Ambrose Wrote In His Book That At The End Tab Became A Drifter And A Drinker, And Even Described Him

Ambrose wrote in his book that at the end Tab became a drifter and a drinker, and even described him as a “mountain man.” Tab drank after his service years as many vets did, but he was never a drifter. I confronted Ambrose about this, and my brother, Max, also discussed it with him. He told us both that he was going on assumptions and perceptions from some of the other men in Easy Company and said he would change that language in his next printing. He died and it was never changed. Tab’s daughter was deeply hurt when she read the book. We told her that we had talked to Ambrose and that he had acknowledged that he was merely going on the assumptions made by people he interviewed and was planning to change it. That seemed to satisfy her at the time. Most of Tab’s moves were due to changed employment. He settled in Redding, California, and lived there for approximately ten years prior to his death in 1982. In 1981 he was contacted and attended the Easy Company reunion that year. Because he showed up in his somewhat used hunting suit (knowing Tab, it could have been a joke), someone tagged him with the mountain man title. If he was in dire straits and needed help or clothing, my brother Max or I would have been happy to accommodate him (which we both did from time to time). He was never a drifter or a mountain man, but by his own admission, he drank. Looking back . . . whenever he and I fished, hunted or played golf, we often enjoyed some liquid refreshment afterward[...] Tab told me often that he was living life his way and was enjoying it. He was capable and had the ability to do almost anything. After his heart surgery, he lived one day at a time. The day he died, he and his wife went fishing in his camper. At one point, he told his wife he was returning to the camper. She said she wanted to fish awhile longer. When she returned to the camper, she found Tab lying on the floor where he had passed away. He died while doing what he loved to do. Linda, his daughter, told me that he “had his house in order” when he died.

~ Robert Talbert (Tab's brother)