HBO miniseries Band of Brothers Actor Michael Cudlitz Inspired By Man Who Registered In Kalamazoo

Band of Brothers was a stirring series on HBO created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks in 2001 that re-discovered the history of "Easy" Company, the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division. The story starts in the beginning phases of the company and mixes commentary and video footage of the actual soldiers who were in "Easy" Company and their thoughts and takes you to the end of World War II. The show won multiple Primetime Emmy's and a Golden Globe as well. But one of the real soldiers in the show has a unique local tie.

It turns out Denver "Bull" Randleman enlisted with the US Army on August 19, 1942 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A source Who wrote the book on the Band of Brothers, Stephen E. Ambrose, shared his story:

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As a member of Easy Company, he made his first combat jump on D-Day and fought in several major battles in the European Theater, including Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. Randleman also participated in the occupation of Germany and Austria. He was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Presidential Unit Citation. Bull was Honorably Discharged from the Army on September 21, 1945.

Denver "Bull" Randleman was played by the actor Michael Cudlitz in Band of Brothers, who's more recently remembered for his roll as Sergeant Abraham Ford in The Walking Dead. The real Bull Randleman was actually able to enjoy the premier of the Band of Brothers along side Cudlitz when it was released, before his passing in 2003.