Quick Facts
Biography
Master Sergeant Albert Blithe (June 25, 1923 – December 17, 1967) was a career soldier who had been a Private First Class with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Blithe was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Marc Warren. Blithe's life story was featured in the 2010 book A Company of Heroes: Personal Memories about the Real Band of Brothers and the Legacy They Left Us.
Youth
Blithe was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After completing 3 years of high school, he enlisted for the paratroopers on August 18, 1942 in his hometown.
Military service
World War II
Blithe trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia in August 1942 under Captain Herbert M. Sobel. Blithe jumped with the rest of Easy Company into occupied France as part of the massive Airborne invasion; however, when he landed, he found himself lost. Blithe was joined by a number of other paratroopers who were also part of the mis-drops. They teamed up together and found the rest of Easy Company.
As portrayed in Band of Brothers by Marc Warren, Blithe was struck with a temporary case of hysterical blindness following the fierce fight to capture Carentan. He recovered and was part of a patrol investigating a farmhouse a few days later, where he was shot by a sniper in his collar bone. He would recover from the wound and receive a Purple Heart on June 25, 1944, his 21st birthday. Due to his wound, on October 1, 1944 he was sent home and never returned to the European Theater of Operations.
Blithe was released from the Army Hospital October 8, 1945 which has been verified by his discharge paperwork at the end of World War II. He attended the 1st Annual Reunion of the 101st Airborne Division Association. He returned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and started a career with Westinghouse Electric.
Korean War and afterward
Blithe also served in Korea with the 187th ARCT after the end of hostilities and later was assigned to the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in Taiwan. He never retired from military service.
Death
On December 10, 1967, while on active duty in Germany, Blithe felt nauseated when he returned from a weekend at Bastogne, Belgium, where he had taken part in the ceremonies commemorating the Battle of the Bulge. On December 11, 1967 Blithe was taken to the emergency room at Wiesbaden Hospital, Germany, where he was admitted with a diagnosis of a perforated ulcer. He died in the intensive care unit, on December 17, 1967 after surgery, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honors. In the mini-series Band of Brothers closing text of the third episode incorrectly states that Blithe died December 17, 1948, due to never fully recovering from his wound (bullet to the neck).