William Wingett

William T. “Bill” Wingett (July 3, 1922 – October 1, 2020) was an American Army soldier and World War II veteran. He was one of the original members of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and trained with the company at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, before being transferred to Headquarters Company shortly before D-Day.

Born in Spokane, Washington, Wingett enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 1942 after recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident. He volunteered for the airborne forces and was assigned to Easy Company, training with the unit at Camp Toccoa and later at Fort Benning before deploying to England.

Five days before the D-Day invasion, Wingett was transferred from Easy Company to the 2nd Battalion Headquarters Company for reasons he never learned. He nevertheless parachuted into Normandy on June 6, 1944, with Headquarters Company. His landing near Utah Beach was particularly hazardous, as he came down in deep water and had to free himself from his equipment. He subsequently participated in the Normandy campaign, Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, and the Battle of the Bulge. He was wounded during his wartime service and received three Purple Hearts.

After the war, Wingett returned to the United States and later rejoined the 82nd Airborne Division, serving for approximately three years as a maintenance man at Fort Bragg Airfield. He remained closely connected with his former Easy Company comrades and became a regular participant in reunions and commemorative events. He also contributed his recollections to Easy Company 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment – In Photographs, a history of the company created with the participation of its surviving veterans.

Wingett died on October 1, 2020, in Salem, Oregon, at the age of 98.