James Alley
James H. Alley Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Jim", "Moe" |
| Born | July 20, 1922 Mount Ida, Arkansas, United States |
| Died | March 14, 2008 (aged 85) Sedro-Woolley, Washington, United States |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942-1945 |
| Rank |  Staff Sergeant |
| Unit |  Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Relations |
|
Staff Sergeant James "Moe" Alley Jr. (20 July 1922 – 14 March 2008)[1] was a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. Alley was one of the 140 original Toccoa men of Easy Company. He was portrayed by George Calil in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.
Early life
Alley was born in Mount Ida, Arkansas. Alley attended school in Arkansas and enlisted there in 1942.[1]
Military service
Alley volunteered for paratrooper duty and was trained in Toccoa, Georgia. On one of Easy Company's marches up Currahee Mountain, Alley suggested to Dewitt Lowrey that they could sit down to wait and rejoin the company when it marched back down. Major William Boyle spotted them and could have reported them, but he did not; instead, he ordered the two to run up Currahee after him. They went up the hill, came down and ran two more hills before Major Boyle released them. Richard Winters later told Alley and Lowrey that Major Boyle was a cross-country runner.[2]
Alley made his first combat jump on D-Day into Normandy. He had to be thrown out the door by comrade Paul Rogers because he had difficulties getting out and was about to be pulled in half by his leg bag he had thrown out the door.[3] Alley landed near Ste. Mere-Eglise and crashed into a wall behind a house, cut by the broken glasses embedded in the top of the wall.[4] He later found Rogers and Earl McClung and the three fought as part of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment until reunited with Easy Company.[4]
Alley participated in Operation Market Garden. On 5 October 1944, Alley was chosen for a patrol mission led by Sergeant Art Youman with Joseph Lesniewski, Joseph Liebgott and Roderick Strohl. When the patrol ran into a larger German patrol, a German soldier threw a grenade at the men. Lesniewski called out a warning and Alley turned his body from the blast just in time; still, Alley was blown to the ground and received thirty-two wounds to his body.[5] Alley commented that he would surely have died if Lesniewski had not warned him of the German grenade.[1] (In 1994, when Alley went to a hospital, pieces of shrapnel from the blast could still be found in his body.)[citation needed]
Alley spent two months in a hospital. He was then sent to 12th Replacement Depot and, learning he was to be reassigned to another company, decided to absent himself.[1] Selling a German Luger for money to get to Paris,[1] he found Richard Winters, former Easy Company commander, who helped him arrange transportation to return to Easy Company.[6] He arrived at Mourmelon on 15 December 1944, a few days before the 101st Airborne was deployed to Bastogne.[1]
Alley fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne with Easy Company. While in Noville, Alley and Edward Shames had mistaken a German tank as friendly armor. The two were able to hide from the tank and were not attacked.[7] While in Austria, according to a letter Captain Ronald Speirs wrote to Forrest Guth, Alley was reduced in rank for drunkenness.[8] Alley was discharged in 1945.[1]
Later life and death
Alley moved with his family to California and stayed there until 1951, when he moved to Washington state. He became a general contractor, remodeling and building homes and commercial buildings.[1] He eventually had his own construction company in California.[9]
Alley married Elizabeth 'Bettie' Riley in Seattle in 1975 and they had three children. After his retirement in 1987, the family moved to Marblemount, Washington before finally settling in Sedro-Woolley, Washington. Alley died on 14 March 2008.[10]
References
Bibliography
- Brotherton, Marcus (2009). We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from Band of Brothers. Berkley Trade. ISBN 0425234193. Search this book on
- Ambrose, Stephen E. (1992). Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7434-6411-6. Search this book on
- Larry Alexander (2011). In the Footsteps of the Band of Brothers: A Return to Easy Company's Battlefields with Sgt. Forrest Guth. NAL Trade. ISBN 0451233158. Search this book on
- Larry Alexander (2005). Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers. NAL Trade. ISBN 978-1-440-67825-7. Search this book on
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