World War II Veterans Showing the True Meaning of Heroism

What does it mean to be a hero? On February 10^th, William "Wild Bill" Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron demonstrated that they personify heroism at a book signing at a Borders bookstore in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey.

As they signed copies of their book Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends with fellow co-author Robyn Post, they told stories to the audience, of about one hundred patrons, of their participation as paratroopers in the 101^st Airborne Division. According to Doug Childers' article on inrich.com, Guarnere was part of the Allied invasion of Normandy as a paratrooper in for the 101^st Screaming Eagles. Heffron joined the 101^st, better known as Easy Company, and was able to participate in Operation Market Garden in Holland. Both men were also among the soldiers featured in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" and in the Stephen Ambrose book that it was inspired by.

To everyone in the store, Guarnere and Heffron were heroes, and were told so numerous times by members in the audience. During the discussion, both of them said that they were not heroes at all. They just did their duty, and what they had to do to survive. According to Childers, Guarnere's survival meant the loss of one of his legs in the Battle of the Bulge, and his participation with the 101^st Airborne being cut short. In an excerpt from their book, Heffron explained that sacrifice was part of his world during World War II. "Everyone, including the families, sacrificed in some way. The kids who didn't come home are the heroes. They're the ones who gave their lives. Their parents are the heroes, because they gave a child," Heffron said.

During the discussion, Heffron also talked about an encounter at a concentration camp of how the prisoners looked and their happiness to see him. His eyes expressed a sadness when he mentioned a memory of a young girl who was severely mistreated by the Nazis at the camp. Heffron commented about a statement Mel Gibson's father once made about the Holocaust not existing and responded that he "would love to have a talk with him." He said that he knew firsthand that the Holocaust existed, and that the memories will always be with him.

After hearing an audience member briefly touch upon his time as a solider in Iraq, Guarnere said that he will always feel a connection to his fellow company members, because they managed to survive in the toughest battles together. According to Guarnere, that connection was the reason why the surviving members, and the widows, of the 101^st Airborne have had reunions every year since 1947. Guarnere said that "There's something that brings us together every year." Unfortunately, that bond has changed drastically with the number of surviving members decreasing each year. At one point of the discussion, Guarnere stated only 29 men remain from the 101^st Airborne, which started with about 800 men when the war began.

When an audience member asked about the men perceived the future of the United States, both men responded by saying that it was best to focus on local problems before trying to solve the issues happening overseas. "Look to the past because it's a prelude to the future, and be proud to be an American," Guarnere said. When the world notices the pride someone has for their country, that's the first step towards a solution.

The discussion concluded with both men wishing they could go to Iraq, even if it was just to be there to boost the morale of the troops. Sadly, they were not allowed to travel into the country due to dangerous conditions. Heffron said that he found this to be humorous because it was not like they were going to be soldiers again. Heffron asked the audience, "How are you going to get killed when you're 84?"

During the book signing, one person thanked the men for their service and said that they appreciated them telling their story. Both Guarnere and Heffron seemed to welcome the response and looked glad that people were still interested in their story. In the book Heffron indicated the same sentiment as well, "If our story can bring more attention to what it means to fight for freedom, then it's worth telling." According to the patrons at Borders, it most certainly was worth telling.