Lynn Compton

Lynn Compton
Lynn Compton in his uniform during World War II
Birth name	Lynn Davis Compton
Nickname(s)	Buck
Born	(1921-12-31)December 31, 1921 Los Angeles, California
Died	February 25, 2012(2012-02-25) (aged 90) Burlington, Washington
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army United States Air Force Reserve
Years of service	1943–1945 (U.S. Army) 1947–1970 (U.S. Air Force Reserve)
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Normandy Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge
Awards	Silver Star Bronze Star Purple Heart
Spouse(s)	Donna (2 daughters)
Other work	Police detective, District Attorney, judge, radio commentator, author

World War II

Lynn Davis "Buck" Compton (December 31, 1921 – February 25, 2012) was a California Court of Appeal judge who served as the lead prosecutor in Sirhan Sirhan's trial for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. From 1946 to 1951, he served with the Los Angeles Police Department. During World War II, he was a commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army. Compton was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Neal McDonough.

Compton was born in Los Angeles, California. He was an athlete at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), being named an all-conference catcher and All-American selection in 1942. Among his baseball teammates was Jackie Robinson. Compton was later inducted into the UCLA Baseball Hall of Fame. He majored in physical education, with a minor in education. He joined the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity in 1940. He also played with the UCLA football team in the 1943 Rose Bowl game on January 1, 1943; the Georgia Bulldogs beat the UCLA Bruins by a score of 9-0.