Roscoe Lever

**Rank**
 **Battles**
 **Birth**
 **Status**
 **Weapon of choice**

Roscoe Lever was one of the convicts selected to take part in Operation Amnesty. His crime was never mentioned, however he was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.

The surname Lever is derived from a geographical locality. Great Lever is a township in the parish of Middleton, Lancashire Little Lever is a chapelry in the parish of Bolton, Lancashire. Lever may have been of British heritage.

Roscoe Lever was portrayed by future independent filmmaker Stuart Cooper.

## Biography

Lever, like the rest of the selected convicts, entered a felon prisoner unit under the command of Major John Reisman. He seemed to be friends with fellow prisoner Seth K. Sawyer, often hanging out with him.

Lever, along with Victor R. Franko and a handful of prisoners, dared Samson Posey to stick (stab) Reisman with a combat knife after he was continually taunted and shoved by the Major.

Later the team is named the *Dirty Dozen* because of Franko's ignorance of shaving cold water. Lever graduated from jump training school and, along with the other prisoners (not including Maggott), partook in the graduation ball with prostitutes.

He also partook in the war games where the dozen captured Colonel Breed's outpost. Lever was one of the four prisoners that were nearly killed during an artillery barrage. On one occasion he and Sawyer complained about the Ambulance being rickety. Lever called the inside of the ambulance a "sardine can".

### Mission and Death

Lever parachuted into Brittnay along with the rest of the dozen, Reisman, and Sgt. Clyde Bowren. After Pedro Jiminez broke his neck during the jump, Gilpin's duties instead got performed by Lever as replacement' while Gilpin was given "a date". Lever and Sawyer managed to set up a Browning M1919A4 together in "the pen".

However, things went out of hand after Archer J. Maggott stabbed an innocent lady and shot at Franko, alerting the Germans due to his psychopathic personality.

After Maggott was killed by Robert T. Jefferson, the mission went back on track. Lever was ordered to bring down the grenades to the vats. During his time in the vats with Reisman and three others, he was fired on and became frightened, causing him to be alert.

Lever eventually returned to the pen where he and Sawyer survived longer and held their position. They took out any further convoy of reinforcements arriving at the Château. After Franko started up the half track, Sawyer felt that Reisman and the others down there would not make it. Lever realized that there were motorboats nearby and suggested that they take one and link up with the others on the other side.

Lever and Sawyer witnessesed the destruction of the chateau and the death of Jefferson. Lever was quite distraught over Jefferson's death, but he knew that he had an obligation to get his friend and himself out of the mission alive.

Lever tried to start the motorboat but had some difficulties in doing so. It is possible that Lever had some type of knowledge with operating boats. The motorboat was eventually started and Lever and Sawyer began to steer their way through the water. However, two German soldiers came out of nowhere and attacked Lever and Sawyer. The two prisoners killed one of the Germans before Sawyer was killed. After his friend's death, Lever tried to abandon the boat but was shot in the chest and plunged into the water. It's possible that Lever may have
been alive for a couple of seconds in the water.
The motorboat was eventually blown up, killing Lever if he was not dead already.

By the end of Operation Amnesty, Lever and nine other prisoners were killed in action while Posey was missing in action. His next of kin were informed that Lever had been killed "in the line of duty".