19th Dec Wild Bill

Good morning,

As the festive period approaches us, this time of year is a reminder that we must check in with our former brothers and sister Veterans. No one will ever be unappreciative for calling to see how they are, and I have to admit a brief memory lane trip certainly brightens my week!

Back to todays newsletter and today we salute..... 

William J. Guarnere AKA "WILD BILL"

Wild Bill was a Paratrooper who fought in WWII with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division. Where did his nickname come from? Read below to find out ⬇️ 

The youngest of 10 children, his parents were of Italian origin and he grew up in South Philadelphia.

After spending several summers at a military training camp programme Bill was enlisted into the military in 1942 aged 19 and was immediately assigned to 101st Airborne Division.

His first experience of combat was on the D-Day jump and soon earned his nickname 'Wild Bill' because of his attitude towards the German enemy. This hatred was all fuelled by having just learned the fate of his older brother, Henry, who had just lost his life whilst fighting in Italy.  

Not long after landing, Bill was with Lt Winters and a few others when they saw a German supply platoon heading their way, and under Winters command they set up an ambush. Bill went against orders and opened fire immediately killing most of the unit, at the time he thought Lt Winters would hesitate.

Later that same day he was named 2nd Platoons sergeant, and joined Winters and 11 others in the mission to take out a German defensive position. Even though they were outnumbered by nearly 5 to 1, this was a shining example of how to implement a successful operation.

Whilst in a stolen Dutch motorcycle he was shot by a sniper, which caused shrapnel injuries to his buttocks and fractured his leg. Whist in England recovering he went AWOL to try and get back to the front line, only to be caught and Court Marshalled. The Court Marshall never happened, as he still managed to find his way back! They couldn't keep Wild Bill away from the front line for long!  

Whilst Easy Company were holding the line in Bastogne, Bill unfortunately was hit by the relentless German artillery which resulted in him losing his right leg. He was trying to drag Joe Toye to safety after he had just lost his leg in a previous blast. 

Bill received the Silver Star for combat during D-Day, and was later decorated with three Bronze Star Medals and two Purple Hearts. He was described by Major Winters in his memoirs as "a natural killer".

Post war he discharged on disability grounds, worked with may Veteran charities and married Frances Peca whom he has two sons with. He passed away on the 8th March 2014 and was 90 years old. 

May he Rest in Peace.

Did you know?

During this festive period over 63,000 serving military personnel will be serving around the world not including our sailors who help ships patrol the seas to keep us safe. Some great initiatives have popped up over the years to support our troops.

Trees for Troops - Delivered more than 277k trees to kids and families

 Operation Homefront - Provides assistance to families

 Tots for Tots - New and unwrapped toys are collected in the fall of every year to be distributed to various children in need at Christmas time

Let us know your thoughts on this email by hitting reply and If you celebrate Christmas, have a very merry one.