Jurist, War Hero, Prosecutor ‘Buck’ Compton Dead at 90

Jurist, War Hero, Prosecutor ‘Buck’ Compton Dead at 90

By a MetNews Staff Writer

Retired Court of Appeal Justice Lynn “Buck” Compton of this district’s Div. Two has died at age 90.

Compton passed away Saturday evening at his home in Burlington, Wash. Both a small, private memorial service and a larger public one will be held at a later date, writer Marcus Brotherton wrote on his website.

A veteran of the Normandy invasion and the Battle of the Bulge, Compton was a first lieutenant in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division—made famous in the Stephen Ambrose book and HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers.” Brotherton helped Compton write “Call of Duty: My Life Before, During, and After the Band of Brothers,” published four years ago.

Brotherton wrote on his site:
“I was so greatly honored to have met this man, to speak with him on many occasions, to have participated in the writing of his book, and to travel with him to several shows and signings around the country.

“I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Compton, who took his nickname during elementary school—he once explained that he liked it because it rhymed with “Truck,” as in Truck Hannah, a baseball player with the Los Angeles Angels whom Compton admired—was a Los Angeles native. He took prelaw courses at UCLA, where he played football and baseball—he was a teammate of Jackie Robinson on the 1943 Rose Bowl team—and graduated in 1943 before joining the service.

In one battle depicted in the “Band of Brothers” television series, the assault on Brécourt Manor, Compton and others assaulted a German battery firing on Utah Beach, disabling the guns and forcing the Germans to flee. Compton was awarded the Silver Star, one of several decorations he earned during the war, including the Purple Heart and the French Croix de guerre with palm.
In 1944, Compton was shot while participating in Operation Market Garden, the Allies’ ill-fated attempt to seize a number of bridges in Holland and cross the Rhine River into Germany. He recovered sufficiently to rejoin Easy Company in time for the Battle of the Bulge.

Discharged from active service in 1946—he served in the Army and later Air Force reserves prior to retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1970—he turned down a chance to play minor league baseball and joined the Los Angeles Police Department. He attended Loyola Law School while working as an LAPD detective and was admitted to the State Bar in 1949.

He remained with the LAPD until 1951, when he accepted an offer to become a deputy district attorney. Serving under four district attorneys, he became chief deputy under Evelle Younger in 1966 and headed the three-man prosecution team that won the conviction of Sirhan Sirhan for the 1968 murder of Robert Kennedy.
read more here