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by JOSH JONES
reporter

For many, June 6, 1944, brings to mind a birthday, the loss of a loved one or it may even be someone's anniversary. But for Clifford Carwood Lipton, it certainly was no honeymoon, but it will always be remembered.

It was June 6, 1944 that Lipton, a Marshall alumnus, parachuted into France on D-Day as a member of the Legendary E (Easy) Company, 506th Regiment. That historic event has now been made into a ten-part HBO mini-series titled "Band of Brothers."

After being enrolled at Marshall for a year, Lipton left to begin training. After the war was over, he returned to Huntington and graduated three years later in 1948, with a degree in Engineering.

He said the Easy Company started to train for Normandy in August of 1942 and trained for nearly 22 months before parachuting into France.

As Lipton thought back, he recalled that memorable day.

"We were quite busy. We were briefed and given photographs taken of where we were going to be. We could only concentrate on the war," he said.

He also remembered being a contributing factor in capturing Adolph Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden, Bavaria. Lipton said at that time, it was easier to move in because the war was practically over. The troops went in groups of four, covering the mountainous areas. That allowed them to capture several "important prisoners" such as, Ferdinand Porsche, who was responsible for designing the Panther and Tiger tanks used by the Germans in times of war.

Lipton said they took Porsche and other prisoners back to a Prisoner of War Camp in Austria near Berchtesgaden, also known as a L.A.G.A.R. During this time, he became well acquainted with Porsche.

"He could speak English well and we ate our meals together," he said.

After the war was over in 1945, Lipton was able to come back home where he finished his last three years of college. For his time spent in the military, Lipton received several awards. Among those were two Bronze Star Medals, three Purple Hearts, a Dutch Lanyard and two Presidential citations.

"We were decorated quite a bit," he said.

In 1988, author Steve Ambrose met with Lipton and three other men who were in the Easy Company to discuss what happened in World War II. Ambrose was writing a book titled, "Band of Brothers." 11 years later, the men heard producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg were interested in recreating the book into a movie for television.

In May of 1999, Danishman Erik Jendrensen began the early writing of the script.

"He [Jendrensen] put the bible together, the skeleton," Lipton said.

In July, Lipton said HBO visited his home with video equipment and interviewed him.

"At this time, we knew it was serious," he said.

"Band of Brothers," now showing on HBO as a 10-part mini series, was the most expensive movie to be made for television, costing more than $120 million dollars.

Actor Donnie Wahlberg portrays Lipton in the movie.

Lipton was having back and hip surgery during the filming, so Wahlbierg called him from London two and three times a week. They talked for approximately one hour each call.

"He wanted to know my feelings and memories of each event. He is a very capable actor and very dedicated to his part," Lipton said.

Even though he was preoccupied with surgery, Lipton had a chance to meet Wahlbierg before the movie was produced. He said Ambrose, author of "Band of Brothers," invited several groups to Europe to meet the actors. Through the reenactment, Lipton and the other three original members were asked to recall many events.

"We didn't have the problem of recalling combat like others did, it was a matter of pride," Lipton said.

He said that he and the other members still keep in touch by calling and writing one another. Since 1947, they have had a reunion every year.

After the war was over, Lipton came back to Huntington where he was born and raised as a child. He has three sons from his first wife. His oldest was named after he and his father. His other two sons, Tom and Michael, are both involved in health care.

Lipton's father, who was a contractor, died when Lipton was only 10. As a child, he was always interested in science. He would later use this to his advantage.

After receiving his degree in engineering, Lipton started work for Owens Illinois Inc. in 1948.

He steadily advanced in the company, becoming Chief Operator four years later. In 1966, Lipton and his wife Marie, moved to Bridgeton, N.J. where he became an Administrative Manager. He and his wife then moved to London in 1971. He worked as director of manufacturing for eight glass factories in England and Scotland for several years.

In 1982, he moved back to Toledo, Ohio where he retired a year later as Director of International Development. Now that he is retired, Lipton said he likes to "read a bit," travel and at sometime, would like to get back into golfing.