Band of Brothers lose Malarkey

As Toccoa prepares for this weekend’s Currahee Military Weekend, another of the Band of Brothers has left us.

Donald Malarkey,  who parachuted into  Normandy on D-Day and fought with Easy Company across Europe, died Saturday, September 30th in Salem, Oregon.

He was 96.

According to his son-in-law, John Hill, Malarkey died of natural causes.

Malarkey was one of several members of “Easy Company”  who trained at Camp Toccoa on Currahee Mountain.

Their exploits were portrayed in the HBO miniseries, “Band of Brothers.”

Malarkey fought across France, the Netherlands and Belgium and with Easy Company fought off Nazi advances while surrounded at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.

His bravery earned him the Bronze Star.

In 2009, France presented Malarkey with their Legion of Honor Medal — the highest honor awarded by the French government.

Malarkey was often praised for his actions during the war, but Hill told Fox News the memories of combat and losing fellow soldiers and friends in battle haunted him in the years after the war ended.

However, Hill said the release of the “Band of Brothers” miniseries was cathartic for his father-in-law and helped him come to terms with the emotional scars of battle.

Brenda Carlan, Director of Toccoa’s Currahee Military Museum said Malarkey visited Toccoa during two of the early military weekends and found comfort there as well.

This weekend’s Currahee Military Weekend gets underway Friday and continues through Sunday.