The Paratrooper Who Never Left the Front Line: Donald Malarkey’s Story

The Paratrooper Who Never Left the Front Line: Donald Malarkey’s Story

I have been trying to discover more about the incredible individuals that served in the wars. Like I have already mentioned I have re-watched Band of Brothers and wanted to find out more about Donald Malarkey.

He was born on the 31st of July 1921 in Astoria, Oregon, in the United States, into a family with Irish roots. He was no stranger to responsibility and he worked on fishing crews along the Columbia River and even volunteered as a firefighter during forest fires. He began studying at the University of Oregon in 1941. But everything changed with the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Like so many of his generation, he felt the need to serve. After he failed in his attempts to join other branches of the military, he was drafted into the United States Army in 1942 and volunteered for the paratroopers, he was determined to be part of an elite force. He trained at Camp Toccoa, which was tough, and only a fraction of the men who trained there actually made it through. 

In 1944, he was sent to England for furtger training and then he was sent  into combat as part of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. On D-Day, he parachuted into Normandy, landing along with hundreds of others, into the chaos of the invasion. That same day, he helped attack German artillery at Brécourt Manor, an action that would become one of the most famous small-unit engagements of the war. For his bravery, he was awarded the Bronze Star.

He fought through Normandy, and braved through the long and exhausting campaign in the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden, and then faced the brutal and relentless winter of the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. He continued fighting in France and then into Germany. He actually spent more continuous time on the front lines than any other member of his company. 

For his service, he received numerous honours. These included two Bronze Star Medals, the Purple Heart, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four campaign stars and an arrowhead device, the World War II Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal with Germany clasp, and the Combat Infantryman Badge and Parachutist Badge. He was also recognised internationally with the French Legion of Honour, the French Croix de Guerre and Liberation Medal, and the Belgian Croix de Guerre and World War II Service Medal.

After the war, he returned home, where he completed his education, and built a life in Oregon, serving his community and later sharing his experiences so others would not forget.

Image info:

Don Malarkey during World War II at Zell am See.

Date: 6th of June 1945