Had Been Portrayed In The HBO Series 'Band Of Brothers'

One of the paratroopers who was among those that parachuted behind enemy lines on D-Day and survived has Gone West at the age of 96 in Salem, OR.

Donald Malarkey was a member of Easy Company, which was prominent in the HBO series "Band of Brothers". Fox News reports that he died of "age-related" causes, according to his brother-in-law John Hill, on September 30.

Malarkey would see fighting in France, the Netherlands and Belgium with Easy Company after dropping in on D-Day. He was one of those who held off the Nazis while surrounded at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge late in 1944.

Malarkey was awarded the French Legion of Honor Medal, the highest award presented by the French Government, in 2009.

Malarkey said that his memories of the war haunted him through much of his life. But the release of the HBO series was cathartic for him, and helped him cope with the emotional issues he had carried since the war.

He detailed his experiences working with author Bob Welch, which became the 2008 autobiography "Easy Company Soldier". He lectured at West Point about his experiences, and was a frequent speaker about the war.

He had remained close with other members of the unit, and attended his last Easy Company Reunion in August in Portland.

FMI: Original Report