In remembrance

Tribute Page

Our hero's who we remember.

Onze helden die we herinneren. Zij overleden de afgelopen jaren.

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Joseph "Joe" Lesniewski

"Joe" Lesniewski had passed away on May 23rd 2012.
Joe lived in Erie (PA) and was one of our liberators.

He lived close to one of his buddies ED JOINT whom he encountered short after the drop into Ste Mére Eglise in 1944. They stayed friends for the rest of their lives and the sad coincidence is; Ed passed away a few days before Joe. (May 12th)

Op 23 mei 2012 Joseph "Joe" Lesniewski is overleden.
Joe woonde in Erie (PA) en was een van onze bevrijders.

Hij woonde dichtbij een van zijn buddies ED JOINT die hij leerde kennen na de landing in Ste Mére Eglise in 1944. Ze bleven vrienden voor de rest van hun leven en het toeval wil dat Ed slechts enkele dagen geleden voor Joe is overleden. (12 mei 2012)

Ed Joint

In Memorium

Edward Joseph Joint, one of the original Band of Brothers, passed
on May 12, 2012 at age 89. He was one of the
last surviving Easy Company members and featured in Marcus
Brothertons 2009 book, We Who Are Alive & Remain.

John 'Jack'McGrath passed away

John “Jack” McGrath in Normandy 1944 - McGrath is pictured with captured German equipment.

The historian and biographer Stephen Ambrose immortalized the soldiers of Easy Company, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in his 1992 book “Band of Brothers.”

Mr. McGrath belonged to the legendary Easy Company, whose successes stretched from D-Day to the capture of Hitler’s Bavarian outpost. The Carlstadt-born soldier had his moment on Page 100, where Ambrose describes how Mr. McGrath blew up a German tank with a bazooka shot — “the critical moment,” Ambrose writes, in the Allied forces’ taking of Carentan, France, during the invasion of Normandy.

Jack McGrath with Ambrose’s book

Clancy Lyall in Memorium

Clarence Odell Lyall was born on October 14, 1925 out of mixed family.

His father was a Scotsman and his mother was a full blooded Cherokee woman.

Clancy grew up on their family farm in Orange, Texas until they moved to Marcus Hook,
Pennsylvania in 1939.

Lt. Lynn ‘Buck’ Compton in Memorium

Lynn Compton was born on December 31st 1921 in Los Angeles CA.
While at the University of California, Buck proved to be an excellent athlete, and was a catcher at the UCLA baseball team. Also while at UCLA he joined the ROTC.

He joined the Army in December 1943, and was assigned to E Comp. 506th PIR 101st ABD, while the company was in England prior to the invasion of Europe.
He got along very well with the NCO’s and privates, for which he had to answer for to Lt. Winters.

In Normandy, Buck participated in the Brecourt Manoir attack and helped to eliminate the German 105s. He was awarded a Silver Star for that action.
Later during Operation Market Garden in Holland he was shot in the behind, and the men joked about it. He had four holes in his body with only one bullet.

Bill Guarnere took the initiative to evacuate him on a barn door, but he was not pleased with that. He said: “Leave me for the Germans, I’m too heavy to carry”. Of course, his buddies refused this.

He rejoined Easy Company in Mourmelon France, and went in to the hell of Bastogne. It was there he could not handle it anymore. He saw his two best friends, Bill Guarnere & Joe Toye laying in a pool of blood, both missing a leg.

Buck was treated for war fatigue.

After the war, he married Donna Newman, and adopted two children, he went to law school and became a detective at the LAPD. In 1964 he was promoted to ‘Chief Deputy District Attorney’.

During his time with the District Attorney's Office, he successfully prosecuted Sirhan Sirhan for the murder of Robert F. Kennedy.

He retired in 1990.

Lt. Lynn ‘Buck’ Compton died on February 26th 2012 in Burlington, WA.

You shall never be forgotten!

foto6

We had the honor to drive Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton around in our WWII Jeep during the Eindhoven liberation parade in 2007.

Amos ‘Buck’ Taylor

in Memorium

Buck Taylor ‘E’ comp veteran passed away just 10 days after his beloved wife Elaine Taylor.

Buck Taylor is one of the original Toccoa men. He enlisted for the paratroopers in Juli 1942, together with Forrest Guth, Rod Strohl, Carl Fenstermaker & Walter Gordon. All future ‘E’ company men

In England, Buck Taylor was also one of the NCO’s who were part of the ultimatum against Capt. Sobel.

In Normandy It took him 4 day’s to get with the rest of ‘E’ Company, he also got a minor wound.

Buck got wounded in Holland after a motorcycle accident , but recovered.

In Bastogne shortly before the attack on Foy he got hit on his leg and foot, which that was the end of his war.

Buck spent 11 month in hospitals in the UK and the USA, before he recovered.

In May 1945 he married his youth girlfriend Elaine, and got four children.

He worked for more than 25 years with the CIA where he met Bob Brewer, the Lt who got hit in the neck during Market Garden, and miraculously survived, they became good friends.

Amos ‘Buck’ Taylor made his final jump on August 23^rd 2011.

May he rest in peace with his beloved wife and his fellow troopers.

Richard D. Winters

During the interview segment of the miniseries Band of Brothers, Winters quoted a passage from a letter he received from Sergeant Mike Ranney, "I cherish the memories of a question my grandson asked me the other day when he said, 'Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?' Grandpa said 'No… but I served in a company of heroes…'"

May you rest in peace, Major. Thanks for everything you gave us. Thank you for your service We will always be gratefull. Have a safe landing, Sir!

Joe Stedman

A message from the MajorDickWinters.com website containing sad news.
A former Easy Company paratrooper, Joe Stedman, passed away recently.

See here for the link to the website.

John "Jack" Agnew, in Memorium

Op 8 april 2010 overleed jammer genoeg Airborne legende John "Jack" Agnew op 88 jarige leeftijd.
Airborne Legend John "Jack" Agnew passed away last April 8, he was 88 years of age.

Jack Agnew, original member of the "Filthy Thirteen" (officially known as the First Demolition Section, HQ Company, 506th PIR), Agnew participated in the D-Day jump and Operation Market Garden before he and several of his fellow "Filthy Thirteen" paratroopers volunteered to become Pathfinders.

On December 23, 1944, Agnew was amongst the two sticks of Pathfinders who parachuted into the besieged town of Bastogne to coordinate the aerial re-supply of the 101st Airborne Division.

Jack made 4 Combat Jumps (Normandy, Holland, Bastogne and Varsity).

Here is the famous picture of him on top of a brick pile in George Koskimaki's book "Bastogne".

Jack Agnew and Mike Marquez at Boot Camp, Spring, 1943

This photo was taken after the 156 mile march from Ft. McPhearson to Ft. Benning. It was Jack’s 21st Birthday. January 2, 1943.

Jack's website was made by his daughter Barbara Agnew Maloney in tribute to her father.

REST IN PEACE JACK...

See for our ceremony. Kijk hier voor onze ceremonie.


Forrest Guth		"Shifty" Powers

Jack Foley Biography