Dick Winters dies; WWII hero commanded 'Band of Brothers'
Dick Winters, a decorated Army officer whose World War II service was recounted in the best-selling book and HBO mini-series "Band of Brothers," died Jan. 2. News reports listed his age at 92. Based on the 1992 book by historian Stephen E. Ambrose, the HBO mini-series came out in 2001 and was produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
The story follows the tragedies and triumphs of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, E Company. To Mr. Winters, these citizen-soldiers came to be known as the men of Easy Company -- paratroopers who jumped into combat on June 6, 1944 above Normandy, France.
The line in the title of this post was penned to Major Winters by one of the soldiers of Easy Company, and in my mind is the highest praise any commanding officer could ever be given. By all accounts Major Winters was a good man, a fine soldier, and an outstanding officer; we are all a little poorer for having lost him. Of course, such is the magic of men like these that he'd scoff at these words, claiming that he didn't do anything special other than his job - he did what he had to do to get the job done, nothing more.
As one of the commenters in the story above said so eloquently, if Major Winters is not a hero, then there are no heroes in this world.
Requiescat in pace, Major Winters.
That is all.
5 comments:
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I am deeply saddened for the loss of such a hero.
I am in the process of watching Band of Brothers for the very first time. I'm about half-way through it, and if the story is even half-close to the real man, we have truly lost a hero among heroes.
tweaker
Thank you for that post. He was a man among men.
If you get a chance, after reading and watching all of Band of Brothers, read Maj. Winter's book 'Beyond Easy Company'. He wrote that as a follow-up to his work with Ambrose.
Men like him and my father always make me wonder how the Christ we could ever measure up, and always always try to do so. That's leadership by example for you; the real deal.
Rest in Peace, sir.
Oops, sorry; it's 'Beyond Band of Brothers'. I fyou can't find it, let me know and I'll loan you my copy.
There is a young lady trying to erect a memorial to him in France.
http//easycompany.legacyconnect.com
I chucked a 'coupla bones in there, hope it helps.
RIP Maj. Winters.
We're losing that generation at a frightening rate. We need to remember the stories - and the lessons.
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