Leo Boyle
Leo D. Boyle | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Fearless Phosgene |
| Born | 1913 Douglas, Oregon |
| Died | December 1997 (age 84–85) |
| 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 |
Staff Sergeant Leo Boyle was a non-commissioned officer of the Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division, United States Army during the Second World War. Boyle was one of the 140 Toccoa men of Easy Company. Boyle was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Nigel Hoyle.
Military service
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Boyle joined the army for a three-year stint in 1934.[1] He then worked as a mechanic for Standard Oil in California.[2]
Boyle was drafted into the army in 1942.[3] He volunteered for the paratroopers and received training in Toccoa, Georgia with Easy Company. He started as a private and rose to the rank of sergeant in Camp Mackall.[4] Boyle was the gas non-commissioned officer in charge of gas training for the company, so he was given the nickname Fearless Phosgene.[5]
While in Aldbourne, Boyle met an English girl named Winifred Hawkins.[6] He decided to marry her and was given permission by Richard Winters, his platoon leader at the time.[7] First Sergeant Bill Evans of Easy Company served as his best man.[8] The wedding day was May 20, 1944, nine days before Easy Company left for the marshaling area.[9] The wedding was not without pranks. On the wedding day, his comrade Bill Guarnere "kidnapped" the bride from the church with the help of smoke grenades and dumped her off about ten miles away before showing up and acting innocent in the church.[10]
Boyle made his first combat jump on D-Day into Normandy as part of Operation Overlord. He was the last man on his plane. As the plane was flying at a tilt, he had to pull himself to the door and roll out of the plane.[11] Boyle marched toward Ste-Marie-du-Mont and found Easy Company after the Brecourt Manor Assault had taken place.[12] Boyle was wounded by a tank's machine gun near Carentan. He was taken to Utah Beach for evacuation to England.[13] Boyle was promoted to Staff Sergeant for the company's headquarters section after the battle in Normandy and became Richard Winters's right-hand man.[14]
Boyle also participated in Operation Market Garden and the action in defending the island. On October 5, 1944, Boyle was severely wounded by a shell landing nearby on the dike.[15] Boyle spent nine months in hospitals in Belgium, England, and the United States. He was discharged on June 22, 1945.[16]
Later life
Boyle was initially given a 30 percent disability rating. He worked as a railroad brakeman and then in a post office. But his legs gave out. He was declared 50 percent disabled after a check-up at the VA hospital. Boyle attended the University of Oregon, majoring in political science and earned an MA degree. He became a teacher and eventually worked with the educationally handicapped. He was awarded the Phi Delta Kappa Service Key for Leadership and Research in Education for the Handicapped when he retired in 1979.[17]
Boyle died in December 1997 from the effects of Parkinson's Disease.[18] Former Easy Company comrades Donald Malarkey and Bill Wingett served as his honorary pallbearers.[19]
Bibliography
- 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
- Robyn Post; William Guarnere; Edward Heffron (2008). Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends. Berkley Trade. ISBN 0425224368. Search this book on
- Winters, Major Dick, with Cole C. Kingseed. Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters.CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link) Search this book on
- Alexander, Larry. Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, the Man Who Led the Band of Brothers. Search this book on
References
- ↑ p.85, Alexander
- ↑ p.85, Alexander
- ↑ p.85, Alexander
- ↑ location 603, Guarnere
- ↑ Location 604, Guarnere
- ↑ 735, Guarnere
- ↑ p.119, Winters
- ↑ p.119, Winters
- ↑ p.59, Alexander
- ↑ Location 739, Guarnere
- ↑ Chapter 4, Ambrose
- ↑ Chapter 5, Ambrose
- ↑ Chapter 6, Ambrose
- ↑ p.85, Alexander
- ↑ Location 1968, Guarnere
- ↑ Chapter 19, Ambrose
- ↑ Chapter 19, Ambrose
- ↑ p.273, Winters
- ↑ p.273, Winters
External links
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