A true hero has fallen

[Rot 911]

And one that many of us know, at least through the medium of television. Lynn D. 'Buck' Compton. My Army career took me from Vietnam through Desert Storm 1, but I don't think I could have endured what these guys went through. For those of you that have seen the movie series or read up on Buck, what he saw and lived through took a lot out of him yet he managed to come back and live a long successful life.


By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times

February 29, 2012
As a Los Angeles deputy district attorney, Lynn D. "Buck" Compton was known for heading the three-man team that successfully prosecuted Sirhan B. Sirhan for the 1968 slaying of U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

And after then-Gov. Ronald Reagan appointed him to the 2nd District Court of Appeal in 1970, he was known as one of its most conservative jurists.

But it was long after he retired from the bench in 1990 that Compton became known for something that previously had been mentioned only in passing in newspaper articles about him: his World War II military service.

Compton was a first lieutenant in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the Army's 101st Airborne Division — one of the true-life characters who gained late-in-life renown when they were portrayed in "Band of Brothers," the 2001 HBO miniseries based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose's 1992 bestseller.

Compton, who suffered a heart attack Jan. 11, died Saturday at his daughter Tracy's home in Burlington, Wash., said his family. He was 90.

After parachuting into Normandy during the early hours of D-day in June 1944, Compton was part of the assault group that destroyed the German artillery during the battle at Brecourt Manor. He fought at Carentan, participated in Operation Market Garden in Holland and helped defend Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.

Before the war was over, he had been awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart

"Not too many people knew about his military heroics until the miniseries," said Tracy Compton.

As her sister Syndee put it: "His career as a prosecutor and a judge overrode his military career until 'Band of Brothers' came out, and then it just went crazy. Then it became more about him being in the military rather than his being a judge or a prosecutor."

Syndee Compton said her father was surprised by suddenly being in the spotlight.

"I think it probably shocked all of them," she said. "I don't think any of them in their wildest dreams thought at 80 years of age they'd be getting this attention."

In the years after "Band of Brothers," Compton was asked to speak at local schools and at military bases in Germany and South Korea.

He also continued to receive fan mail from around the world.

His family estimated that nearly 400 people showed up in January for a 90th birthday celebration for Compton at the Skagit Regional Airport in Burlington, including children of other "Band of Brothers" veterans.

"All I can say is it's flattering — and kind of embarrassing," the Skagit Valley Herald reported Compton as saying. "We didn't expect anything more than those other guys [in the war]. We're celebrating longevity more than anything."

The crowd included four actors from "Band of Brothers": Michael Cudlitz, James Madio, Richard Speight Jr. and Neal McDonough, who portrayed Compton in the miniseries.

McDonough recalled meeting with Compton in Burlington the day before he flew to London to begin filming "Band of Brothers" and later peppering him with "phone calls at all hours" with more questions about his time during the war.

"When you play a historical figure, you have to do it right and tell the truth," McDonough told The Times this week, recalling that Compton would tell him, "I didn't really do anything; I was just doing my job."

"He'd say that's what soldiers do," said McDonough, who kept in touch with Compton and nicknamed his 6-year-old son Morgan "Little Buck" in his honor. "He did extraordinary things in his life and never took credit for it."

[Laneco]

I saw that in this mornings paper. An extraordinary man has left us.

RIP.

angela

[pwd72s]

My pool hall buddy Don Malarkey lost another comrade...

Will post a pic of a print I have...

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Amazing life, may he rest well in deserved peace!

[pwd72s]

"In the company of heros"...that's Don kneeling at the grave of his buddy Skip Muck...KIA, Battle of the Bulge.
My print bears only one autograph...Don's. Cindy & I feel honored to know the man. Soon enough, all of Easy Co. will be together again.

[onewhippedpuppy]

RIP, not many men like that left in the world.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

My pool hall buddy Don Malarkey lost another comrade...

Will post a pic of a print I have...

Save it for another thread. This hero deserves his own.

RIP.

[pwd72s]

Milt, I'm sure Buck wouldn't mind. I met the man @ Don's 89th birthday party. Trust me, they ARE "brothers". Yes, RIP Buck Compton...

[Baz]

I didn't see this thread when I posted the death of Davy Jones. R.I. P. Buck...thank you for your service and I wish you much bliss in the afterlife, sir.

[Skytrooper]

Buck was quite the guy. I just read his book "Call of Duty" last month. R.I.P. Buck

[Eric 951]

After seeing "Band of Brothers", I sought out and read just about every book that was associated with them--including Buck's "Call of Duty". He never really delved into the shell-shock episode in his book, but it was mentioned in Winter's book, and Mularkey's.

In Mularkey's book he mentions Nixon getting a bit loaded at a reuinion and running his mouth about Buck being a coward.

Mularky said he asked Nixon how many Silver Stars he won during the war, which shut him up.

RIP Buck.

[Racerbvd]

R.i.p.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

RIP, not many men like that left in the world.

Yes there are. I see them everyday. Women, too.

RIP, Soldier.

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Yes there are. I see them everyday. Women, too.

RIP, Soldier.

Indeed there are.

[azasadny]

Rest in peace...

[nostatic]

god speed

And +1000 to what Paul said. There are thousands of "Bucks" serving today in a variety of ways. That doesn't lessen his contributions in the least. But a "true hero" is not measured by medals.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Eric 951

After seeing "Band of Brothers", I sought out and read just about every book that was associated with them--including Buck's "Call of Duty". He never really delved into the shell-shock episode in his book, but it was mentioned in Winter's book, and Mularkey's.

In Mularkey's book he mentions Nixon getting a bit loaded at a reuinion and running his mouth about Buck being a coward.

Mularky said he asked Nixon how many Silver Stars he won during the war, which shut him up.

RIP Buck.

Malarkey...proper spelling.

[William930t]

RIP soldier, great reason to fire up the DVD player and watch the superbly made BOB series AGAIN

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Compton

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Yes there are. I see them everyday. Women, too.

RIP, Soldier.

I stand corrected, and totally agree. I should have better explained my comment, there's not many WWII heroes left.

[Jim727]

Damn. The world is a poorer place. How can we ever be worthy of these heroes?

Hand Salute!
Jim