I will forever be grateful to the friend who first encouraged me to watch the HBO miniseries, "Band of Brothers." Over the last several years, I have watched the miniseries in its entirety at least four times. My wife, not usually a fan of war movies, found herself similarly drawn in within the first couple episodes. So it was with a heavy heart, I read this morning that one of the members of Easy Company, the outfit famously portrayed in the film, had died.
William "Will Bill" Guarnere was a hero in the truest sense of the word. He lost his leg while trying to rescue a fellow wounded soldier during the Battle of the Bulge. Yet even an injury as serious as that couldn't keep Guarnere down. Upon his return from the battlefields of WWII, he moved back to the South Philly neighborhood which was his home for more than 60 yrs.
In 2007, Guarnere partnered with his fellow 'Brother', Edward "Babe" Heffron, to write a best selling memoir called "Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends." He and Heffron met during the war and remained lifelong friends until Heffron's death in December.
In addition to his heroic exploits on the battlefield, which earned him the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and the Purple Heart, Guarnere worked tirelessly to make sure that his WWII Brothers received the recognition they deserved.
I feel that the video below gives a funny glimpse into the heart of the inimitable Bill Guarnere.
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