Lynn 'Buck' Compton

Lynn Davis Buck Compton December 31 1921 February 25 2012 was an American Army officer law enforcement officer prosecutor and judge During World War II he served as a first lieutenant with Easy Company 2nd Battalion 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division Compton studied at UCLA where he played both football and baseball alongside Jackie Robinson He participated in the universitys ROTC program and entered the US Army in 1943 completing officer training before volunteering for the airborne forces He joined Easy Company in England in December 1943 and became assistant platoon leader of 2nd Platoon On DDay June 6 1944 Compton participated in the assault on the German artillery battery at Brécourt Manor under the command of Richard Winters For his actions during the assault he was awarded the Silver Star He subsequently participated in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge where he was evacuated due to trench foot After the war Compton joined the Los Angeles Police Department before becoming a deputy district attorney in 1951 He later served as chief deputy district attorney and was part of the prosecution team that secured the conviction of Sirhan Sirhan for the assassination of Robert F Kennedy In 1970 Governor Ronald Reagan appointed Compton an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal He served on the court until his retirement in 1990 Comptons World War II experiences were featured in Stephen E Ambroses 1992 book Band of Brothers and its 2001 HBO miniseries adaptation in which he was portrayed by Neal McDonough His memoir Call of Duty My Life Before During and After the Band of Brothers was published in 2008 Compton died on February 25 2012 at the age of 90 at his home in Burlington Washington