Aubrey Stamps (10 May 1919 - 26 December 1944) was an American soldier who served in the US Army as a Second Lieutenant. He was the leader of the four soldiers from the 92nd Infantry to become isolated in Italy during World War II.
Biography[]
Stamps was born in 1919 and was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In his youth, he read many African-American-targeted newspapers that wrote of the US Army and the great black soldiers that served in it. This set him up for bitter disappointment when he was finally drafted.
World War 2 service[]

Stamps aiming his M1928A1 Thompson at the racist café owner.
Stamps enlisted in the US Army in 1942, being sent to boot camp at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. There, he befriended Hector Negron, James Huggs, Samuel Train, and Bishop Cummings. On 10 May 1943, Stamp and four other men traveled to Merryville, Louisiana near Camp Claiborne on leave. When they went to grab ice cream sundaes for Stamps' birthday, they were discriminated against by the café manager at gunpoint. This resulted in the soldiers pointing their own guns at the café manager and two of his friends in front of the manager's family, demanding their sundaes. Afterward, he was sent overseas to fight the Axis in the Italian campaign. There, he saw black soldiers being abused by white officers, while other black soldiers faked injuries to get out of combat. This made Stamps lose some faith in the 92nd Infantry.
Crazy Train[]
Stamps was part of the ill-fated assault on the Serchio River. He and Cpl. Hector Negron managed to cross, but when they tried to call for artillery support that would have secured victory, Captain Nokes - a particularly inept officer - didn't listen to them and fired on different coordinates that instead secured their defeat.
During this assault, one of the surviving soldiers, Pfc. Samuel "Sam" Train, rescued an Italian child and ran for the mountains, much to Stamps' annoyance.
He went after him with fellow survivors, Sgt. Bishop Cummings and Negron. When they catch up, Stamps and Negron suggested that they head back to camp and leave Train behind, but Bishop went after him, saying that Train owes him $1400. Stamps and Hector reluctantly follow.
Barging in on Ludovico[]
After reasoning with Train, the four soldiers - along with the boy - headed off toward the nearest village. They eventually stumbled upon the house of Ludovico Salducci and his daughter Renata, with whom he was immediately smitten with. However, his no-nonsense and aggravating attitude made her lose her interest in him for a while. Bishop was also smitten, which started Stamps' and Bishop's rivalry.
New Orders[]

Stamps, Negron and Bishop found Pfc. Train in a farmhouse.
While Train wanted to stay with the child, the others suggested that they stay for a while before they head back to base. Stamps tried to ask for a guide, and while Salducci was understandably reluctant due to the Germans surrounding the mountains, Renata offered to help. While this was happening, Hector was still fixing his radio. Eventually, Hector managed to repair it, and Nokes was on the other end trying to talk to Stamps. Stamps got on the radio and received orders to stay put and secure a German prisoner.
Stamps and Italy[]
While at the village, Stamps reflected on what just happened. There, he attended a party at the church on Christmas Day. Stamps realized that since none of the denizens were racist towards those of African descent, he felt more at home in Italy than he did in Pittsburgh.

The 4 men meeting the Italian partisans.
German Prisoner[]
The next day, three Italian partisans being led by Peppi Grotta arrived with a German prisoner that went AWOL. The boy was acting strangely, so Stamps ordered Hector to talk to him, as he was the only one who could speak Italian.
Rodolfo's Betrayal[]
Shortly after, Negron tried to give Stamps some information that the boy - revealing his name to be Angelo Tornacelli - gave him, but Stamps rebuffed him, saying that he did not have any time. Negron then tried to explain that Angelo was afraid of one of the partisans, Rodolfo Berelli. He still rebuffed him and put him on guard duty with the prisoner along with Berelli, who just got back from lookout. Stamps' ignorance to Hector's information cost the prisoner, and nearly Negron, his life.
Stamps' Fight[]
Stamps received an unpleasant surprise when he found out that the prisoner was killed. After hearing Tornacelli's story, Stamps went out into the street, enduring another unpleasant surprise in the form of Bishop and Renata, who had a date with Bishop behind Stamps's back. When she saw him, she immediately regretted it, but this did not stop Stamps from lunging at Bishop when she left. They fought, trading blows, beating each other for some time before Negron defused the situation, stating that Nokes was in the village.
Nokes's Arrival[]
The exchange from Stamps to Nokes that followed was about as heated as the fight, though no blows were thrown, nor insults said from Stamps. Nokes was furious towards Stamps, swearing at him. Stamps watched the exchange between Train and Nokes, and stopped Train from doing anything to Nokes when the latter angered the former for making Tornacelli cry.
Stamps found himself partially wanting to go with Nokes just to see his face when he finds a dead prisoner, but he didn't. Nokes came out with the dead prisoner and Stamps tried to explain what happened, but Nokes would have none of it, then said that the four soldiers were going to be court-martialed. Nokes then ordered Lt. Birdsong to grab Angelo, but Train stopped him, choking him high in the air until he dropped him, still alive, but breathing badly.
Nokes then left in the jeep convoy, but he was shortly killed after by German artillery along with the other jeep occupants. Stamps, Bishop, and Hector then tried to fight off the Germans. Train was trying to evacuate Angelo, but then he was shot and killed, and Stamps would soon follow.

Aubrey Stamps' corpse
Death[]
Stamps was killed while he was engaging a machine gun emplacement, the bullets cutting him in half while Stamps shot down the operators. Stamps accidentally activated a grenade, promptly being blown backwards into a tree with his face beyond recognition.
Legacy[]
Stamp was awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart and the Bronze Star posthumously for his actions at the village. He was also promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, remembered fondly by his cousins and parents.