Donald Malarkey, pictured in France in 2005, has died aged 96
A hero World War II paratrooper portrayed in the Band of Brothers miniseries, has died aged 96.
Donald Malarkey, who received the Bronze Star for his heroic service during the Normandy landings, passed away on Friday from age-related issues in Salem, Oregon, his son-in-law said.
He was one of several members of the famous Easy Company portrayed in the 2001 HBO miniseries in which he was played by Scott Grimes.
Malarkey served in France, Belgium and the Netherlands and was presented with France’s highest military award, the Legion d’Honneur, in 2009.
On D-Day, Malarkey and his comrades parachuted behind enemy lines in Normandy to destroy German artillery.
And in Bastogne in Decmber 1944 he fought off Nazi advances while surrounded during the Battle of the Bulge.
Malarkey was haunted by memories of combat and the devastation of losing fellow soldiers and friends, his family members said.
Still, the release of the Band Of Brothers miniseries was cathartic for him and helped him come to terms with the emotional scars of the battle, Mr Hill said.
Malarkey was born on July 30 1921 in Astoria, Oregon.
He was a fresher at the University of Oregon when he was drafted into the Army in 1942 and volunteered to become a paratrooper.
He returned to the University of Oregon after the war, receiving a bachelor’s degree in business in 1948.
While a student at the school, he met and fell in love with Irene Moore.
The two married in 1948 and had four children, Michael Malarkey, Marianne McNally, Sharon Hill and Martha Serean.
Donald Malarkey was portrayed by Scott Grimes, pictured center, in HBO’s Band of Brothers
Malarkey met with historian Stephen Ambrose in 1987, and in 1989 travelled with other members of Easy Company to Europe to provide oral histories of their war experiences.
Those recollections became the basis for Band Of Brothers and an earlier book with the same name written by Ambrose.
Malarkey also detailed his experiences in a 2008 autobiography written with Bob Welch, Easy Company Soldier.
He was frequently asked to speak about his experiences and he lectured at West Point and made trips to Kuwait and Germany to meet with wounded soldiers from the Iraq War.
He remained close to the other surviving members of Easy Company and attended his final reunion in Portland, Oregon in August.
‘You could look back and with great pride realise that you had done a very significant thing and acted responsibly in what amounted to saving the world,’ Malarkey told Oregon Public Broadcasting in 2012.
Malarkey is survived by his daughters and his sister, Molly Rumpunkis.