'Band of Brothers' uniting again

They were Ed Mauser’s buddies from long before D-Day and they survived fighting across Europe in World War II.

Now Mauser, who lives in Omaha, and five of his “Band of Brothers’’ comrades will gather in Nebraska next month.

The six Easy Company paratroopers will appear at functions Dec. 4 and 5 at the Strategic Air & Space Museum near Ashland. It will be Mauser’s first “Band of Brothers’’ reunion.

“I’m excited,’’ Mauser said Wednesday. “I haven’t seen these guys in almost 65 years.’’

Besides Mauser, the other veterans scheduled to appear are Buck Compton, Don Malarkey, Babe Heffron, Earl “One Lung” McClung and Ed Tipper.

“I knew Malarkey and Lt. Compton real well,’’ Mauser said.

He recently revisited places in Europe where he fought with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment’s Easy Company, part of the 101st Airborne Division.

Easy Company’s story was chronicled in Stephen Am­brose’s best-selling book “Band of Brothers’’ and a 10-part HBO miniseries by the same name.

The company parachuted into France on D-Day, spearheaded the Market-Garden and Rhine offensives, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and liberated Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest retreat at Berchtesgaden in 1945.

“If you have read the book or have seen the miniseries, you have an idea of what extraordinary experiences these men lived through,’’ said Evonne Williams, the museum’s interim exceutive director.

“It is an honor to welcome them to Nebraska, as we honor the servicemen and women who have and continue to serve our country.”

The Dec. 4 event is a social hour and casual dinner with the soldiers, beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $100.

The veterans will sign books for an hour at 9 a.m. Dec. 5, then share stories and answer questions at 10 a.m. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door.

Compton is the author of “Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers.’’ Malarkey wrote “Easy Company Soldier.’’ Heffron wrote “Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends’’ with Bill Gaurnere, an Easy Company veteran.

A representative of Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, which offers “Band of Brothers’’ tours in Europe, plans to attend.

The events are a fundraiser for the museum. For more information, contact 402-944-3100 or visit www.SASMuseum.com