Edwin Pepping

Private First Class Edwin Pepping (born July 4, 1922) was a soldier with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. Pepping's life story was featured in the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from Band of Brothers

Youth
Pepping was born on Independence Day in Alhambra, California. At nineteen he was working in an electroplating plant.

Military service
Pepping enlisted in Los Angeles and volunteered for paratrooper. He was sent to Fort MacArthur and then to Toccoa, Georgia for training There he was chosen to be a medic. As training with the medics, Pepping was put in a medical detachment and was assigned to Easy Company. During his time in Aldbourne, Pepping was dating a village girl.

Pepping made his first combat jump on D-Day into Normandy. Pepping was originally assigned to Flight 66, but for some unknown reason he switched seat with another medic, Earnest L. Oats. He therefore got off the plane right before it took off. Flight 66 was later shot down by German antiaircraft fire, and everyone on board, including Easy Company Commander Thomas Meehan III, were killed.

Upon landing, he had a concussion and cracked three vertebrae when his helmet hit his head, although he did not know it at the time. He helped in different aid stations to help with the wounded. Outside Beaumont, when Lieutenant Colonel Billy Turner was killed, the advance of tanks stopped as Turner was at the front of the moving column. Pepping helped to pull Turner out so the tank column could move again. He received the bronze star for his action. Pepping was not able to join Easy Company in France, because he was wounded in his leg. He was evacuated to a hospital, where his uniform, equipment and medals were stolen. Pepping went AWOL to rejoin Easy Company because a doctor would not let him out due to his injury. He was with his unit for fifty one days to set up for its next mission. After that, Pepping was then sent to serve in general hospitals in England and in France. He later operated switchboard for trunk lines throughout France.

Later years
After the war, Pepping attended Woodbury University and worked in a music store for a while. He later attended an industrial design school and got into drafting. He worked as draftsman for the Apollo project. Pepping felt that he let his unit down for being knocked out after 15 days in Normandy, and did not keep in touch with the men of Easy Company. He only got involved again after the Emmy Awards reunion in 2002.