HBO’s awesome mini-series “Band of Brothers” took us into the world of Army’s 101st “Easy Company”.
Producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg needed a hero’s story and they got one in a Veteran named Donald Malarkey.
Although any human that lived through WW2 would never call themselves a “hero”;
when you hear about his day-after-day bravery, it’s hard not to title him that.
He served more consecutive time at the tip-of-the-spear than any other soldier in his company.
Actor Scott Grimes was tasked with filling the shoes of Private Malarkey.
The Salem, Oregon native actually began his military experience by getting denied entry into the Marines.
Don’t get cocky Devil Dogs because your going to laugh at the reason.
(Photo above from USMC’s Battle of Iwo Jima, notice Mount Suribachi…you’ve seen it)
Dental problems. The young Donald simply had bad teeth.
If you’re a Marine or know one, that’s gotta give ya a chuckle/if you’re not…I just made a chewing tobacco joke.
This led to volunteering to enter the Army’s bad-ass 101st Airborne paratrooper Division, where he’d be placed in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment and ultimately become part of Easy Company.
Not the actors’ version, the real 2nd Battalion of the 506th PIR.
Easy’s journey began by being dropped (parachuting) behind enemy lines prior to the Normandy Invasion.
During D-Day, he earned a Bronze Star for destroying Nazi artillery.
His team’s first actions during D-Day would help to get the men off the hell-ish beaches and begin America’s push towards Germany.
Easy Co. battled across France then into Netherlands.
From the Netherlands, Easy Co. entered Belgium…this is the location of one of the fiercest battles in America’s history.
In the town of Bastogne, Germans surrounded Easy Company. Mr. Malarkey and his teammates were in the wrong place at the wrong time. This little town was an unavoidable cross-roads in the path to the harbor at Antwerp.
It was Hitler’s last break-out effort. We call this the “Battle of the Bulge”.
If the Nazi’s got to the harbor by breaking the American line, it would change the dynamics of entire war.
Why?
Not only would the Allied lines be split…more importantly, if the Germans controlled the harbor of Antwerp, the American armies on the North-side of the division would have no access to supplies.
No bull-shit on the following:
If Hitler pulled-off his plan, Germany could have ended WW2 with a peace treaty…and the Nazi party could easily exit today.
Over Christmas of 1944, Easy Co. battled for their lives in the freezing cold. German tanks hammered their fox-holes while swarms of troops attacked.
Easy Co. took 82 casualties with 15 men Killed In Action.
After seven days of being cut-off, the skies cleared for air support and Gen. George Patton’s Third Army was able to break-through to the “Screamin’ Eagles” of Easy Company.
Holding back the attacking Nazi attack effectively ended Hitler’s chances of winning the war.
That’s right, “F*ck you Hitler”.
In total, Private Donald Malarkey battled the Nazi War Machine:
23 days in Normandy
80 days in the Netherlands
39 days in Bastogne, Belgium
30 days in France and Germany
Following the war, Mr. Malarkey went on to earn a Business degree at U of Oregon and marry Irene Moore. Together they had four children.
(Malarkey with actor Scott Grimes)
This guy was THE MAN!
But his service did not end there. He has traveled to Kuwait and Germany to shake hands with injured troops during the Iraq War.
Through out the years, he stayed in touch the Men of Easy Company…until their final meeting this last August…days ago on Sept. 30th, this hero passed away.
If you haven’t seen “Band of Brothers”, see it. Above is the cast. They may be cool but…
…they’re no hero named Donald Malarkey and the real men of Easy Company.
-Rick
These are his final words on WW2:
“You could look back and with great pride, realize that you had done a very significant thing and acted responsibly in what amounted to saving the world.”
Reviewed by Your Destination
on
October 05, 2017
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