Frederick Heyliger

Frederick Heyliger
Nickname	The Moose
Born	June 23, 1916(1916-06-23) Acton, Massachusetts
Died	November 3, 2001(2001-11-03) (aged 85) Concord, Massachusetts
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1940-1947
Rank	First Lieutenant
Unit	Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Normandy Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge
Awards	Bronze Star Purple Heart American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal Military Cross[1]
Relations	Mary (wife)

First Lieutenant Frederick Theodore Heyliger (June 23, 1916 - November 3, 2001)^[2] was an officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. Heyliger was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Stephen McCole.^[3]

Youth

Heyliger was born in Concord, Massachusetts, a small suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.^[4] Heyliger worked as a farm hand throughout his youth, he completed high school and went to college.^[5] Heyliger completed three years of college where he served with the Army National Guard.^[5] On November 25, 1940, he enlisted in the Air Corps (USAAC) and trained as an aviation cadet before entering and graduating from Officer Candidate School.^[5] In 1941, when the USAAC was abolished as an organization and transformed into a branch subordinate to the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF), Heyliger transferred to the US Army and volunteered for the Paratroopers where he was eventually assigned to Easy Company.^[5]

Military service

Heyliger took part in the D-Day invasion force jump and was a part of Operation Market Garden. After Richard Winters was promoted to Battalion XO, First Lieutenant Heyliger took command of Easy Company from Winters' first replacement because that man failed to measure up.^[6][7] As First Lieutenant, Heyliger was in command of Easy Company during Operation Pegasus on October 23, 1944 and oversaw the rescue and evacuation of the British 1st Airborne Division that were stranded on the German side of the line after the failed Operation Market Garden, across the Rhine.^[8][9] After the successful rescue of 138 men from the British 1st Airborne Division, for which he received the British Military Cross, he was accidentally shot on October 31, 1944 while on patrol and talking with Richard Winters about commanding Easy Company.^[10] He then underwent skin and nerve grafts before being discharged in February 1947.^[11]

Later years

After Heyliger returned home to Massachusetts, he enrolled at the University of Massachusetts and graduated in 1950 with a degree in ornamental horticulture.^[11] He married in 1964, to a woman named Mary. Heyliger died in Concord, Massachusetts aged 85.^[4]

References

1. ^ DeAngelis, Frank. "Heyliger's shadowbox". http://www.frankdeangelis.com/Captain%20Fred%20Heyliger.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-06. 
2. ^ Social Security Death Index record
3. ^ Reference required. See discussion of this article
4. ^ ^{a b} Social Security Death Index SSN 384-01-8932
5. ^ ^{a b c d} WWII Army Enlistment Records: on-line NARA Archival Database
6. ^ Ambrose (1992), p.154.
7. ^ Ambrose (1992), p.157.
8. ^ Malarkey (2008), p.137.
9. ^ Ambrose (1992), p.162.
10. ^ Ambrose (1992), pp.161-162.
11. ^ ^{a b} Ambrose (1992), pp.296-297.

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Bibliography

• Ambrose, Stephen E. (1992). Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780743464116. 
• Malarkey, Donald G., with Bob Welch (2008). Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's "Band of Brothers". St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312378493.