Amos J. Taylor

Biography

Amos J. “Buck” Taylor (September 28, 1920 – August 24, 2011) was an American Army non-commissioned officer and World War II veteran. He served as a Technical Sergeant with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and was one of the original members of the company trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Taylor enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 1942 and volunteered for the airborne forces. He joined Easy Company during its training at Camp Toccoa and later trained at Camp Mackall and Fort Benning before deploying to England in preparation for the Allied invasion of Europe. Taylor eventually became a platoon sergeant in Easy Company's 3rd Platoon. Taylor parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and fought with Easy Company during the Battle of Normandy. He was wounded near Carentan by a grenade but later recovered and returned to the company. He subsequently participated in Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands and the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. During the fighting at Foy, he was wounded in the leg and spent approximately eleven months in hospitals receiving treatment and rehabilitation, ending his combat service. After the war, Taylor worked for the Veterans Administration before joining the Central Intelligence Agency, where he worked for approximately 25 years. He remained closely involved with the veterans of Easy Company and participated in reunions and projects supporting American troops overseas. Taylor also contributed to the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers and was one of the Easy Company veterans who contributed to the photographic history Easy Company: 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment – In Photographs. Taylor's wartime experiences were featured in Stephen E. Ambrose's 1992 book Band of Brothers and the 2001 HBO miniseries based on it. He also appeared as himself in the companion documentary We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company. Taylor died on August 24, 2011, at the age of 90. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.