Youths to hear WWII stories

By Diane Huber | The Olympian • Published May 21, 2008

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A Silver Star recipient and World War II platoon leader — whose unit was the subject of HBO's "Band of Brothers" series — will talk to North Thurston High School students Friday.

Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton, author of "Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers," will talk about his combat service in crucial battles and his later work as a prosecutor in headline court cases, including the conviction of Bobby Kennedy's murderer, Sirhan Sirhan.

The public is invited to attend the talk, organized by Brady Olson, an Advanced Placement history teacher for North Thurston High who is a friend of Compton's.

Olson said it's fitting to hear from a World War II veteran leading into Memorial Day weekend.

"It's an opportunity to get a firsthand account. It's living history," he said.

His students have studied World War II and the assassination of Robert Kennedy. He said he hopes they come away with an understanding of the nationalism and patriotism of the World War II era, and connections to today's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"I'm just hoping get a real feel for these World War II veterans who were dying every day," he said.

Here, Compton talks from his home in Burlington about some of the crucial battles he took part in and the parallels between his experiences on the battlefield and the Iraq War.

Question: What prompted you to join the Army?

Answer: When I entered college (at the University of California, Los Angeles) as a freshman it was mandatory that every male student in the university take ROTC. ... After Pearl Harbor happened, it was just assumed. It wasn't a question of whether you were going to go in, it was what (branch).

Q: Tell me about the invasion of Normandy, or D-Day, for which your involvement won you a Silver Star.

A: There were artillery pieces we could hear being fired. ... I went out ahead by myself just to see ... what we were up against. ...

I got out and crawled out across the field and looked through this hedgerow (a thicket). I could see this trench. ... I looked and saw this artillery piece. There was a couple of German soldiers. ...