Died December 24, 2012 at age 89.
He was considered the King of Character Actors and noted for roles in famous movies like "The Sting," "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou." I especially liked him as Governor and entrepreneur Pappy O' Daniel in the last one.
But, he was also quite the hero from World War II.
He was one of the first soldiers at Omaha Beach during D-Day and the only member of his unit to survive where he killed several German soldiers and was wounded in the leg. Later, he was bayoneted by a young German soldier and then killed him with a rock.
Captured at the Battle of the Bulge, he was almost killed in a subsequent massacre.
He was wounded by a German s-mine on June 15, 1944 and severely wounded in the left and right thighs, right hand, front head region and interior left chest wall. He made a remarkably fast recovery and was fit for duty by Dec. 6, that year.
He received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts during the war and would rarely talk of his experiences.
One of the Greatest. --GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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