Edward James Heffron was born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania back in 1923 to Joseph and Anne. He attended South Philadelphia High School but dropped out to earn money for the family during the Great Depression. He worked at the New York Shipbuilding in Camden, New Jersey sandblasting cruisers.
He enlisted in the United States Army on November 7th, 1942. He could have stayed out of the war due to a medical condition called Dupuytren’s Contracture. He saw service in the battles of Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate the Kaufering concentration camp in Landsberg, Germany. For his actions during the Battle of the Bulge he was awarded the Bronze Star.
After the war, he worked at Publicker Industries operating a whiskey distillery for 20 years. Afterwards, he worked on the Philadelphia waterfront for 27 years before retiring. He died in 2013, he was 90.
What you may not know about Edward, is that he was also a writer. He wrote Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends and Two WWII Paratroopers. He is the inspiration for the Band of Brothers series, his role is played by Robin Laing.
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