Babe Heffron, of “Band of Brothers,” passes at 90

Being the proud son of a World War II veteran, I've always had a high degree of interest in the years 1939-1945. My dad was like so many other veterans of that era, in that he rarely spoke of his time in the service.  He would often respond "Just doing what needed to be done, like everyone else," whenever he was asked about his involvement in the greatest conflict in human history. He never considered himself to be a hero (despite much evidence to the contrary), but claimed to have served with many heroes. I was lucky that shortly before he passed on July 1st, 2009, he did open up a bit more than was his habit and told me about some of his experiences. He mentioned "Band of Brothers," and explained that many of his wartime experiences mirrored those of the men in Easy Company (the soldiers profiled in Stephen Ambrose's book and subsequent HBO mini-series). He said if I wanted to get a feel for what he and his fellow soldiers went through, I should read the book.

With that in mind, I was saddened to read of the passing of Edward J. "Babe" Heffron, a member of the now legendary Band of Brothers. A paratrooper in Company E, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Babe Heffron joined up with Easy Company shortly after the D-day Invasion and soon found himself in some of the most savage fighting of the war, including the Battle of the Bulge. For his actions in combat, Babe Heffron received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. He came home after the war and got on with his life. Like so many others, he never spoke about the war. In fact, if it hadn't been for Ambrose's book, even his family might never have known about his service. Fox News has more:

But after the book -- which documents Easy Company's harrowing engagements and prominently features several soldiers, including Heffron -- was published in 1992, and especially after the miniseries aired in 2001, Heffron became something of an icon for a generation that went to war. He was featured in interviews for the miniseries (in which he was portrayed by Scottish actor Robin Laing) and participated in a 2008 USO tour to the Middle East.

As for funeral arrangements, this should come as no surprise:

Arrangements will be private, and some of Heffron’s former comrades were expected to attend.

The family is “holding up as well as can be expected,” an emotional Ed Zavrel said. But in following Heffron’s example, they’re intent on making sure “Babe” is properly honored.

“Babe didn’t want any fanfare,” Zavrel said. “He was never one for tears. He said you got to do what you got to do.”

Thank you, Babe Heffron and everyone who served with you. You did what you had to do, and we're all better because of it.