'Band of Brothers' Stars and Veterans to Visit Troops on USO/AFE Tour to the Pacific

'Band of Brothers' Stars and Veterans to Visit Troops on USO/AFE Tour to the Pacific

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Cast members from the HBO series "Band of Brothers" and the veterans who inspired the best-selling book and cable miniseries will join for a 10-day USO/Armed Forces Entertainment (AFE) tour to the Pacific Feb. 7-16. The cast and veterans will sign autographs and talk with service men and women at various locations in Hawaii, Japan and Korea. This will be the group's first USO tour.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/USO )

The Stephen Ambrose book tells the saga of the men of Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division-paratroopers who fought in some of the fiercest battles in Europe during World War II.

Often sought after to share their experiences and expertise with military and civilian audiences, the veterans of Easy Company include Lynn "Buck" Compton, Donald "Don" Malarkey, Darrell "Shifty" Powers and Earl "One Lung" McClung.

Buck Compton and Don Malarkey are veterans of Easy Company's most famous battle on D-Day, where they destroyed a German gun battery at Brecourt Manor, France, and saved innumerable lives of American soldiers on nearby Utah Beach. Compton was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Malarkey was awarded two Bronze Stars.

Shifty Powers and Earl McClung are decorated soldiers of Native American descent. Both served in hazardous duty as platoon scouts with Easy Company. Powers was never wounded, a rare feat in a Company that suffered heavy casualties. McClung was arguably Easy Company's best marksman. Both were awarded two Bronze stars; and McClung, a Purple Heart.

Cast members include Matthew Settle, Eion Bailey, James Madio and Peter Youngblood. Settle is a seasoned actor whose credits include "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" and the TNT miniseries "Into the West."

Bailey was honored by Variety as one of the top ten emerging actors in 2003. His performance in the Showtime original movie "Sexual Life" earned him a breakthrough "performance of the year" award at The Phoenix International Film Festival. Madio got his first break from Steven Spielberg as one of the Lost Boys in Spielberg's "Hook." Youngblood, who portrays "Shifty" Powers in "Band of Brothers," is also a successful photographer.

About the USO: For 65 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been providing morale, welfare and recreational services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services. The USO is supported by World Partners AT&T Corporation, BAE SYSTEMS, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Military Channel, S&K Sales Company and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Other corporate donors, including the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC- 0600), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the USO. For more information on the USO, please visit our Web site at http://www.uso.org/.

Contact:
Tiane Harrison, (703) 908-6433
tharrison@uso.org

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/USO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: USO

CONTACT: Tiane Harrison of USO, +1-703-908-6433, or tharrison@uso.org

Web site: http://www.uso.org/

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