Edward Shames.Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty
Edward Shames, a World War II veteran whose service was portrayed in the Emmy-winning HBO miniseriesBand of Brothers, has died. He was 99.
Shames died peacefully at his Norfolk, Virginia home on Friday, according tohis obituary.
According to his obituary, Shames was the last surviving officer and oldest surviving member of Easy Company.
Edward Shames as a young soldier.US Airborne
Born on June 13, 1922, Shames was just 20 years old when he was called to duty in WWII, according to his obituary.
During the war, Shames “gained a reputation as a stubborn and very outspoken soldier who demanded the highest of standards from himself” and others, which led him to be “involved in some of the most important battles.”
Shames made his first combat jump into Normandy on D-Day as part of Operation Overlord, volunteered for Operation Pegasus, and fought with Easy Company in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne, according to his obituary.
“This made him the first non-commissioned officer in the Third Battalion to receive a commission in Normandy,” his obituary read.
Edward Shames (center) hugging fellow Easy Company member, Ed McClung, at the Library of Congress in 2003.Gerald Herbert/AP/Shutterstock
Later in his tenure, Shames became the first member of the 101st to enter the Dachau concentration camp after its liberation, according to his obituary. Along with the rest of Easy Company, he also entered Hitler’s bunker following Germany’s surrender.
“Ed and his men of Easy Company entered Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest where Ed managed to acquire a few bottles of cognac, a label indicating they were ‘for the Fuhrer’s use only,’ " his obituary read, in part. “Later, he would use the cognac to toast his oldest son’s Bar Mitzvah.”
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A graveside service for the World War II veteran was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk on Sunday.
His family is asking for memorial contributions to be made in Shames' honor to theWounded Warrior Projector theAmerican Veterans Centerin Arlington, Virginia.
source: people.com
