NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A World War II veteran who was the last surviving officer of “Easy Company,” which inspired the HBO miniseries and book “Band of Brothers,” has died.
Edward Shames was 99.
An obituary posted by a funeral home said Shames, of Norfolk, Virginia, died peacefully at his home on Friday.
Shames was involved in some of the most important battles of World War II. He made his first combat jump into Normandy on D-Day as part of Operation Overlord. He also fought with Easy Company in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge.
Shames was the first member of the 101st to enter Dachau concentration camp, just days after its liberation.
