Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's "Band of Brothers"

by Don Malarkey, Bob Welch

Overview

Elite paratrooper Sgt. Don Malarkey takes us not only into the World War II battles fought from Normandy to Germany, but into the heart and mind of a soldier who lost his best friend during the nightmarish engagement at Bastogne.

Drafted in 1942, Malarkey arrived at Camp Toccoa in Georgia and was one of the one in six soldiers who earned their Eagle wings. He went to England in 1943 to provide cover on the ground for the largest amphibious military attack in history: Operation Overlord. In the darkness of D-day morning, Malarkey parachuted into France and within days was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroism in battle. He fought for twenty-three days in Normandy, nearly eighty in Holland, thirty-nine in Bastogne, and nearly thirty more in and near Haugenau, France, and the Ruhr pocket in Germany.

Easy Company Soldier is his dramatic tale of those bloody days fighting his way from the shores of France to the heartland of Germany, and the epic story of how an adventurous kid from Oregon became a leader of men.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312563233
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/12/2009
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	99,992
Product dimensions:	8.26(w) x 5.46(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Don Malarkey was born in 1921 and grew up in Astoria, Oregon. He was drafted in 1942 and spent more consecutive days in combat than any other member of E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division—the most recognized fighting unit in American history. Today he lives in Oregon.

Bob Welch is a nationally recognized author and journalist whose book American Nightingale, about the first nurse to die in World War II after the landings at Normandy, was featured on ABC's Good Morning America and was an Oregon Book Award finalist. He lives in Oregon.

Table of Contents

1 The Choice 1

2 Bomba the Jungle Boy 7

3 "Mom, Don't Worry, I'll Be Back" 25

4 Toccoa, Sobel, and Survival 35

5 Skip Muck and the March to Atlanta 50

6 Prelude to the Great Crusade 64

7 Jumping into the Darkness 87

8 Beauty and the Beast 102

9 Unclaimed Laundry 114

10 "Beyond This Place of Wrath and Tears" 126

11 The Knock on the Door 148

12 "What's a Guy Gotta Do to Die?" 159

13 Burying It Deep Within 183

14 Letters from Two Women 196

15 Dreaming of Wild Blackberries 214

16 The War That Never Ends 224

Epilogue: Remembering the Band of Brothers 240

Afterword 255

Acknowledgments 259

Index 261

Editorial Reviews

Author [Don Malarkey] shares his story of those bloody days fighting his way from the shores of France to the heartland of Germany, and the epic story of how an adventurous kid from Oregon became a leader of men.” —Powell Valley News

"First of all, you're going to love this book . . . together, we were the best (not bragging). In training and in combat, we never had any problems. We've been friends for life, over sixty-five years. He's my hero.” —William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, member of Easy Company and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends

“Don Malarkey is a staunch patriot who truly understands the principles for which we fought. He contributed his all in building the reputation of the 101st Airborne as a great fighting unit. His life today epitomizes the standards to which all good Americans should strive to emulate.” —Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton, member of Easy Company and author of Call of Duty

"Don Malarkey: an outstanding soldier in combat, a gentleman with the memory of an elephant who I always will consider to be an esteemed friend.” —Dick Winters, Commander of Easy Company and author of the New York Times bestseller Beyond Band of Brothers

“Very conscientious, very compassionate. We had great men in Easy Company and Don was one of the best. When I joined the men [in England], he took care of me like I was a Currahee man. He was a dead shot with the mortar.” —Ed "Babe" Heffron, member of Easy Company and co-author of the New York Times bestseller Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends

From the Publisher