Albert Blithe

Albert Blithe (June 25, 1923 – December 17, 1967) was an American career soldier who served as a private first class with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. He served again with the Airborne during the Korean War and was twice decorated for gallantry. He eventually rose to the rank of Master Sergeant in the Army. His 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 by Marcus Brotherton.

Albert Blithe (June 25, 1923 – December 17, 1967) was an American career soldier who served as a private first class with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. He served again with the Airborne during the Korean War and was twice decorated for gallantry. He eventually rose to the rank of Master Sergeant in the Army. His 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 by Marcus Brotherton. ==Youth== Blithe was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After completing three years of high school, he enlisted for the paratroopers on August 18, 1942, in his hometown. ==Military service== ===World War II=== Blithe trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, in August 1942 under Captain Herbert Sobel. Blithe jumped with the rest of Easy Company into occupied France as part of the massive Airborne invasion; however, when he landed, he found himself lost. Blithe was joined by a number of other paratroopers who were also part of the mis-drops. They teamed up together and found the rest of Easy Company. Blithe was struck with a temporary case of hysterical blindness following the fierce fight to capture Carentan. He recovered and was part of a patrol investigating a farmhouse a few days later, where he was shot in the collar bone by a sniper. He was awarded a Purple Heart on June 25, 1944, his 21st birthday. Due to his wound, on October 1, 1944, he was sent home and never returned to the European Theater of Operations. However, he eventually recovered. Blithe was released from the Army Hospital October 8, 1945, which has been verified by his discharge paperwork at the end of World War II. He attended the first annual reunion of the 101st Airborne Division Association, but despite this, Easy Company ended up losing track of him, and they assumed he succumbed to his collarbone wound in 1948. He returned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and started a career with Westinghouse Electric. ===Korean War and afterward=== Blithe also served in Korea with the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, where he was awarded a Bronze Star and a Silver Star for jumping behind enemy lines surrounded by a Chinese battalion. He was later assigned to the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Taiwan. He never retired from military service. ==Death== On December 10, 1967, while on active duty in Germany, Blithe felt nauseated when he returned from a weekend at Bastogne, Belgium, where he had taken part in the ceremonies commemorating the Battle of the Bulge. On December 11, 1967, Blithe was taken to the emergency department at Wiesbaden Hospital, Germany, where he was admitted with a diagnosis of a perforated ulcer. He died in the intensive care unit on December 17 after surgery, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honors. ==References== ==Bibliography== ==External links== ANC Explorer Blithe in Taiwan from Currahee website The Battle of Normandy

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