Denver 'Bull' Randleman

Biography

Denver “Bull” Randleman (November 20, 1920 – June 26, 2003) was an American Army non-commissioned officer and World War II veteran. He served as a Staff Sergeant with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and was one of the original members of the company trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. Born in Rector, Arkansas, Randleman left home during the Great Depression in search of work and eventually found employment at a foundry in Michigan. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Airborne Infantry in August 1942 and joined Easy Company. After completing his training at Camp Toccoa and becoming a qualified paratrooper at Fort Benning, he was promoted to corporal and became commander of the 3rd Squad. Randleman parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and fought with Easy Company throughout the Normandy campaign. He subsequently participated in Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands and the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. During Operation Market Garden, he became separated from his unit and was wounded before taking shelter in a barn. He was found the following day by members of Easy Company, who had believed he had been killed. He later participated in the occupation of Germany and Austria. Randleman was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation for his service. After the war, Randleman attended trade school and became a service manager for J.A. Riggs Tractor Company, a Caterpillar equipment dealer. He later worked as a superintendent for a construction contractor in Louisiana and became a successful businessman. He married Vera and they had two children. Randleman's wartime experiences were featured prominently in Stephen E. Ambrose's 1992 book Band of Brothers and the 2001 HBO miniseries based on it. He was portrayed by Michael Cudlitz, who played Randleman as a recurring character throughout the series. Randleman died on June 26, 2003, in Texarkana, Arkansas, at the age of 82. He was buried at Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Texarkana.