Roderick Bain

Born

1922-05-13

Died

2014-02-05

Birthplace

Portland, Oregon, USA

Biography

Roderick G. “Rod” Bain (May 13, 1922 – February 5, 2014) was an American Army non-commissioned officer and World War II veteran. He served with the 2nd Platoon of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and was one of the original members of the company trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. Bain enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 1942 and volunteered for the airborne forces. He trained at Camp Toccoa under Captain Herbert Sobel before joining Easy Company in England in preparation for the Allied invasion of Europe. As a radio operator, he frequently accompanied patrols and reconnaissance missions despite carrying heavy communications equipment. Bain made his first combat jump into Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He subsequently participated in Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands and the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, remaining with Easy Company through the end of the war. After the war, Bain pursued a career in education. He graduated from Western Washington College of Education and became a teacher, later moving with his family to Alaska. His wartime experiences were featured in Marcus Brotherton’s 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers. He also appeared in the documentary We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company. Bain died on February 5, 2014, at the age of 91. He is remembered as one of the original Toccoa men of Easy Company and for his service throughout the European campaign of World War II.