Easy Company became a symbol of courage, sacrifice, and brotherhood. Their story was immortalized in Stephen Abrose’s book “Band of Brothers” and the HBO miniseries of the same name.
Donald Hoobler and his best friend, Robert Rader, along with another friend, William Howell, all from Manchester, Ohio, enlisted in the Army paratroopers at Fort Thomas, Newport, Kentucky, on August 22, 1942. The trio soon found themselves in Easy Company (Company E), training in the red clay and sweltering humidity of Camp Toccoa, Georgia.
Under the strict supervision of Captain Herbert Sobel, they ran Currahee Mountain until their legs burned, forcing them into an elite brotherhood of paratroopers. By the time Hoobler, Howell, and Rader boarded C-47 transport planes for their first combat jump on D-Day, June 6, 1944, they were hardened in both spirit and muscle. The picture to the left is Rader-Hoobler (clowning)-Howell at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. None of them could have imagined the hardships, battles and sacrifices that lay ahead in Normandy, Holland and Bastogne.
Easy Company Brief Overview
Their parachute jumps into Normandy came under terrifying conditions. The black skies over France were streaked with flak and tracer fire, and most of Easy Company lost their weapons upon landing. Despite this chaos, the men regrouped in the hedgerows, fighting fiercely through dense fields and villages to secure bridges and roadways critical to the Allied advance.
Later, during Operation Market Garden, Easy Company parachuted into the Netherlands in broad daylight, tasked with holding key bridges and defending the Eindhoven area. The men engaged in grueling house-to-house combat in the Dutch countryside, under constant enemy fire, showcasing courage, discipline, and ingenuity in the face of overwhelming odds.
In the bitter winter of 1944–45, the company endured the siege of Bastogne in the frozen Ardennes, often with no winter gear and dangerously low ammunition. They dug foxholes into the snow and withstood near-constant artillery and small-arms fire. Freezing temperatures left soldiers’ eyelids frozen open and limbs numb, yet they held their positions, a testament to their resilience and camaraderie.
As the Allied forces pushed into Germany, Easy Company crossed the Rhine, participated in the liberation of concentration camps, and advanced deep into Bavaria. In April 1945, they climbed into the Bavarian Alps, ultimately seizing Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden, marking the culmination of their grueling campaign across Europe.
Corporal Donald Brenton Hoobler (1922–1945)
Of the three Adams County soldiers in Easy Company, only two survived the war. Tragically, Corporal Donald Brenton Hoobler, a rifleman and later squad leader, did not. Hoobler was killed during the Battle of the Bulge when a captured Luger pistol, carried in his coat pocket, accidentally discharged while he was crossing a fence, striking his leg. He bled to death at the age of 22 on January 3, 1945, with medic Eugene Roe at his side.
Donald Brenton Hoobler is interred at Manchester 100F Cemetery (Find-a-Grave Memorial ID: 22517574).
Hoobler was portrayed by actor Peter McCabe in the miniseries Band of Brothers, based on Stephen Ambrose’s book. For dramatic effect, the miniseries altered the circumstances of his death, depicting him accidentally shooting himself in the leg while “playing with” the Luger, rather than the tragic accident that actually occurred.
SSGT Robert James “Bob” Rader (1923–1997)
Robert James Rader, known as Bob, served as a sergeant in Easy Company, leading a rifle squad of approximately 12 men in combat. On D-Day, his plane was strafed and sustained around 250 hits. Like most of Easy Company, Bob lost all of his weapons during the jump. His landing in a pasture was rough, fracturing three vertebrae in his back, but he ignored the pain and continued fighting near Carentan and through the hedgerows of Normandy.
During Operation Market Garden in December 1944, Rader jumped into the Netherlands and was wounded in the elbow by a bullet but remained on the line. Later, in Bastogne, during the bitter cold of the Battle of the Bulge, he endured freezing conditions, scarce supplies, and no winter gear. His eyelids froze open, and he lost feeling in his legs and arms. Remarkably, he was also shot in the hip, an injury that went undetected until 1987 during a CAT scan.
When discharged in November 1945, Bob’s body bore numerous scars from bullets, shrapnel, and other battlefield injuries. Though offered a Purple Heart, he declined, saying, “How could I receive it when so many others were wounded so badly?” He received two Bronze Stars:
First Bronze Star – Normandy, June 1944
As a squad leader on D-Day, Rader displayed courage and leadership while regrouping scattered paratroopers after the chaotic night drop. He maintained order in the hedgerows, helping secure bridges and roadways critical to the 4th Infantry Division’s inland advance. His steady leadership under fire earned him the BronzeStar.
Second Bronze Star – Holland & Bastogne, 1944–45
During Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge, Rader distinguished himself again. Despite wounds to his elbow and hip, he led his squad through bitter cold and constant artillery fire in Bastogne, maintaining discipline and morale. His resilience and bravery under sustained combat earned him a second Bronze Star.
After the war, Bob attended Cedarville College in Ohio, earned a degree in education, and moved to San LuisObispo County, California, in 1950 to begin his teaching career. At age 29, he married Lucille Erickson (26), and they had two children: a daughter, Robin, and a son, Donald Dukeman Rader, named after his best friend Donald Hoobler and friend Bill Dukeman, both killed in action. The family lived in Paso Robles, where Bob taught for more than 30 years.
In retirement, Bob enjoyed coaching, fishing, golf, volunteering as a fireman for 10 years, traveling, and writing about his wartime experiences. He shared his stories for Stephen Ambrose’s book, Band of Brothers.
After his death, the citizens of Paso Robles, led by former student and then-mayor Frank Mecham, dedicated a bridge in his honor that crossed the Salinas River. The ceremony at 13th and South River Road, Paso Robles, CA 93446, was attended by former colleagues, fire department friends, former students, civic dignitaries, family, and nine Easy Company veterans.
Robert James Rader died at age 73 on April 5, 1997. He is interred at the Paso Robles District Cemetery, San Luis Obispo County, California. Find-A-Grave Memorial ID: 95343277
Technician 5th Grade William Alexander Howell (1922–1983)
Technician 5th Grade William Alexander Howell, known as Bill Howell, served in Easy Company (E Company), 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, alongside his friends Donald Hoobler and Robert Rader. All three men were part of the same platoon structure, fighting together in Normandy, the Netherlands, and Bastogne until early 1945.
Howell’s specific responsibilities in Easy Company are not documented, but as a T/5, he was a skilled enlisted specialist—equivalent in pay to a corporal. He likely served as a radio/communications operator, weapons or mortar specialist, medic or demolitions/engineering specialist who also fought as a rifleman when needed.
He parachuted into France on D-Day, June 6, 1944, participating in key operations to seize positions and neutralize German artillery. In September, he jumped into the Netherlands for Operation Market Garden, helping secure bridges and roadways. During the Battle of the Bulge, Howell endured freezing conditions, constant shelling, and scarce supplies. On January 3, 1945, the same day his friend Donald Hoobler died, Howell was severely injured in the ankle and leg by shrapnel, requiring hospitalization. For his service, Howell earned the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
After the war, Howell returned to Manchester, Ohio, and married his fiancé Mildred Shultz (1927–2004) in Maysville, Kentucky, on March 9, 1945. The couple initially lived on 7th Street while William worked as a carpenter and Mildred as a seamstress for Hercules Trouser Company. Their first son, Lanny A. Howell (1947–1978), was born in Adams County, and in the early 1950s, the family moved to Sandusky, Ohio, where William was employed by Westvaco Papermill, working there for 30 years. William and Mildred had two more children: Sherri (born ~1953) and Christopher A. Howell (1960–2019).
William Alexander Howell passed away at age 61 on December 9, 1983, and is interred at Oakland Cemetery,Sandusky, Ohio (Find-A-Grave Memorial ID: 51856378).
