The bond of brothers

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If you ask William "Wild Bill" Guarnere or Edward "Babe" Heffron what it feels like to be considered a hero, they will undoubtedly say they are nothing of the sort.

"I never believed people would be reading a book about a war that happened 65 years ago. We’re not heroes, and we’re not movie stars," Guarnere, a resident of the 2200 block of Winton Street, said.

Readers can now decide for themselves as "Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story" hit stores on Oct. 7. The book was penned by Guarnere and his best friend of more than 60 years, Edward "Babe" Heffron, who also was his co-member in the famed Easy Company U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division. At the foreground of their harrowing tale is an indestructible bond. Beginning on the streets of South Philadelphia where the men grew up blocks apart, to the battlefields of Holland and Germany, the duo cemented an extraordinary friendship that has pulled them through some hopeless years.

"Anybody who’s been through it knows it isn’t easy to bring back the dark past," Heffron, who now resides on the 400 Block of Mifflin Street, said.

Compiling the publication led to quite a few sleepless nights and Heffron has yet to read it all the way through, but making sure the book’s message spreads is paramount to the two servicemen.

To that end, Heffron and Guarnere have been on a whirlwind tour of Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey to promote the book, doing signings at local stores and, whenever their schedules allow, speaking to middle school and high school history classes to reinforce that freedom is a privilege many young men died to secure.

"It’s hard to talk about, but I think it’s tougher if people don’t listen," Heffron said.

A labor of love six years in the making, the book is co-authored by freelance writer Robyn Post. In June of 2001, Post — an acquaintance of Heffron’s daughter, Trisha — wrote a story for "Philadelphia Magazine" about Guarnere and Heffron. Not long after the article ran, she received a phone call from a book agent in New York.

"He said he would like to see a book on the two men, their friendship and the war," Post said. She had more than 30 hours of interviews, plus extensive background research and notes — including written accounts from both men — that she readily agreed would turn into a compelling story.

The agent shopped the idea around to many publishers and was told the market was saturated with WWII books. Post begrudgingly filed her notes in a box under her bed.

Nearly five years later in June 2006, the agent called her, saying he had secured a publisher. She pulled out the box and went to work.

"I started talking to the guys about two or three times a week," she said. "I would get them both together on a conference call."

Together, the men filled in all the details and still found time to rib one another as only friends who have seen the best and worst together are allowed to do. But the horrors of war are unavoidable, and when it came time to discuss the more personal aspects of the conflict, Post spoke with each man individually. "They wouldn’t tell that kind of stuff with the other one listening," she said. Guarnere, who lost a leg during the war, used to tell people a shark had bitten him in order to avoid the topic.

Despite the difficulty of reliving those trying years, the two soldiers know their experiences are an important part of history. Heffron recalled a conversation he had with Tom Hanks (who wrote the book’s introduction) during the filming of the "Band of Brothers" miniseries: "’I know you guys are wondering why you survived when so many didn’t,’ Hanks said. ‘But I believe that God left you here to tell the young kids what a great country this is and that everyone has to do their fair share to keep it that way.’"

Since committing their story to paper, Post has worked tirelessly to get the word out, notifying her personal contacts and posting notices everywhere from Amazon.com to the Men of Easy Company’s Web site. Guarnere and Heffron credit their co-author with doing the legwork. "Robyn had the courage — I would use that word — and fortitude and brains to compile it and get it all together," Heffron said.

The project served as an important learning experience for everyone involved. For Post, the best part of the process was having the opportunity to hear firsthand stories. "When I realized I was hearing our history from their mouths — they lived it and they saw it — that’s when it became personal to me," she said.

Guarnere and Heffron enjoyed reminiscing about their fallen comrades and view the work as a way to honor them. "We want to speak for them and their families, not for us," says Guarnere. Both men insist those who did not return home are the true heroes.

So far, response to the book has been overwhelmingly positive. Guarnere, who has kept in touch with many of the people he met overseas, has already received feedback from fans in England, Belgium and France. "There’s something in the book that appeals to everyone," he said. "People tell me it’s a laugh-and-cry kind of book."

At a recent signing in Philadelphia, the authors learned recalling the past means it may come back to find you. From the end of the line, which wrapped around the store, a woman’s voice rang out: "You don’t know me, do you?"

Heffron couldn’t see who was speaking until she was three or four people away from him. "You don’t know me, do you?" she repeated. When he hesitated, she said, "I’m Doris."

Heffron then recognized the woman, who had written a "Dear John" letter to him more than 60 years ago and was mentioned in the book. "Can you believe that?" he recalled with a chuckle. "Sixty-two years we haven’t seen each other!" Doris and Heffron exchanged numbers and agreed to catch up.

Heffron and Guarnere say the material in the book, while difficult, is nothing but the truth. It also is a testament to the deep friendship they have shared for the better part of their lives — a connection that was, at times, all they had to hang on to.

"I think that friendship represents what Easy Company was about," said Post. "[It’s a] strong, powerful bond."