Remembering the "Band of Brothers" WWII veterans

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Remembering the "Band of Brothers" WWII veterans

William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, whose World War II service as a member of the Army's famed Easy Company was recounted in the book and TV miniseries "Band of Brothers," died, Saturday, March 8, 2014.

This Nov. 11, 2004 file photo shows William "Wild Bill" Guarnere participating in the Veterans Day parade in Media, Pa. Guarnere, one of the World War II veterans whose exploits were dramatized in the TV miniseries "Band of Brothers," died, Saturday, March 8, 2014, at the age of 90. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma, file)

In this photo from 2002, "Wild Bill" Guarnere, (yellow jacket), stands with actor Frank John Hughes, who portrayed him in the series. Guarnere lost his leg during the Battle of Bastogne, Belgium. (Photo courtesy of Bill Guarnere).

William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, right, poses with Edward Heffron in Philadelphia in 2007. Heffron and Guarnere were both members of the Army's famed Easy Company. Heffron died Dec. 1, 2013. For decades, Guarnere planned reunions for his former comrades of the Easy Company. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Bill Guarnere became a bit of a celebrity after the popularity of HBO's 10-part series, "Band of Brothers," which also brought more attention to his Easy Company reunions. Here, Guarnere, left, shows his appreciation to Senator Max Cleland, right, for being in attendance at the "Band of Brothers" premiere in 2001. (JENNI GIRTMAN/STAFF)

Despite the popularity of the "Band of Brothers" series, William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, shown here during an interview with the Associated Press in Broomall, Pa. in 2007, was never able to get one of his companions to attend his reunions--Dewitt Lowrey. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Guarnere remembered Dewitt Lowrey (pictured here) as a fearless, rough-hewn country boy. Lowrey was injured in the war and received a purple heart. (AP Photo/SPECIAL/Jamie Martin)

In this newspaper photo from 1942, Private Dewitt Lowrey marches with his machine gun and "Draftee" a stray dog who hitched a ride with the 506th Parachute Infantry during a 115-mile march from the training base in Toccoa to Atlanta. (File)

Dewitt Lowrey, of Wetumpka, Ala., shown here in 2002, landed in Normandy and was later hit in the head by shrapnel in northern France, ending his war. He spent two years in hospitals. (AP Photo/SPECIAL/Jamie Martin)

The trauma of Dewitt Lowrey's war injuries changed his personality profoundly. After the war, he was a soft-spoken, well-dressed gentleman. At home, he was a devoted, kind husband and father. (AP Photo/SPECIAL/Jamie Martin)

Dewitt Lowrey, shown here in 2002, stayed in his hometown of Wetumpka, Ala. after the war. (Tamika Moore/The Montgomery Advertiser)

Dewitt Lowrey is shown with his wife during their youth. His wife is now deceased. Their daughter, Nancy, became a rehabilitation counselor who has worked with vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/COPY/SPECIAL/Jamie Martin)

William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, shown here in 2002, never got to meet Dewitt Lowrey again after the war. Lowrey preferred to put the memories of the war behind him. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

After an AJC article in 2003 detailing Dewitt Lowrey's story, Lowrey and Bill Guarnere (shown here during that year) each wrote to thank the reporter. “Now I know what he went thru,” Guarnere wrote. “So sad he never wanted to come to E Co. reunions.” (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Dewitt Lowrey never went to one of the reunions planned by Bill Guarene (shown here), but he did reach out and call him — just once. “He brought up a lot of things I didn’t want to bring up, but it was fresh on his mind,” Lowrey said. At the end of their chat, “Alabama” bid his Philly friend a pleasant farewell and continued on with his quiet life. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Bill Guarnere sent this letter to reporter Bill Torpy thanking the newspaper for explaining why Dewitt Lowrey declined invitations to the Easy Company's reunions.

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This Nov. 11, 2004 file photo shows William "Wild Bill" Guarnere participating in the Veterans Day parade in Media, Pa. Guarnere, one of the World War II veterans whose exploits were dramatized in the TV miniseries "Band of Brothers," died, Saturday, March 8, 2014, at the age of 90. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma, file)

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