Born:                             1921                            Ramsey, Minnesota                

Enlistment date:            30 June 1942               Fort Snelling

Deployments:                Europe

Units:                             504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division

Rank:                            Sergeant

Specialisations:             Parachutist

Qualifications:              Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachute Wings

Decorations:                  Bronze Star, EAME Campaign Medal, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal

Discharge Date:                06 Oct 1945

Other Information:        Edward Haider grew up during the depression on St. Paul’s east side and as a rough tough kid, enjoyed baseball and hoped one day to make the major leagues. But the US Army had other plans.    

Ed’s book is available from Amazon.com and you can make a purchase using this Link. https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Our-Boots-Edward-Haider/dp/155369807X

Ed enlisted aged 20 and like many you men trying to be the best, joined the airborne. On April 29th 1943 Ed shipped out from the USA headed for North Africa.  On July 9th 1943, Ed jumped into Sicily and was eventually captured by the Germans on July 13th 1943 and became a prisoner of war. He was first held in Capua, Italy before being moved to Stalag 2B. He was then moved from camp to camp before his final liberation by the Russian. His experiences are detailed in his book “Blood in our Boots’ which give an account of his time at Stalag 2B Hammerstein (99 work camps in vicinity of Koslin & Stolp) West Prussia 53-17, where he remained until his final repatriation in 1945.