R.I.P. Dick Winters, Band of Brothers

Winters wrote a sequel of sorts, to "Band of Brothers." It was his personal memoirs, called "Beyond Band of Brothers." Covered a lot of the same ground as the first book, obviously -- plus a lot of it was based off leftover interviews with Ambrose -- but it's still worth reading. It's like a deleted scenes disc for BoB.

 

It is interesting that in one story online, Guarnere says that he would fight to hell and back if Winters were leading the platoon.

Seems to me that when you consider dropping into France on D-Day and by fighting at Bastogne that they already did go to hell and back.

RIP Major Winters. You are a hero in my book.

 

Winter's book was awesome. He spent a bunch of it deflecting the glory, which was nice. I've read Guarnere and Heffron's book, too, which was good.

Compton's was less so, and disappointing. His should have been the most interesting, considering the career he had afterward, but it wasn't. And he got all Republican-preachy at the end, which was a turn-off. Understandable, considering he was such a GOP player in California politics later in life, but still... out of place, it seemed. He also wasn't a great fan of the mini-series.

 

This one hurt. I can't put my finger on it, but of all the obits here and elsewhere, this one hit me as hard as any "celebrity" death since Molly Ivins.

Ambrose first wrote a book called "Citizen Soldiers," in which he profiled the lives of many "everyday" soldiers who answered the call to fight in WW II. That's where I first heard of Dick Winters and where I'm sure Ambrose got the idea for "Band of Brothers."

There was a biography of Winters I bought Mrs. Birdscribe called "The Biggest Brother." It pointed out everything in his personality, including his bewilderment at the attention he received in the wake of "Band." One of the most interesting elements the writer brought up was all the interview requests Winters received after the mini-series came out.

The first question Winters asked the would-be interviewer was "Did you read the book?" Not "Did you watch the mini-series." If the answer to his question was in the negative, the call and interview was over. As Winters saw it, he was an old man with not much time left and didn't have much to waste on people who he felt were wasting his time.

If you HAD read the book, he was as gracious and accommodating as a late eightsomething could be.

That said, RIP to Major Dick Winters, DSC, ShouldhavereceivedtheMedalofHonor. You not only served in a company of heroes, but you defined and embodied the meaning of the word.

 

Maj. Dick Winters epitomized everything we want our country and military to be. We have lost a great man and a great American -- although he did everything in his power to be humble, unassuming and anonymous.

Saw an old quote from Sgt. Floyd Talbert, who passed away some time ago, writing that he would follow Dick Winters into hell.

I think I would, too. Thanks to the HBO series, we all feel like we got to know the men of Easy Company, and got to appreciate what they endured. That's why we're so affected by the passing of each and every one of them.

Rest in peace, Major.

 

One of the most remarable aspects of WWII was the fact that America had to build an army of civilians to defeat professional armies from Germany and Japan. Men like Winters were called to duty, did their duty and helped change our world.

(I would salute here but the Big Ten refs would throw a flag.)

 

Found this site last week. Thought it was really interesting. Shadow boxes for each of the men who served in Easy Company, 506 P.I.R. 101st Airborne Division.

http://www.frankdeangelis.com/Easy%20Co.%20506%20PIR%20101st%20Airborne.htm

 

Dick Winters was 92 years old when he passed and was left widely acknowledged as the hero he had been, having done more than his fair share to save the free world.
That is not sad.
That is a glorious story.

 

He is probably hanging with the men of Easy Company right now and it wouldn't surprise me if they were planning a raid into hell to find and capture Hitler.

 

Absolutely perfect ending to an outstanding miniseries.

 

RIP.

The 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment is part of what is now 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.

Living members of Easy Company greet 4th BCT upon its return from every deployment. I haven't seen it yet, but 4th BCT will return a few months after us, and I'm damn sure going to make it this time.

 

At the base where I grew up, the Vietnam vets in the community greet every flight, rain or shine, night or day, boiling hot or freezing cold, as they march across the field to make sure those guys get the welcome they never got.