Lynn Compton Lynn Davis " Buck " Compton ( December 31 , 1921 – February 25 , 2012 ) was a California Court of Appeals judge who served as the lead prosecutor in Sirhan Sirhan ' s trial for the assassination of Robert F . Kennedy . From 1946 - 1951 , he served with the Los Angeles Police Department . During World War II , he was a commissioned officer with Easy Company , 2nd Battalion , 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment , in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army . Buck was portrayed in the HBO miniseries " Band of Brothers " by Neal McDonough . Youth . Compton was a star athlete at the University of California , Los Angeles ( UCLA ) , being named an all - conference catcher and All - America n selection in 1942 . Among his baseball teammates was Jackie Robinson . He majored in physical education , with a minor in education . He joined the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity in 1940 . He also played with the UCLA football team in the 1943 Rose Bowl game on January 1 , 1943 ; in which the Georgia Bulldogs beat the UCLA Bruins by a score of 9 - 0 . Military service . At UCLA , Compton participated in ROTC under Cadet Commander John Singlaub . In December 1943 , he joined the Army and was assigned to Company E of the 2nd Battalion , 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division prior to Operation Overlord . During the company ' s action at Brécourt Manor , Compton and others , under the leadership of Lieutenant Richard Winters , assaulted a German battery of four 105 mm howitzers firing on Utah Beach , disabling the guns and routing the enemy . Compton was awarded the Silver Star for his action in disabling the guns . Episode two ( " Day of Days " ) of the HBO miniseries " Band of Brothers " depicts this assault . Later in 1944 , Compton was shot in the posterior 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 . After a partial recovery , he returned to Easy Company in time for the month - long siege in the frozen Ardennes that became known as the Battle of the Bulge . In January 1945 , Compton left Easy Company for another assignment . According to " Band of Brothers " , though ostensibly evacuated for severe trench foot , his transfer was due in part to combat fatigue , culminating when Compton witnessed two of his closest friends , Joseph Toye and William Guarnere , being badly maimed by artillery fire resulting in each losing a leg . Later years . In 1946 he turned down an offer to play minor league baseball , choosing instead to concentrate on a career in law . Compton married Donna Newman in October 1947 and the couple adopted two children . He attended Loyola Law School in Los Angeles , joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1946 and became a detective in the Central Burglary Division . He left the LAPD for the District Attorney ' s office in 1951 as a deputy district attorney , and was promoted in 1964 to chief deputy district attorney . During his time with the District Attorney ' s office , he successfully prosecuted Sirhan Sirhan for the murder of Robert F . Kennedy . In 1970 , Governor Ronald Reagan appointed him an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal . He retired from the bench in 1990 and resided in the state of Washington until his death . Compton ' s memoirs , entitled " Call of Duty : My Life before , during and after the Band of Brothers " and written with Marcus Brotherton , were published by Berkeley Publishing on May 6 , 2008 . A celebration of Compton ' s 90th birthday was held in January 2012 with nearly 200 in attendance including " Band of Brothers " actors Michael Cudlitz , James Madio , Neal McDonough , and Richard Speight Jr . McDonough developed a friendship with Compton while making the miniseries and kept in touch afterwards . McDonough ' s son Morgan is nicknamed " Little Buck " in honor of Compton . Failing health and death . In January 2012 Compton suffered a heart attack . On February 25 , 2012 he died at a daughter ' s home in Burlington , Washington . His wife Donna having died previously in 1994 , Compton was survived by two daughters and four grandchildren .