Leader of the Band of Brothers. From Parkinsons disease on the 2nd of January aged 92
I am glad that he took the time to share his story. We lose on average one thousand World War II veterans every day. So many eyewitnesses to history and yet we will never know what they saw and did. I hope others follow Maj. Winters example and record their stories before it is too late.
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If each of us could be half the man he was, think of the world we would create.
May his families hearts be comforted. The world has lost a great man.
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I am glad that he took the time to share his story. We lose on average one thousand World War II veterans every day. So many eyewitnesses to history and yet we will never know what they saw and did. I hope others follow Maj. Winters example and record their stories before it is too late.
OTOH, some don't want to talk about their experiences. One of my wife's uncles was an island-hopper in WWII, and the only things he'd talk about were boot camp and cooking steak for his CO.
I am glad that he took the time to share his story. We lose on average one thousand World War II veterans every day. So many eyewitnesses to history and yet we will never know what they saw and did. I hope others follow Maj. Winters example and record their stories before it is too late.OTOH, some don't want to talk about their experiences. One of my wife's uncles was an island-hopper in WWII, and the only things he'd talk about were boot camp and cooking steak for his CO.
It's not an easy thing to talk about for a lot of folks.
My dad rarely did. He was in the Pacific too.
Something about being in your early 20s and being trained for a mission with 10% survival expectation, and still being ready to go. Luckily that mission was scrubbed. And he was Navy, not a Marine.
Yep, those vets carry more than memories with them. They carry a mindset.
RIP
I am glad that he took the time to share his story. We lose on average one thousand World War II veterans every day. So many eyewitnesses to history and yet we will never know what they saw and did. I hope others follow Maj. Winters example and record their stories before it is too late.
Indeed. Those who forget who they were know not who they are.
I just bought Band of Brothers after reading Major Winters had passed away.
Seemed a good way to honour him is to watch his story.
I am glad that he took the time to share his story. We lose on average one thousand World War II veterans every day. So many eyewitnesses to history and yet we will never know what they saw and did. I hope others follow Maj. Winters example and record their stories before it is too late.OTOH, some don't want to talk about their experiences. One of my wife's uncles was an island-hopper in WWII, and the only things he'd talk about were boot camp and cooking steak for his CO.Three of my uncles served and saw combat. None of them ever talked about that, though. The most I ever heard one say was that, during a battle, they would be ordered to fire in one direction and then frequently told to change the direction of fire after some time. He said that often they would not know who won until days after they fighting stopped.
Another uncle was awarded some medals, I think a Bronze Star among them. He never said anything about them and we only learned about them after he had died.
My grandfather had a pile of stories when I was little. Like the kamikaze that took out the gun tower next to his or the beefy officers who fell apart during combat leaving the enlisted men following this scrawny little 2nd class seaman who kept his head. Or when he disobeyed orders to man an observation tower at Midway after the evacuation was sounded. And the hilarity of planes taking off on aircraft carriers. All very family-friendly stories where the people die cleanly and off-screen but still awesome stories.
My Paternal grandfather never spoke to my dad about the war..He'd ended it guarding the guards at Belsen an experience that gave him a contempt for the german people that lasted to his death at the early age of 44.
My Maternal grandfather spent his entire war without getting shot at once.