A tribute on Memorial Day weekend to an outstanding former UCLA athlete Lynn Buck Compton and a member of Easy Company, Band of Brothers.
WWII uncovered: 101st Airborne: Lynn Davis Compton of Easy Company
Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton, of Los Angeles California, joined the ROTC as a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. During his time at UCLA Buck excelled in both football and baseball. His teammate in both respects was the legendary Jackie Robinson. Compton started as guard in the 1943 Rose Bowl and in baseball Buck was named All Pacific Coast Conference leading the league in batting with a .340 batting average.
"Ultimately, World War II disrupted Buck’s studies. He graduated from ROTC and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in February of 1943. He was 21 years old. Buck parachuted into Normandy during the early hours of D-Day, was part of the group that destroyed the German artillery during the battle at Brecourt Manor, fought on the line at Carentan and Operation Market Garden and fought in the legendary Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Bronze Star in addition to many other accolades."
(Source: Hawthorne Funeral Home and Memorial Park obituary database)
After the war, Buck Compton returns to Los Angeles. He married Donna Newman in 1947 and the couple had two daughters. Buck worked his way through Loyola Law School as a policeman for the LAPD, and later as a detective in the Central Burglary Division. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1949.
According to Buck's memoir, "Compton served as Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County from 1951 to 1970. Buck served as the lead prosecutor in the trial of Sirhan B. Sirhan for the death of Robert F. Kennedy. In 1970, Buck was appointed by then Governor Ronald Reagan to the California Court of Appeal as an Associate Justice. A celebration of Compton's 90th birthday was held in January 2012 with nearly 200 in attendance including Band of Brothers actors Michael Cudlitz, James Madio, Neal McDonough, and Richard Speight, Jr.
In May of 2008 Compton co-authored his memoir with Marcus Brotherson, "Call of Duty: My Life Before, During, and After the Band of Brothers"
On February 25, 2012 Buck Compton passed peacefully at his daughter's house in Burlington Washington. He was 90 years old. Lest We Forget.
Lynn "Buck" Compton was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Neal McDonough.
#ww2uncovered #worldwar2 #worldtwo #WWII #easycompany #101stairborne #101stairbornedivision #screamingeagle #ww2history #WorldWarII #airborne #101st #AATW #paratrooper #ww2veteran #UCLA #uclafootball #honorourveterans #usarmy #wwiiveteran #wwiihistory #army #ww2 #lestweforget #greatestgeneration
WWII uncovered: 101st Airborne: Lynn Davis Compton of Easy Company
Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton, of Los Angeles California, joined the ROTC as a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. During his time at UCLA Buck excelled in both football and baseball. His teammate in both respects was the legendary Jackie Robinson. Compton started as guard in the 1943 Rose Bowl and in baseball Buck was named All Pacific Coast Conference leading the league in batting with a .340 batting average.
"Ultimately, World War II disrupted Buck’s studies. He graduated from ROTC and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in February of 1943. He was 21 years old. Buck parachuted into Normandy during the early hours of D-Day, was part of the group that destroyed the German artillery during the battle at Brecourt Manor, fought on the line at Carentan and Operation Market Garden and fought in the legendary Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Bronze Star in addition to many other accolades."
(Source: Hawthorne Funeral Home and Memorial Park obituary database)
After the war, Buck Compton returns to Los Angeles. He married Donna Newman in 1947 and the couple had two daughters. Buck worked his way through Loyola Law School as a policeman for the LAPD, and later as a detective in the Central Burglary Division. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1949.
According to Buck's memoir, "Compton served as Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County from 1951 to 1970. Buck served as the lead prosecutor in the trial of Sirhan B. Sirhan for the death of Robert F. Kennedy. In 1970, Buck was appointed by then Governor Ronald Reagan to the California Court of Appeal as an Associate Justice. A celebration of Compton's 90th birthday was held in January 2012 with nearly 200 in attendance including Band of Brothers actors Michael Cudlitz, James Madio, Neal McDonough, and Richard Speight, Jr.
In May of 2008 Compton co-authored his memoir with Marcus Brotherson, "Call of Duty: My Life Before, During, and After the Band of Brothers"
On February 25, 2012 Buck Compton passed peacefully at his daughter's house in Burlington Washington. He was 90 years old. Lest We Forget.
Lynn "Buck" Compton was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Neal McDonough.
#ww2uncovered #worldwar2 #worldtwo #WWII #easycompany #101stairborne #101stairbornedivision #screamingeagle #ww2history #WorldWarII #airborne #101st #AATW #paratrooper #ww2veteran #UCLA #uclafootball #honorourveterans #usarmy #wwiiveteran #wwiihistory #army #ww2 #lestweforget #greatestgeneration
