Ed Tipper

Edward Joseph Ed Tipper Jr August 3 1921 February 1 2017 was an American Army soldier and World War II veteran He served as a Private First Class with Easy Company 2nd Battalion 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division and was one of the original members of the company trained at Camp Toccoa Georgia Born in Detroit Michigan Tipper graduated from high school in 1939 and worked at a department store before enlisting in the US Army following the attack on Pearl Harbor After initially attempting to join the Marine Corps he volunteered for the airborne forces and was assigned to Easy Company at Camp Toccoa During training he served as Captain Herbert Sobels runner and later continued his training with the company in England Tipper parachuted into Normandy on DDay June 6 1944 and participated in the fighting around Carentan On June 13 while clearing a house during the battle a mortar shell exploded nearby severely injuring him breaking his legs and destroying his right eye He was evacuated to England where his right eye was removed and subsequently returned to the United States He spent approximately a year recovering in Army hospitals before being discharged in August 1945 For his service he received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart After the war Tipper attended the University of Michigan and later earned a masters degree in English from the University of Northern Colorado He became a teacher and spent nearly three decades teaching English literature and directing drama programs at high schools in Colorado In 1961 he received a John Hay Fellowship from the University of California Berkeley Tippers wartime experiences were featured in Stephen E Ambroses 1992 book Band of Brothers and its 2001 HBO miniseries adaptation He was portrayed by Bart Ruspoli in the series Tipper also contributed his recollections to Marcus Brothertons 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers Tipper died on February 1 2017 in Lakewood Colorado at the age of 95 He was buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver Colorado