The American Legion Department of Virginia lost a living legend recently. Edward Shames was a member of Post 35 (12 yrs.), District 2 in the Eastern Region. Col. Shames (ret.), World War II veteran, lived in Virginia Beach (from Norfolk). He was the last living officer of “EASY COMPANY” of “Band of Brothers” notoriety. He was 99. He began his Army career as an enlisted soldier and received a field commission, 2nd lieutenant. An obituary posted by the Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home said Shames died peacefully at his home on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. His funeral was held on Dec. 5 at Forest Lawn, Norfolk.
The obituary continued; Shames was involved in some of the important battles of World War II. During the war, he was a member of the renowned Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He made the first combat jump into Normandy on D-Day as part of Operation Overlord. He volunteered for Operation Pegasus and then fought with Easy Company in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne.
Further, according to his obituary, when Germany surrendered, Ed and his men of Easy Company entered Hitler’s Eagles Nest where Ed managed to acquire a few bottles of cognac, a label indicating they were “for the Fuhrer’s use only.” Later he would use the cognac to toast his oldest son's bar mitzvah. The obituary said after the war, Shames worked for the National Security Agency in Middle East affairs. He also served in a U.S. Army Reserve division and later retired as a colonel.
Easy Company was the subject of Stephen Ambrose’s 1992 book "Band of Brothers" upon which the HBO miniseries was based. They followed Easy Company from its training in Georgia in 1942 all the way to the war’s end in 1945, according to the obituary.
Finally, it was a honor for each one of us to represent The American Legion at the funeral of this legendary Legionnaire, highly decorated World War II veteran and one of the best of the greatest generation. There were over 100 attendees at the gravesite funeral service.
We were honored: John Stewart, Post 35 Adjutant; Joe Garlitz, Post 57, Va. Dept Vice Commander-Eastern Region; James Knowlton, Post 88, 4th District Commander; Gerald Rhodes, Post 88, Past Va. Dept Commander; John Schenk, Post 327, Va. Dept Americanism Chairman; Otha Newton, Post 327, 2nd District Honor Guard; and Roger Kelly, Post 327 Commander.

For God and Country, Joe Garlitz