William "Wild Bill" Guarnere

William "Wild Bill" Guarnere served as a sergeant in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, and fought in the European Theatre during World War II. He enlisted in 1942 at age 19, trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, became a mortar squad sergeant, and later trained in Aldbourne, England. On June 6, 1944, he parachuted into Normandy, France, as part of the D-Day Allied Invasion. After learning that his brother Henry had been killed fighting in Italy, he earned the nickname "Will Bill" for gallantry in action in the name of his lost brother. He later helped liberate Son and Eindhoven, Holland, during Operation Market Garden. During combat in Bastogne, Belgium, in the winter of 1944, he lost his right leg while trying to save a comrade. For his service, he received the Silver Star, one of only two given within Easy Company, as well as three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts, and he returned to the United States in March 1945.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States