Lynn Compton
{{Short description|Easy Company soldier and jurist (1921–2012)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{infobox judge
| name = Lynn Compton
| image = Compton 506e.jpg
| caption =Lynn Compton in his uniform during World War
| office = Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeals
| appointer = Ronald Reagan
| nickname = Buck
| birth_name = Lynn Davis Compton
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1921|12|31|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, USCompton, p.66.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2012|2|25|1921|12|31|mf=yes}}
| death_place = Burlington, Washington, US{{cite web |author=Brotherton, Marcus |title=In honor of Lt. Buck Compton, 1921-2012 |url=http://www.marcusbrotherton.com/in-honor-of-lt-buck-compton-1921-2012/ |date=February 26, 2012 |access-date=May 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015160354/http://www.marcusbrotherton.com/in-honor-of-lt-buck-compton-1921-2012/ |archive-date=October 15, 2018 |url-status=dead }}
| allegiance = United States
| branch = United States Army
United States Air Force Reserve
| serviceyears = 1940–1943 (ROTC)
1943–1945 (U.S. Army)
1947–1970 (U.S. Air Force Reserve)
| rank = First lieutenant (U.S. Army)
Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Air Force Reserve)
| unit = E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
| battles = World War II
| awards= {{plainlist|
}}
| spouse = Donna
| children = 2 daughters
| laterwork = law enforcement officer, lawyer, judge, guest lecturer, radio host, author
}}
Lynn Davis "Buck" Compton (December 31, 1921 – February 25, 2012) was an American jurist, law enforcement officer, and United States Army officer during World War II, serving as a paratrooper in "Easy Company" of the 506th Infantry Regiment within the 101st Airborne Division.
After the war, he joined the Los Angeles Police Department and later the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, where he rose to the position of chief deputy district attorney. He acted as the lead prosecutor in the trial of Sirhan Sirhan for the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. He was eventually appointed as a judge on the California Court of Appeal.
Compton's World War II exploits were depicted in the 1992 book Band of Brothers by historian Stephen E. Ambrose, and the 2001 HBO miniseries of the same name, in which Compton was portrayed by Neal McDonough.{{cite news |first=Andy|last=Lewis |title=Band of Brothers' Vet Lynn 'Buck' Compton Dies at 90, Actor Neal McDonough played the sergeant in the 2001 HBO mini-series. |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/buck-compton-dies-neal-mcdonough-band-of-brothers-295760 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=February 28, 2012 |access-date=May 16, 2012}}
Early life
Compton was born in Los Angeles, California. Early on, he gave himself the nickname "Buck" due to feeling that Lynn was a name better suited to a girl.{{cite news |first=Bruce|last=Weber |title=Buck Compton, Decorated Veteran, Dies at 90 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/us/buck-compton-decorated-veteran-dies-at-90.html |work=The New York Times |date=February 28, 2012 |access-date=March 16, 2021}} His mother Ethel worked for movie studios and a young Compton worked as an extra in films. He was thrown off the set of Modern Times after angering the film's star Charlie Chaplin. He was an athlete at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), being named an all-conference catcher and All-American selection in 1942.{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/band-brothers-soldier-dies-90-wash-172718718.html|title="Band of Brothers" soldier dies...|publisher=Associated Press via Yahoo News|date=February 28, 2012|access-date=February 28, 2012}}{{cite news|title=UCLA alumnus and "Band of Brothers" veteran Lynn "Buck" Compton dies|url=http://dailybruin.com/2012/03/07/ucla_alumnus_and_band_of_brothers_veteran_lynn_buck_compton_dies/|publisher=Daily Bruin|date=March 7, 2012}} Among his baseball teammates was Jackie Robinson.Compton, p.60. Compton was later inducted into the UCLA Baseball Hall of Fame. He majored in physical education, with a minor in education. He joined the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity in 1940. He also started at guard with the UCLA football team in the 1943 Rose Bowl game on January 1, 1943.{{cite news |last=McClellan |first=Dennis |date=March 23, 2014 |access-date=February 3, 2024 |title=Lynn D. ‘Buck’ Compton dies at 90; judge also known for WWII service |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-lynn-compton-20120228-story.html |work=The Los Angeles Times}}
Military service
At UCLA, Compton participated in ROTC under Cadet Commander John Singlaub.Compton, p.63.Compton, p.88. In December 1943, he joined the Army and was assigned to E "Easy" Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division.Compton, p.94. During Operation Overlord, Compton participated in Easy Company's action at Brécourt Manor under the leadership of Richard Winters. Compton and his fellow paratroopers assaulted a German battery of four 105 mm howitzers firing on Utah Beach, disabling the guns and routing the enemy.{{cite book|author=Lynn D. Compton |title=Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780425227879 |url-access=registration |year=2008 |publisher=Berkley Caliber |isbn=978-0-425-21970-6 }} During the battle, he threw a hand grenade that was said to have had no arc and hit the German soldier on the back of the helmet.{{Cite web |last=Hedash |first=Kara |date=2024-01-01 |title=Band Of Brothers' Buck Compton "Goof" Was Actually Deliberate (& The Finale Proves It) |url=https://screenrant.com/band-brothers-buck-compton-grenade-goof-baseball-history/ |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}} Compton was awarded the Silver Star for his action in the battle.Compton, p.107.
Later in 1944, Compton was shot through the buttocks while participating in Operation Market Garden,Compton, p.132. the Allies' ill-fated attempt to seize a number of bridges in the Netherlands and cross the Rhine River into Nazi Germany. The bullet traveled sideways, through one side of the buttocks and out the other side. After a partial recovery, he returned to Easy Company in time for the siege in the frozen Ardennes; the Battle of the Bulge.
During the battle, Compton was evacuated for severe trench foot. Stephen E. Ambrose concluded that Compton had been "unnerved" by witnessing two of his closest friends, Joe Toye and William Guarnere, badly wounded by German artillery.Ambrose, p.201. Compton wrote in his autobiography, "...although I was affected by the horrors of Bastogne, I do not believe I was clinically shell shocked, as the series portrays me. In real life, while I was hollering for the medic, trying to figure out what to do, I remember two distinct thoughts: How are we going to help the wounded guys?...Maybe this is the time the Germans are really going to get us all."Compton, p.143. In December 1945 he was discharged from service and returned home to California.{{Cite web |date=2020-10-19 |title=Band of Brothers' Buck Compton: One Man’s Call of Duty |url=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/band-of-brothers-buck-compton-one-mans-call-of-duty/ |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=Warfare History Network |language=en-US}}
In 1947, he joined the Air Force Reserve, serving in the Office of Special Investigations and eventually Judge Advocate General Corps before retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1970.{{Cite web|url=http://www.metnews.com/articles/2012/obit022812.htm|title=Jurist, War Hero, Prosecutor 'Buck' Compton Dead at 90|website=www.metnews.com|access-date=February 10, 2019}}
Post-war
=Criminal justice career=
In 1946, Compton returned to UCLA to complete his degree; he turned down an offer to play minor league baseball, choosing instead to concentrate on his continued public service aspirations. Compton married Donna Newman in October 1947 and the couple adopted two daughters.Compton, pp.172-174.
Compton became employed as a police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 1946, also attending Loyola Law School. Compton quickly rose through the LAPD ranks, becoming a detective in the Central Burglary Division.Compton, p.161. He left the LAPD for the District Attorney's office in 1951, serving as a deputy district attorney. In 1964, LA District Attorney Evelle J. Younger appointed Compton to the position of chief deputy district attorney.Compton, pp.180-181.
In 1968–69, Compton led the successful prosecution of Sirhan Sirhan for the murder of Robert F. Kennedy.Compton, p.209. In 1970, then-Governor Ronald Reagan appointed him an associate justice of the California Courts of Appeal.Compton, p.xi. He retired from the bench in 1990.Compton, p.237.
=Later life and death=
In the 2000s, Compton's World War II exploits were portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.
Compton's memoirs, entitled Call of Duty and written with Marcus Brotherton, were published by Berkeley Publishing in May 2008. A celebration of Compton's 90th birthday was held in January 2012 with nearly 200 in attendance including Band of Brothers actors Michael Cudlitz, James Madio, Neal McDonough, and Richard Speight, Jr. McDonough developed a friendship with Compton while making the miniseries and kept in touch afterwards. McDonough's son Morgan is nicknamed "Little Buck" in honor of Compton.{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/band-brothers-soldier-dies-90-wash-172718718.html|title="Band of Brothers" soldier dies|publisher=Associated Press via Yahoo News|date=February 28, 2012|access-date=February 28, 2012}}
In January 2012, Compton suffered a heart attack. On February 25, 2012, he died at a daughter's home in Burlington, Washington. His wife Donna died previously in 1994.{{cite news| url=http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-lynn-compton-20120228,0,356555.story | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Dennis | last=McLellan | title=Lynn D. 'Buck' Compton dies at 90; judge also known for WWII service | date=February 29, 2012}}
{{Clear}}
Today, Loyola Law School honors Compton with the Lynn D. "Buck" Compton Veterans Law Association, promoting "social interaction amongst military and Coast Guard veterans, active duty, National Guard, and reserve personnel at Loyola Law School while encouraging public interest in, and pro bono work on, issues relating to the welfare of military personnel and veterans."{{cite web |title=Lynn D. "Buck" Compton Veterans Law Association |url=https://studentaffairs.lls.edu/student-organizations/lynn-d-buck-compton-veterans-law-association |website=studentaffairs.lls.edu |publisher=Loyola Law School |access-date=7 June 2024}}
Medals and decorations (Army only)
| 100px |
| 80px
|Parachutist Badge with 2 combat jump stars |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Silver Star ribbon.svg|width=60}} Silver Star |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Bronze Star ribbon.svg|width=60}} Bronze Star |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Purple Heart ribbon.svg|width=60}} Purple Heart |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=United States Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|width=60}} Presidential Unit Citation with one Oak Leaf Cluster |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}} American Defense Service Medal |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}} American Campaign Medal |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|other_device=arrowhead|ribbon=European-African-Middle_Eastern_Campaign_ribbon.svg|width=60}} European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with arrowhead device (airborne assault) and 3 campaign stars |
| {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}} World War II Victory Medal |
| 60px Army of Occupation Medal |
| 60px French Croix de Guerre with palm |
| 60px French Liberation Medal |
References
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book |title=Call of Duty: My Life Before, During, and After the Band of Brothers |author=Compton, Lynn D., with Marcus Brotherton |publisher=Berkley Caliber |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-425-21970-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780425227879 }}
- {{cite book |title=Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest |first=Stephen E. |last=Ambrose |author-link=Stephen E. Ambrose| publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-7434-6411-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/bandofbrothers00ambr_0 }}
External links
{{Wikiquote}}
- [http://www.valorstudios.com/Band-of-Brothers-with-Prince-Charles.htm Photos of Buck Compton & the Band of Brothers' 2009 visit with Prince Charles]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090327032834/http://www.menofeasycompany.com/home/index.php?page_id=39 Interview with Compton from World War II Magazine]
{{Band of Brothers (miniseries)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Compton, Lynn}}
Category:American football offensive linemen
Category:United States Army personnel of World War II
Category:Band of Brothers characters
Category:Judges of the California Courts of Appeal
Category:Los Angeles Police Department officers
Category:Loyola Law School alumni
Category:Lawyers from Los Angeles
Category:Recipients of the Silver Star
Category:UCLA Bruins football players
Category:United States Army officers
Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni
Category:Writers from Los Angeles
Category:People from Burlington, Washington
Category:20th-century American judges