| Frederick Heyliger | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Moose |
| Born | June 23, 1916 Acton, Massachusetts |
| Died | November 3, 2001 (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 | |
| 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]
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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]
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]
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]