

It’s been 75 years since the conclusion of World War II, a conflict that brought death and destruction on a scale that had never been seen before. Nearly 15,000,000 soldiers died in battle between the years 1939 and 1945, with 400,000 of those deaths coming from the United States.

Specifically, the state of Alabama had 300,000 men and women who served in the war – with 6,000 of them losing their lives in military service. Of those who survived, only one who was born in Autauga County is still alive and living there.

His name? Russell Wood.

Wood, 95, still lives with his wife, Catherine, and their son, Rusty in their home in Autauga County, about a mile away from Statesville.

Wood was raised in the same area of Autauga County after his Great-Grandfather, Dr. John Wood, moved to the area in 1828 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania.

After Russell’s father and brother passed away when he was 12 years old, he was essentially tasked with the “man of the house” duties. That is, until he graduated from Hicks Memorial High School in 1943. Just several weeks after, he was sent off to basic training at Fort Smith, Arkansas before being moved to Flushing Meadows, New York.

While in New York, Wood went to signal school for the Army. There, he learned how to run radar systems and other necessary skills that are involved in the Army Corps of Engineers.

Soon after, Wood was deployed to London, where he would spend the initial part of his station.

“Russell used to always tell us stories about how they would have to turn every single light out in the city during the night. There were so many bombings in London, and the way the Germans would determine where to bomb was based off the lights. If they saw lights down below, that’s where they would attack,” said Catherine Wood.

After being in London for several months, Wood was then sent to Belgium where he would put his engineering skills to the test. While there, Wood would help build floating bridges over rivers so that the United States and allies could move supplies from one side to the other.

“Those bridges were mainly built so that the U.S. could move across parts for pontoon boats. There were thousands of soldiers that crossed those bridges, so it was a very important job that my father had,” said Rusty Wood.

After moving back and forth from London to Belgium for the next year and half, Wood would finally be called home in the Summer of 1945 – shortly after victory in the Western front.

“Russell came home on leave and was supposed to only be here for several weeks. He was set to be shipped off to fight in the pacific, but while he was here, the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs on Japan and the war ended. Russell didn’t have to leave again,” Catherine said.

Now that the war was over, Russell decided to focus on his education.

Wood was granted the GI Bill, and with it, went to Athens State in Alabama. There, he played baseball for a year before enrolling at Auburn University. Catherine says that Auburn offered him a spot on their baseball team, but Wood turned it down.

“Auburn wanted him to play for them, but he was offered another spot as pitcher for the Autaugaville semi-pro team. The coach said that he’d pay his travel expenses from Auburn to Autaugaville. Russell didn’t want to turn down an opportunity to play for his home county,” Catherine said.

Ultimately, Russell graduated from Auburn in 1950 with a bachelors in Agricultural Science. Catherine said the degree was all Russell ever wanted.

“Russell would always tell us the best thing about the war was that he got a college education out of it,” Catherine said.

For the first three years out of college, Wood taught veterans at the Agricultural Department in Autaugaville. He essentially taught them how to farm, helped with questions they had about farming, and opportunities in farming after the war.

This was an expertise for Wood, as he grew up on a farm, and now owns over 800 acres of land out near Statesville. Catherine jokingly said that Russell would always say, “I inherited 35 acres of land, but I bought the rest of it myself.”

Over the years, Wood found himself in many endeavors. One of which was when he ran for County Commission against Mansfield White, a man who had held the seat for several years prior. Wood didn’t win the election, but according to Catherine, White passed away not long after he won re-election, thus ushering Wood into the position.

Wood also started his own short-lived syrup company back in the mid-60s, was a part of the Board of Revenue, and served on the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee – which gave him the opportunity to meet then Alabama Governor, George Wallace.

Furthermore, he’s the last living member of the original Autaugaville Lions Club and was also awarded Distinguished Farmer of the Year back in 2005. 

Whether it was his service in WWII, his helping of veterans, or service to the Autauga County Community through farming and politics, Russell Wood has been a vital part of the history of Alabama for the past 95 years.

Even though his health is declining, Wood still tries to make it to Ivy Creek Methodist every Sunday, a church that he has attended since 1930.

His resilience, perseverance, and determination in all phases of his life is what makes him the ideal representative for Autauga County.