The field hospital in which “Doc” Wilder was assigned was on the move.

After the sustained and deadly battle of Hurtgen Forest, at the German front, the medical unit had to be relocated. Casualties were severe. By the end of this four-month engagement, over 33,000 American troops died. It was considered one of the bloodiest events in the European theater during WWII.

Since Franklin Wilder was a boy, he loved making boats.

He and his family lived on the outskirts of Savannah. The 900-acre farm was a kingdom to him. It contained vast areas of fragrant pine trees that were harvested for timber. There was a lumber yard and verdant horse paddocks. But the most beguiling aspect of the farm was the fast-running stream that ran across a large portion of the property. Franklin spent many of his early years at the stream and exploring the surrounding woods.

The little Arts and Crafts cottage on the 200 block of Maupas Avenue in Savannah had been owned by the Wilder Family for generations. It was a home of beginnings and of transition.