Robert 'Popeye' Wynn

Actor · 1921 – 2000 · South Hill, Virginia, USA

Robert “Popeye” Wynn (July 10, 1921 – March 18, 2000) was an American Army non-commissioned officer and World War II veteran. He served as a Sergeant with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and was one of the original members of the company trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. Born in South Hill, Virginia, Wynn attended vocational school in Norfolk, where he trained as a machinist and became friends with fellow paratrooper Darrell “Shifty” Powers. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and volunteered for the airborne forces. He was assigned to Easy Company and completed his training at Camp Toccoa, Fort Benning, Camp Mackall and Camp Shanks before deploying to England in preparation for the Allied invasion of Europe. Wynn parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and participated in the assault on the German artillery position at Brécourt Manor. He was wounded during the attack and evacuated to England, but returned to Easy Company in time for Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands. He subsequently fought with the company during the Battle of the Bulge and remained with Easy Company through the final months of the European campaign. He received the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart for his wartime service. After the war, Wynn worked as a structural ironworker on buildings and bridges. He later lived in South Chester, Virginia, and maintained a home in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where he spent time with his family. Wynn's experiences were featured in Stephen E. Ambrose's 1992 book Band of Brothers. He was also one of the Easy Company veterans whose experiences were adapted for the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, in which he was portrayed by Nicholas Aaron. Wynn died on March 18, 2000, in Chester, Virginia, at the age of 78.