Ed Tipper

Edward Joseph “Ed” Tipper Jr. (August 3, 1921 – February 1, 2017) was an American Army soldier and World War II veteran. He served as a Private First Class with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and was one of the original members of the company trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Tipper graduated from high school in 1939 and worked at a department store before enl...

Edward Joseph “Ed” Tipper Jr. (August 3, 1921 – February 1, 2017) was an American Army soldier and World War II veteran. He served as a Private First Class with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and was one of the original members of the company trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Tipper graduated from high school in 1939 and worked at a department store before enlisting in the U.S. Army following the attack on Pearl Harbor. After initially attempting to join the Marine Corps, he volunteered for the airborne forces and was assigned to Easy Company at Camp Toccoa. During training, he served as Captain Herbert Sobel's runner and later continued his training with the company in England.

Tipper parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and participated in the fighting around Carentan. On June 13, while clearing a house during the battle, a mortar shell exploded nearby, severely injuring him, breaking his legs and destroying his right eye. He was evacuated to England, where his right eye was removed, and subsequently returned to the United States. He spent approximately a year recovering in Army hospitals before being discharged in August 1945. For his service, he received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

After the war, Tipper attended the University of Michigan and later earned a master's degree in English from the University of Northern Colorado. He became a teacher and spent nearly three decades teaching English literature and directing drama programs at high schools in Colorado. In 1961, he received a John Hay Fellowship from the University of California, Berkeley.

Tipper's wartime experiences were featured in Stephen E. Ambrose's 1992 book Band of Brothers and its 2001 HBO miniseries adaptation. He was portrayed by Bart Ruspoli in the series. Tipper also contributed his recollections to Marcus Brotherton's 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers.

Tipper died on February 1, 2017, in Lakewood, Colorado, at the age of 95. He was buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.