Edward Tipper | 'Band of Brothers' vet, 95

Edward Tipper, 95, a World War II paratrooper who was portrayed in the HBO series

Band of Brothers

, died Feb. 1 in Lakewood, Colo., said his daughter, Kerry Tipper.

Mr. Tipper was a member of the famed Easy Company, part of the 101st Airborne Division, and parachuted into France as part of the June 6, 1944, Allied D-Day invasion. The company's exploits were retold in Band of Brothers, based on research by historian Stephen Ambrose.

Mr. Tipper was interviewed for the series and was portrayed by actor Bart Ruspoli.

A few days after the parachute drop, Mr. Tipper's eye and leg were badly injured by a mortar shell and he was hospitalized for a year. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Doctors gave him a list of things he couldn't do, but that became a checklist for things to master, his daughter said. He was an avid skier and kept that up into his 80s, she said.

After the war, Mr. Tipper attended the University of Michigan, the University of Northern Colorado, and the Colorado State College of Education and became a teacher. - AP