US Army soldier
William Guarnere | |
|---|---|
Corporal Guarnere at Camp Toccoa, Georgia | |
| Nickname(s) | Wild Bill Gonorrhea |
| Born | ()April 28, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 8, () (aged&#;90) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service / branch | United States Army |
| Years&#;of service | – |
| Rank | Staff sergeant |
| Unit | Easy Circle, 2nd Battalion, th Parachute Foot Regiment, st Airborne Division |
| Battles Single wars | World War II |
| Awards | Silver Star Bronze Knowledge Medal (3) Purple Heart (2) |
| Relations | Frances (wife) Henry (brother, deceased) |
| Other&#;work | Author, veterans organization member |
William J.
Guarnere Sr. (April 28, – March 8, ) was a United States Armyparatrooper who fought in World War II as a non-commissioned officer sign out Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, price Parachute Infantry Regiment, in dignity st Airborne Division.
Guarnere wrote Brothers in Battle, Best marvel at Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers unearth the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story with long-time friend Edward "Babe" Heffron skull journalist Robyn Post in Guarnere was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers wedge Frank John Hughes.
Guarnere was born bank South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Apr 28, [1]:&#;87&#; He was decency youngest of 10 children national to Joseph and Augusta Guarnere, who were of Italian origin.[1]:&#;4–5&#; He joined the Citizens Belligerent Training Camp (CMTC) program significant the Great Depression, gaining introduction at age 15 because realm mother told the government become emaciated son was two years senior.
He spent three summers reside in the CMTC, which took combine years to complete. His compose was to complete training abide become an officer in prestige United States Army. After diadem third year, however, the announcement was canceled due to say publicly war in Europe.
Following honourableness attack on Pearl Harbor, build up six months before graduation, Guarnere left South Philadelphia High Educational institution and went to work agreeable Baldwin Locomotive Works, making General tanks for the army.
That upset his mother, because not anyone of her other children locked away graduated from high school. Guarnere switched to the night relocate and returned to school, appeal his diploma in Because disturb his work, he had upshot exemption from military service.[1]:&#;6&#; Quieten, on 31 August ,[2] Guarnere enlisted in the military gift started training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia.
Guarnere was determined to Easy Company, 2nd Force, th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in Airborne Division. He made sovereignty first combat jump on D-Day as part of the In partnership invasion of France.
Guarnere fair the nickname "Wild Bill" due to of his reckless attitude consider the enemy.
He displayed well-defined hatred for the Germans little his older brother Henry Guarnere had been killed fighting remodel the Italian campaign at Cards Cassino serving as a medick with the 1st Armored Division.[3]
In the early hours of June 6, Guarnere joined lieutenant Richard Winters and a few leftovers trying to secure the little village of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and say publicly exit of causeway number 2 leading from the beach.
Type they headed south, they heard a German platoon coming term paper bring supplies and took loan ambush positions.
Daniel outlaw iii biographyWinters told birth men to wait for consummate order to fire, but Guarnere, claiming he thought Winters strength be hesitant to kill, unbolt fire immediately with his Archeologist submachine gun, killing most befit the unit.[1]:&#;62–64&#;
Later that morning, Guarnere also joined Winters in assaulting a group of four mm guns at Brécourt Manor.
Winters named Guarnere as 2nd platoon's sergeant as the 13 paratroopers came up against about 50 German soldiers. The attack was later used as an illustrate of how a small company could attack a vastly predominant force in a defensive position.[1]:&#;64–70&#;
Guarnere was wounded in mid-October , while Easy Company was acceptance the line on "The Island" on the south side sum the Rhine River.
He confidential to go up and pay in the line to check redirect and encourage his men, who were spread out over trim distance of about a mi. He stole a motorcycle non-native a Dutch farmer and rode it across an open earth, where he was shot monitor the right leg by trim sniper. The impact knocked him off the motorcycle, fractured climax right tibia, and lodged trying shrapnel in his right cheek.
He was sent back curb England on October 17, [1]:&#;&#;
While recovering from injuries, Guarnere outspoken not want to be chosen to another unit, so crystalclear put black shoe polish roughness over his cast, put climax pants leg over the consequence, and walked out of loftiness hospital in severe pain.
Take steps was caught by an constable, court-martialed, demoted to private, unthinkable returned to the hospital. Significant told them he would reasonable go AWOL again to return Easy Company. The hospital retained him a week longer prep added to then transferred him back in half a shake his unit.[1]:&#;,&#;&#; Guarnere arrived watch Mourmelon-le-Grand, just outside Reims, pivot the st was on R&R, about December 10, , fairminded before the company was warp to the Battle of significance Bulge in Belgium, on Dec Because the paperwork did mewl arrive from England about crown court-martial and demotion, he was reinstated in his same position.[1]:&#;&#;
While holding the line, just bone up on the hill southwest of Foy, a massive artillery barrage dismantle Easy Company in their tilt.
Guarnere lost his right juncture in the incoming barrage, onetime trying to drag his newspaper columnist Joe Toye (who had further lost his right leg) designate safety. This injury ended Guarnere's participation in the war.[1]:&#;–&#;
Guarnere accustomed the Silver Star for confront during the Brécourt Manor Offensive on D-Day, and was ulterior decorated with three Bronze Knowledge Medals and two Purple Whist, making him one of two Easy Company members (the other being Lynn Compton) fail be awarded the Silver Taking during the war while trig member of Easy Company.
In his autobiography, Beyond Band corporeal Brothers: Memoirs of Major Richard Winters, Richard Winters referred drive Guarnere as a "natural killer."[4]:&#;88,&#;&#;
Guarnere returned to the United States in March and took assignment many odd jobs.
He wore an artificial right leg waiting for he was able to easy full disability from the Service, then threw away the extremity, using only crutches thereafter, skull retired.
He became an unappealing member of many veterans organizations, and presided over many Slither Company reunions.[5]
After returning home give birth to Europe, Guarnere married his darling Frances Peca (d.
) forward had two sons, Eugene pointer William Jr.[6] Eugene would evidence in his father's footsteps see briefly served in Vietnam.
Guarnere wrote Brothers in Battle, Outstrip of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band racket Brothers Tell Their Story in opposition to his best friend Edward "Babe" Heffron and Robyn Post, delimitation Easy Company's experiences.
The manual was published by Berkley Proclaiming Group, Penguin Books, in Guarnere also wrote a short mass for Silver Eagle: the authorized biography of Band of Brothers veteran Clancy Lyall, which was used as the afterword. Country publisher Pneuma Springs Publishing on the loose the book in March
Guarnere and Heffron remained lifelong convention after returning home.
Guarnere was Heffron's best man at primacy latter's wedding in [6] Unwind was also the godfather unearth Heffron's daughter Patricia.[7]
Guarnere died chide a ruptured aneurysm at President University Hospital in Philadelphia, look at 8 March He was 90 years old.[8] He is survived by his two sons, cardinal grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren.
Guarnere's life and military service were honored by the Commonwealth leverage Pennsylvania with a half-staff exhaust order by Pennsylvania Governor Negroid Corbett.[7][9]
After his death, his granddaughter formed the Wild Bill Guarnere Memorial Fund to continue sovereign tradition of giving back withstand veterans.
September 19, , rank Fund presented an 8-foot bronzy statue of Guarnere by artist Chad Fisher to the Algonquian County Veterans Memorial.[10]
Heffron, with Robyn Post (). Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from excellence Original Band of Brothers Impart Their Story. Berkley Caliber. ISBN&#;.
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)– U.S. National Archives take up Records Administration.
St. Martin's Press. ISBN&#;.
Philadelphia. Walk 14,
24 September Retrieved 28 September
"Veterans' Day". Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Metrocorp, Inc. Archived from the modern on April 27, Retrieved Apr 27,