William J. Guarnere Sr. (April 28, 1923 – March 8, 2014) was a United States Army paratrooper who fought in World War II as a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division.

Guarnere wrote Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story with long-time friend Edward "Babe" Heffron and journalist Robyn Post in 2007. Guarnere was portrayed in the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Frank John Hughes.

Early life and education

Guarnere was born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 28, 1923. He was the youngest of 10 children born to Joseph and Augusta Guarnere, who were of Italian origin. Guarnere enlisted in the military and started training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia.

Military service

Guarnere was assigned to Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He made his first combat jump on D-Day as part of the Allied invasion of France.

Guarnere earned the nickname "Wild Bill" because of his reckless attitude towards the enemy. He displayed strong hatred for the Germans as his older brother Henry Guarnere had been killed fighting in the Italian campaign at Monte Cassino serving as a medic with the 1st Armored Division.

In the early hours of June 6, Guarnere joined then-First Lieutenant Richard Winters and a few others trying to secure the small village of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and the exit of causeway number 2 leading from the beach. As they headed south, they heard a German platoon coming to bring supplies and took up ambush positions. Winters told the men to wait for his order to fire, but Guarnere, claiming he thought Winters might be hesitant to kill, opened fire immediately with his Thompson submachine gun, killing most of the unit.

Later life and death

Guarnere returned to the United States in March 1945 and took on many odd jobs. He wore an artificial right leg until he was able to secure full disability from the Army, then threw away the limb, using only crutches thereafter, and retired.

He became an active member of many veterans organizations, and presided over many Easy Company reunions.

After returning home from Europe, Guarnere married his girlfriend Frances Peca (d. 1997) and had two sons, Eugene and William Jr. Eugene would follow in his father's footsteps and briefly served in Vietnam.

Guarnere wrote Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story with his best friend Edward "Babe" Heffron and Robyn Post, outlining Easy Company's experiences. The book was published by Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Books, in 2007. Guarnere also wrote a short piece for Silver Eagle: the official biography of Band of Brothers veteran Clancy Lyall, which was used as the afterword. British publisher Pneuma Springs Publishing released the book in March 2013.

Guarnere and Heffron remained lifelong friends after returning home. Guarnere was Heffron's best man at the latter's wedding in 1954.

Guarnere died of a ruptured aneurysm at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, on 8 March 2014. He was 90 years old. He is survived by his two sons, nine grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren.

Legacy

Guarnere's life and military service were honored by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with a half-staff flag order by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett.

After his death, his granddaughter, Debi Lynch Rafferty, formed the Wild Bill Guarnere Memorial Fund to continue his tradition of giving back to veterans. On September 19, 2015, the Fund presented an 8-foot bronze statue of Guarnere by sculptor Chad Fisher to the Delaware County Veterans Memorial.

Another statue of Guarnere was dedicated in 2019 in Philadelphia alongside one of Babe Heffron.

References

Further reading

  • Photos from "Wild Bill" Guarnere's 2008 USO trip to the Middle East
  • Interview excerpt: "William "Wild Bill" Guarnere" — World War II Magazine — c/o Men of Easy Company.