Horace Lynn Woodring
Private First Class, U.S. Army

Horace Lynn Woodring was born on 30 September 1926 in Morganfield, KY. He was raised on a dairy farm. Woody was a rambunctious young man. He drove stock cars, piloted a stunt plane and, at the age of 15, lied about his age in order to get a job driving a gravel truck. He later lied about his age to enlist in the U.S. Army.

Woodring was a 19-year-old Private First Class in the Army when he sustained frostbite during 30 days on the front line during the Battle of the Bulge. After he was declared unfit for further infantry duty, he was re-assigned to transportation and sent to drivers' school where, upon completion, he was assigned to the motor pool. He was then allowed to become the driver of General Patton's car and, for that privilege, he extended his enlistment for one year. Patton had talked with PFC Woodring about working for him after the general's retirement.

On 9 December 1945, PFC Woodring was the driver of General Patton's Cadillac limousine, conveying Patton and Lieutenant General Hobart R. 'Hap' Gay [Honoree Record ID 2544] on a trip to hunt pheasant near Mannheim, Germany. A truck driven by Technical Sergeant Robert L. Thompson suddenly turned in front of the car, which then hit the 'deuce and a half.' In the collision, Patton was thrown from the back seat into a steel partition between the driver and passenger compartments, breaking his neck. Although everyone was looking for someone to blame for the accident, General Patton wouldn't allow it to be blamed on Woodring. General Patton died of his injuries on 21 December 1945.

Post-Military Life

After his discharge from the Army, Woody returned to Kentucky and married Margaret Jerelene Adamson. Because of his admiration for General Patton, Woody and Jerelene named their son John Patton Woodring. They moved to Michigan in 1963 where Woody bought and sold cars and enjoyed going fast on his snowmobile.

Medals, Awards and Badges

American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge

Death and Burial

Private First Class Horace Lynn Woodring died of heart disease on 2 November 2003. He is buried at White Oak Cemetery in Clay, KY.