NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — 99-year-old Edward Shames, a World War II veteran and the last surviving officer of the venerable “Easy Company,” was laid to rest Sunday morning in Norfolk.
Shames’ family and friends paid their respects at Forest Lawn Cemetery. He died peacefully at his home on Friday.
His grandson Aaron Shames remembers him for his loving heart and honest character.
“Just the honorable man and husband and grandfather he was. The legacy of no lying, cheating, or stealing. The legacy of always hard work, always do your best, family first,” Shames said.
Shames was involved in some of the most important battles of World War II.
During the war, he was a member of the renowned Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.
According to his obituary, he made his first combat jump into Normandy on D-Day as part of Operation Overlord.
He volunteered for Operation Pegasus and then fought with Easy Company in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge.
Shames was the first member of the 101st to enter the Dachau concentration camp, just days after its liberation. Aaron says his grandfather’s life in the service is one he’s extremely proud of.
“Him and I went overseas years ago probably in 2002. He said he did it, so I didn’t have to,” Aaron said.
After the war, he then went on to work for the National Security Agency as an expert on Middle East affairs. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserve Division and later retired as a colonel.
“We loved him very much. He always did the right thing,” Shames said.
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