Staff Sergeant Earl 'One Lung' McClung (April 27, 1923 – November 27, 2013) was a non-commissioned officer in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment with the 101st Airborne Division, United States Army during the Second World War. The Company was made famous by the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, in which McClung was portrayed by Rocky Marshall. McClung's life story was also featured in the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from Band of Brothers.
The nickname "One Lung" was bestowed upon him in Normandy by fellow E Company soldier Paul Rogers. McClung was sleeping when a lieutenant arrived and asked Rogers who their machine gunner was; Rogers pointed at McClung (who to that point was actually NOT a machine gunner), so the lieutenant left the gun beside the sleeping trooper. Upon waking, McClung was not happy to learn that he had been made the gunner; Rogers made up a rhyming poem about the incident that included the line, "who hung the gun on One Lung McClung?".
2
Was the first American to enter the Third Reich stronghold of Berchtesgaden upon its capture by Easy Company of the 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division in 1945.
3
Pueblo West, CO, USA: living in retirement with wife Jean; he also still makes public appearances as a member of E Company. [June 2011]
4
Native American; he was born and raised on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington state.
5
American WWII paratrooper; veteran of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.
$800,000