Face of Defense: Grandson Continues ‘Band of Brothers’ Tradition

By Army Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod
1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Dec. 14, 2010 – Even at 80 years old, Frederick \”Moose\” Heyliger was an enormous man, according to his grandson, who serves with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade.

Army 1st Sgt. Mark Heyliger stands before a C-17 Globemaster III prior to an airborne training operation Dec. 1, 2010, at Fort Bragg, N.C. When he enlisted in 1992, Heyliger knew little about the World War II exploits of his grandfather, Army 1st Lt. Frederick \”Moose\” Heyliger, until he read Stephen Ambrose’s book, \”Band of Brothers.\” U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Army 1st Sgt. Mark D. Heyliger, first sergeant of Company B, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, often is asked by young soldiers who \”put 2 and 2 together\” whether he knows \”that guy in that movie,\” and he says he does.

Heyliger, a veteran of five deployments, learned of his grandfather’s World War II exploits as a first lieutenant with Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division \”Screaming Eagles\” the same way the rest of America did –- by reading the book and seeing the HBO mini-series, \”Band of Brothers.\”

The grandfather Heylinger knew had earned a degree in ornamental horticulture and he sold fertilizer, among other jobs. He was a bit of a wanderer, with a grand plan to own an acre of land in every state so he could travel and camp all the time.

\”I’d always known my grandfather served in the Army, and I knew that he had loved it, but he never talked about what he did during the war,\” he said. \”My dad mailed me a book while I was on recruiting duty. He said, ‘If you ever want to know what your grandfather did, you need to read the book.’\”