Donald Malarkey, of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division during WWII, has died at the age of 96-years-old. He passed away from natural causes in his Salem, Oregon home.
Malarkey attempted to join the United States Marine Corps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but was rejected due to dental problems. After being drafted in 1942, Malarkey volunteered for the new paratrooper program with the United States Army. Only one man in six would complete the grueling training program at at Camp Toccoa, Georgia and earn their certification as a paratrooper.
In 1944 Malarkey and the rest of “Easy” Company went to England in preparation of Operation Neptune, which was the assault portion of Operation Overlord. Malarkey parachuted behind enemy lines in France and helped take out four German 105 mm artillery gun. He earned a Bronze Star for his heroism on D-Day.
Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey would go on to fight in countless battles including Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Bastogne in Belgium. Never seriously wounded, Malarkey served more consecutive time on the front lines than any other member of his company. Over the course of the war, Malarkey earned numerous awards including a Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, and a Bronze Star.
In 1987 he met with University of New Orleans Professor of History Stephen Ambrose to share their stories, which would become the primary source material for Ambrose’s 1992 book Band of Brothers. The book was later adapted into an HBO miniseries with the same name. Each episode begins with footage of Malarkay and many other surviving members of Easy Company discussing their experience during the war.
Watch the complete collection of interview segments in the video below and hear the men of “Easy” Company tell their story in their own words.