Intermission Stories (1)

 

“Wild Bill” Guarnere w/ fellow troopers

Personal note – The posts listed under the title of Intermission Stories will be numbered just as the Korean War series is.  These will be first hand stories, events missed, pieces I found to be interesting, obituaries and my own experience climbing into a B-17 “Flying Fortress.” (Try not to laugh too hard at that one.)  This will enable me to gather and try to organize the data I have accumulated for the forthcoming WWII series.

Please remember – all of your stories are welcome in the comments and they need not be only of these two wars; some of you are current members of the military and some are civilians with home front experiences.  If you have a post or web site dedicated to a veteran and/or event, please supply a link so that all of us can read it.

Thank you ALL for your loyalty, friendship and willingness to participate with me in our goal to REMEMBER!

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Band of Brothers Obituary

William “Wild Bill” Guamere – one of the World War II veterans whose exploits were dramatized in the TV miniseries “Band of Brothers” has dies; he was 90 years old.  He was a member of Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.

His exploits during some of the fiercest battles of the European Theater earned him his nickname and cost him his leg while trying to help a wounded soldier during the Battle of the Bulge.  His commendations included the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.

When he returned from the war, Guarnere lived in the row house in South Philadelphia, where he would eventually reside for 60 years.  He worked in construction despite his disability and helped to put together Easy Company reunions.  In 2007, he helped to write, “Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends,” with fellow veteran Edward J. “Babe” Heffron and journalist Robyn Post.

Babe Heffron and Wild Bill met during the war and remained friends until Heffron died 1 December 2013,

Babe Heffron during WWII

also 90 years of age and a Bronze Star  recipient.  Guarnere”s son said, “Now they’re together again.”

The viewing is set for tomorrow, Thursday, at Ruffenach Funeral Home in Philadelphia and the funeral will be held this Friday.

10 Sept. 2008, Guarnere, Babe Heffron & Forest Guth in Kuwait en-route to Iraq

**This information supplied by FoxNews.

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Please click to enlarge this inspirational story of survival.

Holocaust survival

Information supplied by “The Week” magazine.

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Farewell Salutes – 

Sanford Ames – Takoma, MD; US Army, WWII

Frederick Cavlovic – Cleveland, OH & N.Palm Beach, FL; US Army, WWII, PTO

Russell Clanahan – Springfield, VA; US Navy, Korea

Colin Gibson – Wheaton, MD; US Navy, WWII, PTO, medical team

Kathleen Grasmeder – Colonial Beach, VA; US Army (Ret.)

Carroll Jordon – Chickasaw, AL; veteran of Korea, targeted and brutally beaten and stabbed by 3 youths.

Spero Kitsakos – Brooklyn, NY & W.Palm Beach, FL; US Navy, WWII

Edward Makowski – Chicago, IL; US Army, WWII

Frank Owen – Ste-Agathe, Quebec; British Columbia 28th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own), Major (Ret.)

Edward Touhy – Chicago, IL; US Navy, WWII

Norman Wetzel – Union Bridge, AR; US Army, WWII, 3rd Armored/813th Engineer Corps/29th Division

Charles Zeigman – Manchester, AR; US Army, Korea

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