Smokey’s fate after WWII explained.
Summary SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Band of Brothers explains what happens to several members of Easy Company after World War II, yet one soldier's fate - Walter "Smokey" Gordon - is left unspoken.
Throughout Band of Brothers, the show highlights the horrors of war through the 101st Airborne Division aka Easy Company. While based on reality, the show still holds up to this day as an exceedingly cinematic, dramatic entry into stories about World War II and the Allied invasion of Europe. Over the course of Band of Brothers' 10 episodes, the fates of many different members of Easy Company are divulged. Be it soldiers who tragically died in battle to those who were sent home or suffered from injury, several Band of Brothers characters come and go over the course of the story. While the ending of Band of Brothers details what happened after the war to many surviving members of Easy, one character named Walter "Smokey" Gordon is nowhere to be seen. Walter "Smokey" Gordon Was Hospitalized For 6 Months After Being Shot In WW2 This is because Smokey was hospitalized five months before the war ended, meaning he was not present with Easy Company at the end of the war. Walter "Smokey" Gordon - played by Ben Caplan in Band of Brothers' ensemble cast - was a machine gunner for Easy Company and was shown during combat primarily during Band of Brothers' sixth episode, "Bastogne." At one point, Smokey is shown brewing some coffee in a foxhole to help combat the effects of the cold weather plaguing Easy Company's time during the Battle of the Bulge. As Smokey is doing this, a German attack begins, and he turns to man his machine gun. As depicted in Band of Brothers, Smokey turns to reach for his coffee and gets shot in the right shoulder. The bullet traveled through Smokey's body and exited his left shoulder, which left him without the feeling of his legs. Smokey then underwent treatment in a hospital where he was told he would be temporarily paralyzed. Was Smokey Gordon Paralyzed? While Smokey Gordon was told he would be temporarily paralyzed - at best - by his wound, the question remains over whether his paralysis remained for the rest of his life. Interestingly, the U.S. Army wished not to discharge Gordon due to the possibility that they may have to pay him full disability if his paralysis was not reverted. Eventually, Gordon was discharged with a 90% disability after an intervention from his father. As it turns out, Smokey Gordon eventually regained all bodily movements. Despite this, Smokey suffered from back pain from then on though in light of what could have happened due to his injury, this was a small price to pay. How Smokey Gordon Helped Keep Easy Company Together After WW2 Despite these details about Smokey Gordon not being mentioned in Band of Brothers, his legacy can be felt at the end of episode 10. The narration by Damien Lewis' Dick Winters in Band of Brothers' final episode, "Points," gives details on what every surviving member of Easy Company did with their lives after leaving Europe, including jobs they acquired, families they built, and when they eventually passed away. Another thing that Winters mentions is that Easy Company regularly stayed in touch by attending reunions after World War II was over. What Band of Brothers does not mention though, is that Smokey Gordon was one of the soldiers behind organizing these reunions. While it is not detailed by Winters who specifically was responsible for the reunions, it has become common knowledge that Smokey was a large reason why they went ahead. These reunions began in 1946, with Gordon helping to keep the men of Easy Company together long after the fighting in Europe had ceased and keeping their strong bond going well after their shared traumatic experiences. Smokey Gordon's Later Life & Death Explained Besides the reunions of Easy Company after the war that Smokey helped organize, Walter Gordon lived a long and happy life after being pulled out of Europe. After regaining control of his bodily functions and recovering from his wound, Gordon moved to Lafayette, Louisiana. There, Smokey began a career as an independent oil and gas lease broker. Six years after the war ended in 1951, Gordon married a woman named Elizabeth Ball Ludeau. With his wife, Gordon sired four daughters and one son building a happy family life in Louisiana. Walter "Smokey" Gordon passed away in 1997 at the age of 77 after suffering a stroke in his sleep. Gordon is survived by his five children and five grandchildren. Despite not being mentioned at length at the end of Band of Brothers, Smokey Gordon lived a long, happy life after the culmination of World War II. While his injury at Bastogne saw him sidelined from front-line action until the war's end, Smokey was no less of an integral figure in Easy Company. As Band of Brothers regularly highlights, every soldier in Easy Company and the countless others who fought in World War II were heroes, some of whom - like Smokey - were lucky enough to survive their ordeals and live long lives.
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