Born in Los Angeles, California, on January 25, 1919, Eric Fisher Wood, Jr. was the son of Eric Fisher Wood, Sr., one of the founders of the American Legion and a Brigadier General who was assigned to the staff of General Eisenhower. Wood graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy & School in 1937 and from Princeton in 1942. At both institutions he proved to be an exceptional student and classmate. As a 1st Lieutenant, Wood was in charge of the A Battery of the 589th Field Artillery Battalion, 106th Infantry Division. The battalion came under attack in the area around Meyerode, Belgium and were forced to retreat in the direction of St. Vith. During this retreat, one of the unit's howitzers became stuck, forcing Wood and other soldiers to attempt to free it despite the rapidly approaching German forces. Eventually, Wood and his men got the gun moving but encountered a German tank and machine gun fire. While some soldiers surrounded, Wood and a comrade refused to and subsequently ran off into the surrounding woods, where they were found by a Belgian man. He welcomed them into his house before they left the next day to become what has become a legendary guerrilla war campaign with a small band of American soldiers who survived the German offensive. Wood's body is said to have been discovered among those of seven German soldiers and he has been credited with 200 kills during his personal campaign.