World War II United States Army Soldier. He served as a staff sergeant with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division, and the stories of he and his comrades were featured in the 2001 HBO television mini-series "Band of Brothers," based on the book by Stephen Ambrose. Born in Rector, Arkansas, he dropped out of high school in his junior year in the 1930s during the Great Depression and left home looking for work, and ended up in a foundry in Michigan. After the US entry into World War II in December 1941, he enlisted in the US Army Airborne in August 1942 at Kalamazoo, Michigan and started training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. He earned the nickname "Bull" due to his large stature. After completion of his basic training, he became a paratrooper at Fort Benning, and was promoted to the rank of corporal, and made commander of 3rd Squad. As a member of Easy Company, he made his first combat jump on D-Day (June 6, 1944) in Normandy, France and fought in several major battles in the European Theater, including Operation Market-Garden (September 1944) in the Netherlands and the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne, Belgium (December 1944). After Normandy, he returned back to England with the 101st, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant. During the failed Operation Market-Garden he became separated from his unit, and was injured in the shoulder during a tank explosion. Unable to return to his lines, he spent most of the following night hiding in a nearby barn. His fellow soldiers thought he had been killed in action, but during a search on the following day, he was found. He later participated in the occupation of Germany and Austria. For his military service, he received the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. After the war, Randleman attended a trade school and eventually became service manager for J.A. Riggs Tractor Company, a Caterpillar equipment dealer. He then became a successful businessman and was superintendent of a construction contractor in Louisiana. He was portrayed in the HBO "Band of Brothers" mini-series by actor Michael Cudlitz. He died of a staph infection in Texarkana, Arkansas at the age of 82.
World War II United States Army Soldier. He served as a staff sergeant with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division, and the stories of he and his comrades were featured in the 2001 HBO television mini-series "Band of Brothers," based on the book by Stephen Ambrose. Born in Rector, Arkansas, he dropped out of high school in his junior year in the 1930s during the Great Depression and left home looking for work, and ended up in a foundry in Michigan. After the US entry into World War II in December 1941, he enlisted in the US Army Airborne in August 1942 at Kalamazoo, Michigan and started training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. He earned the nickname "Bull" due to his large stature. After completion of his basic training, he became a paratrooper at Fort Benning, and was promoted to the rank of corporal, and made commander of 3rd Squad. As a member of Easy Company, he made his first combat jump on D-Day (June 6, 1944) in Normandy, France and fought in several major battles in the European Theater, including Operation Market-Garden (September 1944) in the Netherlands and the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne, Belgium (December 1944). After Normandy, he returned back to England with the 101st, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant. During the failed Operation Market-Garden he became separated from his unit, and was injured in the shoulder during a tank explosion. Unable to return to his lines, he spent most of the following night hiding in a nearby barn. His fellow soldiers thought he had been killed in action, but during a search on the following day, he was found. He later participated in the occupation of Germany and Austria. For his military service, he received the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. After the war, Randleman attended a trade school and eventually became service manager for J.A. Riggs Tractor Company, a Caterpillar equipment dealer. He then became a successful businessman and was superintendent of a construction contractor in Louisiana. He was portrayed in the HBO "Band of Brothers" mini-series by actor Michael Cudlitz. He died of a staph infection in Texarkana, Arkansas at the age of 82.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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