Edward J. "Babe" Heffron, 90, the former Easy Company private whose World War II experiences were chronicled in the cable TV miniseries Band of Brothers, died Sunday, Dec. 1, at Kennedy Hospital in Stratford.
Mr. Heffron served as a machine gunner with the Second Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division from 1941 to 1945.
He fought in some of the major conflicts of the European Theater - Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands and the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium - and used his stories as fodder for a memoir.
The 2007 work, Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story, was written with longtime friend William Guarnere and journalist Robyn Post.
Post said Mr. Heffron made a point to go to schools, teaching children that the war was not a joke or fairy tale seen on TV, but an actual historical event with serious worldwide implications.
"He shared what he saw and experienced so that they could get a sense that this really happened," Post said. Mr. Heffron also wanted to honor his war buddies who never came home, and make sure that people never forgot their sacrifice.
Mr. Heffron's heroics were also chronicled by historian Stephen Ambrose in his book Band of Brothers, and Mr. Heffron's character was portrayed by actor Robin Laing in the TV miniseries produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg in 2001.
Mr. Heffron appeared as himself at the end of episode 10, describing Easy Company; he also had a cameo part in episode four.
http://www.philly.com/philly/obituaries/20131203__Babe__Heffron__90__hero_of__Band_of_Brothers_.htmlThis leaves only 20 members of Easy Company still alive, and of those seen in "Band of Brothers," this leaves only Donald G. Malarkey, William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, and Edward Shames (not a main character, mostly mentioned) still alive.
