Table of Contents
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To the memory of my wife, Donna Compton, the most loving and unselfish person Ive ever met. She had a keen sense of character and discernment. Full of wisdom and honor, Donna was a totally devoted mother and wife.
To my daughters, Tracy and Syndee. You are the two greatest things that have ever happened to Donna and me. We are so very blessed to have had you.
And to my grandchildren, Samantha, Lyndsie, Shannon, and Hayley. Today, with my daughters, you are my whole life.
FOREWORD
by John McCain
The Band of Brothers story took America by storm. In telling of that remarkable generation of men who risked everythingeverythingto defeat the evils of fascism, the tale of Easy Companys bravery and valor has inspired its own, new generation of Americans.
As rightly it should. America has relied throughout its history on the courage and honor of extraordinary citizens who, though they may come from the most ordinary of situations, stand up when duty calls them to act. The Band of Brothers, that company of citizen-soldiers who helped our country wage and win World War II, represented that timeless virtue, the unselfish determination to serve a cause greater than self-interest. In choosing this course, no matter its cost, an entire generation of men and women helped save the world from the evils of Nazism. We today, and all who follow, are in their debt.
Men and women, no matter how meager their origins or difficult their circumstances, possess within them the potential to alter the course of history. Buck Compton knew this, and this understanding shaped his life and destiny. He knew that there is no greatness without courage, no faith in country without devotion to fellows, no commitment to duty without service to others. Through his life and his words, we can find much to admire in men like him.
Second Lieutenant Compton commanded the second platoon of Easy Company in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the famed 101st Airborne Division about which so many tales are told. In an episode familiar to any viewer of the Band of Brothers series, in 1944 Buck Compton and others assaulted a German battery operating four 105mm howitzers directed at Utah Beach, disabling the guns and routing the enemy. Buck was awarded the Silver Star for that action. Later, after being wounded in an operation aimed at seizing bridges in the Netherlands, Buck returned to his unit in time for the monthlong siege that would in time become known as the Battle of the Bulge.
During the course of my military service, I learned what its like to fight on foreign soil. When bullets begin flying and fighting grows thick, the ability of any individual to make correct decisions is sorely tested. Indecisiveness can be costly; poor judgment deadly. As this memoir so ably details, Buck Comptons performance in battle demonstrates that firmness and strategic thinking can save lives. In critical moments on the World War II battlefront, Buck Compton was there: fighting, persevering, and never relenting.
Yet Bucks story doesnt end there. He returned from war to a life of public service, measuring success not only by victories on the battlefield but also through his conduct during seasons of peace. Turning down an offer to play minor league baseball, he focused on a career in law, became a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department and, ultimately, an Associate Justice on the California Courts of Appeal. In reaching a level of success in civilian life commensurate with his victories in battle, Buck Compton showed us the many ways in which Americans fight for justice.
This memoir does his story the service it deserves. This book is the next best thing to having this courageous, thoughtful, and exceedingly modest hero relate in person the adventures and exploits of Easy Company, the prosecution of Sirhan Sirhan, and other tales from the life of an extraordinary American called to duty in an extraordinary time. In understanding the life of honor and service Buck Compton has bestowed upon his country, we glimpse anew the greatness that is America.
United States Senator John McCain Phoenix, Arizona January 2008
PREAMBLE
In 1970, I was fortunate enough to be appointed to the position of Associate Justice of the California Courts of Appeal. My friends and associates in the Office of the District Attorney for Los Angeles County, where I had been serving up to the time of the appointment, staged a great going-away party for me. It was attended by several hundred people from various sectors of the legal community and local and state government. The Honorable J. Steve Williams, judge of the Superior Court of San Bernardino County, was selected to serve as emcee.
Steve was an old high school classmate of mine. He was a great judge, a staunch patriot, and devout in his religious faith. Steve came from an unpromising background similar to mine and appreciated the opportunities we both had been afforded in life. During his remarks he referred to my appointment by saying, This could only happen in America.
That statement has really struck home with me over the years.
Its true. The life Ive led has been made possible only because Im an American. The astounding people Ive met along the way, the astonishing experiences Ive had, and the amazing opportunities Ive been given have far exceeded anything I could ever have hoped for or expected.
The only real personal asset that I feel Ive brought to this adventure is that I was a fair to middlin baseball player, a factor that did not provide the career in the pros that every college ballplayer hopes for, but which, as you will see, had an uncanny way of influencing my life and career in more ways than one.
Buck Compton Burlington, Washington October 2007
First Training Jump
IN THOSE FIRST FEW SPLIT SECONDS AFTER JUMPING OUT OF the Douglas C-47 Skytrain military transport, nothing existed. No feeling of falling. No rush. No markers or indicators of orientation. Just floating.
I dont recall fear. And though it was my first official jump from an airplane, everything appeared to be going smoothly. I didnt know it yet, but something was horribly wrong.
In my mind raced a thousand thoughts. And no thoughts. By the time you get to your first official jump, you know it by the numbers. Its reflex. The drop zone nears. You stand up, hook up, check the equipment of the guy ahead of you, count offTen okay! Nine okay! Eight okay! Seven okay!you shuffle to the door, the jumpmaster taps your calf, when the guy ahead of you clears, you jump. Its all so routine by then, you do it without thinking. The training that leads up to the time when you make your first exit from a plane is so intense that you step forward without hesitation.
Accelerating downward, I knew Id soon feel the static line jerk my chute from its pack. Id soon float gracefully the rest of the way down to the drop zone at Fort Benning, Georgia, where the paratrooper school was situated. No more than a few yards long, the static line connected the deployment bag of my parachute to the aircraft. Once the line caught, it would separate from the parachute and remain in tow behind the aircraft, later to be pulled in and stowed by the crew chief. Nobody told us why we jumped with static lines. I assumed it was for safety and uniformity. If you had a bunch of soldiers freefalling, theyd all pull their chutes whenever they saw fitand that would never do in the military. Youd have increased casualties and a very erratic pattern of landing.
