Ed Mauser, 94, WWII Easy Company vet, dies

OMAHA, Nebraska - A member of the "Band of Brothers" who fought in some of World War II's fiercest European battles, Ed Mauser shunned the limelight and kept his service with the Army unit a secret, even from family.

His role came to light only after a friend lent him a copy of the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," said his daughter, Laurie Fowler of Omaha.

Mauser, who died Friday, told his family that some of the things in the miniseries weren't quite what he remembered from being there in person. "He said, 'I know all those places,' " Fowler said.

But before that, "he never talked about it for years and years and years," said Terry Zahn, president of the Midwest chapter of the 101st Airborne Division Association. He met Mauser during a 2009 Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II memorial.

Mauser, 94, was the oldest living member of Easy Company, now better known as the "Band of Brothers," though he was not among the soldiers portrayed in the miniseries.

Born Dec. 18, 1916 in LaSalle, Ill., he was drafted in 1942 and volunteered for the 101st Airborne.

- AP