Edward Tipper
| Edward J. Tipper Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Ed |
| Born |
3 August 1921 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | 1 February 2017 (aged 95) Lakewood, Colorado, U.S. |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank |
 Private First Class
|
| Unit |
 Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
|
| Battles/wars | |
Private First Class Edward J. Tipper Jr. (3 August 1921 – 1 February 2017) was an enlisted man in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division, United States Army during the Second World War. He was one of the 140 original Toccoa men of Easy Company. Tipper was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Bart Ruspoli. Information about Tipper was featured in the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain.
Tipper was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1921 to an Irish couple. The family moved back to Ireland when Tipper was three years old, but they returned to the United States later. Tipper graduated from a Detroit school in 1939 and worked at a department store.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tipper signed up for the Marine Corps, but was rejected because his teeth could not bite together. He therefore volunteered for the paratroopers, and was sent to and was assigned to Easy Company for training under Captain Herbert Sobel. During the training in Camp Mackall, Tipper was made Sobel's runner; with his help, "Sobel was able to mislay his maps, compass, and other items when he most needed them." Tipper received further training with Easy Company in Aldbourne, United Kingdom.
Tipper made his first combat jump into Normandy on D-Day, where he met with fellow Easy Company member Frank Mellet and some other paratroopers and engaged in a firefight with a German patrol. Later, the men attacked the Marmion Farm. Some other Easy Company members, including Floyd Talbert, Forrest Guth and Walter Gordon, were also involved in the attack, albeit with another group of American soldiers. The soldiers held the place before joining their own units.
...
Wikipedia