William Guarnere
| William Guarnere | |
|---|---|
Corporal Guarnere at Camp Toccoa, Georgia
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "Wild Bill", "Gonorrhea" |
| Born |
April 28, 1923 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 8, 2014 (aged 90) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank |
 Staff sergeant
|
| Unit | Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Silver Star Medal Bronze Star (w. OLC) Purple Heart (1OLC) Good Conduct Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/ three service stars and arrow device World War II Victory Medal Presidential Unit Citation (w/ OLC) |
| Relations | Frances (wife) Henry (brother, deceased-1944) |
| Other work | Author, veterans organization member |
| Website | http://www.wildbillmemorial.org/ |
William J. Guarnere (28 April 1923 – 8 March 2014) was a United States Army soldier who fought in World War II as a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the U.S. Army's 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.
Guarnere was born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1923, the youngest of 10 children, to Joseph and Augusta Guarnere, who were of Italian origin. He joined the Citizens Military Training Camp (CMTC) program during the Great Depression. Guarnere's mother told the government her son was 17 when he was, in fact, only 15. He spent three summers in the CMTC, which took four years to complete. His plan upon completion of training was to become an officer in the United States Army. Unfortunately, after his third year, the program was canceled due to the war in Europe.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and six months before graduation, Guarnere left South Philadelphia High School and went to work for Baldwin Locomotive Works, making Sherman tanks for the Army. This upset his mother, because none of her other children had graduated from high school. Guarnere switched to the night shift and returned to school, earning his diploma in 1942. Because of his work, he had an exemption from military service.
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