JOHN "JACK" AGNEW, 88
Member of the unit linked to "The Dirty Dozen" died April 7th in Pennsylvania. They inspired the movie by their operations behind German lines in World War II.
They were called the "Filthy Thirteen" and were an unofficial unit in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne. On D-Day, the Filthy Thirteen parachuted into France to take a bridge over the Douve River, an effort that cost most of then their lives.
At the Battle of the Bulge, Agnew and others requested pathfinder duty and parachuted into besieged Bastogne and operated beacons to help guide in planes with badly-needed supplies.
They inspired the movie "The Dirty Dozen" although it wasn't quite accurate, but the group had a reputation fro brawling, drinking and spending time in stockades.
According to Mr. Agnew, "We weren't murderers or anything, we just didn't do everything we were supposed to do in some ways and did a whole lot more than they wanted us to do in other ways. We were always in trouble."
Another member, Jake McNiece considered any activities not directly concerned with killing the enemy as irrelevant. As such, the members were constantly in trouble.
The Greatest Generation, Even If They Couldn't Follow Orders Very Well.
From the April 13th LA Times.
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