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First Name: Warren

Last Name: Muck

Birthplace: Tonawanda, NY, USA

Gender: Male

Branch: Army (1784 - present)



Home of Record: NY
Middle Name: H.



Date of Birth: 31 January 1922

Date of Death: 10 January 1945

Rank: Sergeant

Years Served: 1942–1945
Warren H. Muck
'Skip'

   
Engagements:
•  World War II (1941 - 1945)

Biography:

Sergeant Warren H. "Skip" Muck (January 31, 1922 – January 10, 1945) was a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Muck was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Richard Speight, Jr. Muck's life story was featured in the 2010 book A Company of Heroes: Personal Memories about the Real Band of Brothers and the Legacy They Left Us.

Muck was born and raised in Tonawanda, New York. His family was German and Muck was fluent in German, although he might have been quiet about it in the service. When Muck was a young kid, he skipped whenever he moved. That is why he got his nickname 'Skip'. Muck's father was a traveling musician who virtually abandoned his family. Muck worked part-time jobs to earn extra money for his family. Muck was a man of sincere faith. He was an altar boy growing up. He went to Mass regularly, even in the service. Frederick Niland, later sergeant of Company H, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, was Muck's best friend in high school.

Muck attended St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School, and graduated from Tonawanda High School in 1942. Muck once swam across the Niagara River as part of an initiation to get into a fraternity. After working briefly for the Remington Rand Corp, he enlisted on August 17, 1942 in Buffalo, New York.

Muck was assigned to Easy Company in Camp Toccoa, Georgia, and received training under Captain Herbert Sobel. There he befriended Donald Malarkey, and they were in the same mortar squad, and would often run Currahee side by side. During the 120-mile march the Second Battlion of the 506th regiment made from Toccoa to Atlanta, Malarkey's legs hurt so bad that he had to crawl to the mess tent on all fours. When Muck saw that, he stopped Malarkey, and said, 'No friend of mine crawls anywhere.' He filled their mess kits with food and returned to the tent to eat with Malarkey. While some soldiers were unfriendly to replacement soldiers, Muck was kind to everybody. He befriended replacement soldier Alex Penkala, who joined Easy Company at Fort Bragg, and Joseph Lesniewski, who took a real ribbing from a few guys after joining Easy Company in Aldbourne.

Muck made his first combat jump on June 6, 1944 (D-Day) as part of the Battle of Normandy in Normandy, France. In September 1944, he jumped into occupied Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden, which eventually failed. For his action in defending the Island, Muck received the Bronze Star.

After being pulled off the line, Easy Company returned to France, where they were transported to Bastogne, Belgium to fight in the Battle of the Bulge. Muck and his friend Alex Penkala were killed from a direct hit in their foxhole from German artillery just outside the Belgian town of Foy. His best friend Donald Malarkey was deeply traumatized from his death.

Edward Heffron remembered going to the Mass held by Father Maloney with Muck and some other soldiers a few weeks before Muck's death. He said to Muck, 'At least if we die, we're going to die in a state of grace.' Muck replied, 'You're right, Heffron.' Heffron said that he still thinks of Muck every time he takes communion.



Honoree ID: 119797   Created by: MHOH

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