Greg "Mac" Hassay (22 October 1908-8 November 1996) was a US Army first sergeant who served in the US 101st Airborne Division during World War II.
Biography[]
Greg Hassay was born in 1908, and he became a professional US Army soldier in the 1930s, serving all over the world before volunteering in the airborne in 1942. Hassay enlisted in the army in 1930 and rose to the rank of Sergeant in 1939, and he served with the US 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment of the US 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Hassay was nicknamed "Mac" due to his Scottish ancestry, and he was known by this name to all of his soldiers, who immensely respected him. On 6 June 1944, he became acting commander of 3rd Platoon after the platoon's commander was killed during the Mission Albany jumps into Normandy. By September 1944, he had been promoted from Staff Sergeant to First Sergeant, serving as Fox Company's senior NCO during Operation Market Garden. He served in a staff role for the rest of the war, rarely taking part in combat. He died in 1996 at the age of 88. Hassay is survived by his Wife and 3 sons.