Nickname(s) Al, PPP Years of service 1942-1945 Name Albert Mampre | Allegiance United States Rank Staff Sergeant Service/branch United States Army | |
Born May 25, 1922 (age 101)
Oak Park, Illinois, United States ( 1922-05-25 ) Battles/wars World War II
Battle of Normandy
Operation Market Garden
Battle of the Bulge Relations Virginia (wife)
Virginia Mampre (daughter)
Susan Wright (daughter)
Elizabeth Celebucki (daughter) Battles and wars Operation Overlord, Operation Market Garden, Battle of the Bulge, World War II | ||
Staff Sergeant Albert Mampre (born May 25, 1922) was a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. Mampre's life story was featured in the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from Band of Brothers
Contents
Youth
Mampre was born in Oak Park, Illinois to an Armenian family. His family was Episcopalian, so Mampre thought of going into the ministry. He went to Methodist school, then to Ohio Northern University, and later to Hardin-Simmons in Texas.
Military service
Mampre enlisted in Dallas in 1942 and volunteered for paratrooper. He was sent to Toccoa, Georgia for training. The first day in Toccoa Mampre befriended Ed Pepping, who also became a medic for Easy Company. During training, one of the jobs for the medics was to make medical checks in the community in the Deep South. Right before D-Day, Mampre had an infection on his neck. He was in the hospital and missed the jump.
Mampre made his first combat jump for Operation Market Garden in September 17, 1944. Someone came through his chute, so he landed hard with the other man landed on top of his chest. Mampre was in pain but kept going. When Lieutenant Bob Brewer was hit outside Eindhoven, Mampre came forward to help and got shot on his leg. Some Dutchmen helped evacuating the two to aid station. Despite his wound, Mampre donated blood in the aid station Mampre rejoined Easy Company in Mourmelon, right before the unit was sent to Bastogne. He was put in regimental headquarters. In Berchtesgaden, Mampre worked in the medical headquarters set up in a hotel.
Later years
Mampre came home in September 1945. He married Virginia on November 17, 1945. Mampre did not go into the ministry. Instead he studied psychology in University of Chicago. He worked as a psychologist until his retirement in 1978.
Band of Brothers
The scene where Brewer was shot and a medic trying to save him was reproduced in the fourth episode, Replacements, of the TV miniseries Band of Brothers. It is unclear, however, if that medic was intended to be Mampre, as his character was never mentioned in the miniseries and his name does not appear in the cast list.