Edward 'Babe' Heffron

Biography

Edward James “Babe” Heffron (May 16, 1923 – December 1, 2013) was an American Army soldier and World War II veteran. He served as a Private First Class with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, joining the company as a replacement in July 1944. Born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Heffron left high school during the Great Depression and worked as a ship sandblaster at New York Shipbuilding before enlisting in the U.S. Army in November 1942. He volunteered for the airborne forces and completed his training before being sent to Europe. Heffron joined Easy Company after the Normandy campaign and served as a machine gunner during Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. During the fighting in Bastogne, he earned a Bronze Star for his actions as a machine gunner. He was also involved in the company's advance through Germany and the capture of the Eagle's Nest near Berchtesgaden. Heffron was particularly affected by the death of his close friend John T. “Johnny” Julian during the Battle of the Bulge. The two had made a pact during airborne training to look after each other's families should either of them be killed. Years after the war, Heffron contacted Julian's mother to fulfill that promise. After returning to Philadelphia, Heffron worked for Publicker Industries at a whiskey distillery before spending many years working on the Philadelphia waterfront. He remained close friends with fellow Easy Company veteran William “Wild Bill” Guarnere, and the two co-authored the 2007 memoir Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends with journalist Robyn Post. Heffron was prominently featured in Stephen E. Ambrose's book Band of Brothers and appeared in the HBO documentary We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company. He was portrayed by Robin Laing in the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and also made a brief cameo appearance in the series. Heffron died on December 1, 2013, at the age of 90, in Stratford, New Jersey.