BROTHERS IN BATTLE: BEST OF FRIENDS by Robyn Post based on interviews with William “Wild Bill” Guarnere and Edward “Babe” Heffron

Narrated by Dick Hill

Preface read by Robyn Post

We have no history but we have an appointment with destiny

This is a very engaging dual first-person account of the exploits of Easy Company. Narrator Dick Hill portrays the two paratroopers with Philadelphia accents perfectly and the text is written in a conversational style that lends it an air of authenticity. These two guys pull no punches in relating their saga. On the field of battle they were cold-blooded killers out for revenge and on leave they were hot-blooded party boys chasing women. Apparently the girls in war time will go for any soldier with a paycheck. I wonder what their wives think of their fondly remembered war time tales of fornication and debauchery?

For those whom WWII has a particular fascination this is a refreshingly honest memoir. The veil of secrecy is lifted and all the full war experience is related. I usually gravitate toward grand sweeping histories of the war, telling the wide world-wide impact. This helped me—more than any other historical record—gain a better understanding of what the war was like for the soldiers on the ground, and why they are so reluctant to talk about it.

Dick Hill is fantastic. His South Philly accent is spot on he is so precise that it is easy to distinguish between Wild Bill and Babe even though they are from the same neighborhood and use the same lingo. I really appreciated the way Hill introduced emotion into his performance. It is as if Wild Bill and Babe are doing the reading themselves.