Another WWII hero has fallen

[Sgt. Rock]

Roanoke, VA.:

Roanoke lost one of its most decorated World War II veterans last weekend. Former fighter pilot William Overstreet Jr., famous for flying beneath the arches of the Eiffel Tower while chasing a German aircraft during the war, died Sunday afternoon. He was 92.

Overstreet was awarded hundreds of medals for his service in the 357th squadron of the U.S. Army Air Forces, according to his obituary for Oakey’s Funeral Home. One of his greatest honors was being awarded France’s Legion of Honor by the French ambassador to the U.S. in 2009 at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford.

At the ceremony, the French ambassador said Overstreet led “some of the most heroic actions that we have ever heard of” during the liberation of France in the Second World War.

Overstreet’s most famous flight came while in solo pursuit of a German Messerschmitt Bf 109G flying into Nazi-occupied Paris. He maneuvered his plane beneath the arches of the Eiffel Tower, re-igniting the motivations of the French Resistance troops on the ground.

Other famous pilots of his squadron consisted of Chuck Yeager and Bud Anderson.

357th Fighter Group - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[TheOl55]

Rest In Peace William Overstreet Jr. We Salute You and Thank You

 

[ViperJeff]

God Speed

 

[hotrodpc]

I'd love to meet with a guy like that. Just to hear their stories if they're willing to tell them. I learned long ago from a Vietnam vet, you don't want to make a veteran tell their stories if they don't want to. Many times it's not a matter of they don't want to talk about it, it's a matter of they can't talk about it. RIP William.

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[#860]

I'd love to meet with a guy like that. Just to hear their stories if they're willing to tell them. I learned long ago from a Vietnam vet, you don't want to make a veteran tell their stories if they don't want to. Many times it's not a matter of they don't want to talk about it, it's a matter of they can't talk about it. RIP William.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

So true.

 

[Sgt. Rock]

Sgt. Walter Ehlers, WWII Medal of Honor Recipient, Dies at 92


Staff Sgt. Walter Ehlers, a Medal of Honor recipient for his heroic actions during World War II, died Thursday at the age of 92.

Ehlers, who joined the armed forces in 1940, was the last living Medal of Honor recipient who stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day.

He earned his Medal of Honor "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty" on June 9 and 10, 1944, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

During battle near Goville, France, Ehlers went ahead of his men to defend his squad against the enemy. He blocked his men from gunfire and even after he was wounded in the back, carried a rifleman to safety and then returned to the battleground to retrieve his rifle. Ehlers refused to leave his squad after his wound was treated.

“The Germans didn't leave much of me untouched," Ehlers said an interview with WWII Magazine in 2012.

Ehlers also earned three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star during his service with the 3rd Infantry Division and the 1st Infantry Division.

After the war, Ehlers became an advocate for military veteran benefits and proudly worked as a security guard for Disneyland when it opened in California.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Ehlers; three children; 11 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Rest In Peace

 

[TheOl55]

Rest In Peace Sgt. Walter Ehlers.

Thank You For Your Service.

 

[kwo51]

We are losing our Heroes from Europe. Saved them from hitler just to be taken over by liberals and rag heads.

 

[Sgt. Rock]

PHILADELPHIA — William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, one of the World War II veterans whose exploits were dramatized in the TV miniseries "Band of Brothers," has died. He was 90

His son, William Guarnere Jr., confirmed Sunday that his father died at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Guarnere was rushed to the hospital early Saturday and died of a ruptured aneurysm early Saturday night.

"He had a good, long life," his son said.

The HBO miniseries, based on a book by Stephen Ambrose, followed the members of Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division from training in Georgia in 1942 through some of the war's fiercest European battles through the war's end in 1945.

Its producers included Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. Guarnere was portrayed by the actor Frank John Hughes.

Guarnere, whose combat exploits earned him his nickname, lost a leg while trying to help a wounded solider during the Battle of the Bulge. His commendations included the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.

In 2007, Guarnere helped write a nationally best-selling memoir called, "Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends," with fellow south Philadelphian veteran Edward J. "Babe" Heffron and journalist Robyn Post.