WWII paratrooper famous for bringing beer to wounded troops dies at 98
By Claire Barrett
Aug 3, 01:58 PM
Vincent Speranza, the American paratrooper who became known as the soldier who doled out beer to his wounded comrades during the Battle of the Bulge, died Wednesday at the age of 98, the 18th Airborne Corps announced on Twitter.
The New York native was drafted out of high school in 1943 to Company H, 501st Parachutist Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and slotted in as an incredibly green replacement in November 1944 as the unit regrouped following the failure of Operation Market Garden earlier that fall.
Within weeks, Speranza found himself among 600,000 GIs engaged in the bitter, nearly six-week campaign against approximately 500,000 Nazis.
On the second day of the fierce fighting, Company H found itself surrounded, its supplies waning rapidly.
https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2023/08/03/wwii-paratrooper-famous-for-bringing-beer-to-wounded-troops-dies-at-98/
