Band of Brothers Hero Dick Winters Dies at 92

From Hugh Collins at AOL News:

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He was called "Wild Bill" by his fellow soldiers, and his heroic deeds as an Army major in World War II were chronicled in the TV miniseries "Band of Brothers." But Dick Winters asked that news of his death not be released until after his funeral.

Winters died Jan. 2 in central Pennsylvania at age 92. For almost 40 years after the war, he lived a quiet life, working in the agriculture feed business in Pennsylvania and raising two children.

It wasn't until historian Stephen Ambrose chronicled the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, E Company, better known as the Easy Company, that Winters gained any kind of fame.

But Winters' heroism in uniform left a strong impression on those who remember him.

Edward Heffron, 87, a former member of Winters' unit, said thinking about the man brought tears to his eyes, according to The Associated Press.

"He was one hell of a guy, one of the greatest soldiers I was ever under," said Heffron, who had the nickname "Babe" in the company. "He was a wonderful officer, a wonderful leader. He had what you needed: guts and brains."

Easy Company jumped into combat on D-Day, June 6, 1944, near Normandy, France, as part of the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.

The group later fought in the Battle of the Bulge and occupied Hitler's mountainside retreat Eagle's Nest, near Berchtesgaden, The Washington Post reported.

The harrowing experience of combat forged deep bonds between Winters and his men, according to Bill Guarnere, 88.

"He took care of his men and his men took care of him," Guarnere said, according to The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa. "That's why they called us the 'Band of Brothers.'"

Winters was born Jan. 21, 1918, to Richard and Edith Winters. He attended Lancaster Boys High School and Franklin & Marshall College before joining the military.

Even after the publication of Ambrose's book in 1992, Winters remained skeptical of his place in history.

"When the book came out, he sent it to me at the paper with a note, saying, 'I don't know if this is worth writing about,'" said William Jackson, a friend and former newspaper editor.

Greater fame awaited Winters. The TV miniseries, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, was a huge hit.

Winters continued to shun the spotlight. Still, he approved that the TV series depicted the combat as it was, without glorifying or criticizing it.

In war, "Your reward for a good job done is that you get the next tough mission," Winters wrote, according to The Patriot-News.

His family plans to hold a public memorial service by the middle of March, Agence France-Presse reported.

Rep. Frank Dermody, Democratic leader in Pennsylvania's House of Representatives, called Winters a "real-life American hero."

"In everything he did, he served honorably," Dermody said, according to The Patriot-News.

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Our condolences to the family of this warrior leader....

Charles M. Grist
http://www.mylastwar.com/

"Shifty" Powers of Band of Brothers Fame Dies at 86

Darrell "Shifty" Powers, one of the legendary soldiers from World War II's famous "Easy Company" of the "Band of Brothers", recently died at the age of 86. The following is from the Roanoke Times:

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Veteran a part of 'Band of Brothers'

Darrell "Shifty" Powers, who died at age 86, was a hero on the battlefield and to his family.

By Neil Harvey

In a 2001 interview with The Roanoke Times, Darrell "Shifty" Powers talked about some of his experiences during World War II.

Powers, a United States Army paratrooper and sharpshooter, belonged to Easy Company, part of the legendary 101st Airborne Division. He recalled a bitterly cold day in the Ardennes when he was able to draw down on a German sniper, sighting his target by the misty cloud of the man's breath. He killed him with one shot.

"Right there," he said, touching his forehead. "Between the eyes."

But Powers, of Dickenson County, who died Wednesday of natural causes at age 86, was also reflective about such matters.

In the second-to-last episode of "Band of Brothers," an HBO miniseries that documented Easy Company's wartime exploits, Powers spoke on camera about the soldiers he fought and also hinted at the intrinsic tragedy of combat.

"We might have had a lot in common. He might've liked to fish, you know, he might've liked to hunt," Powers said. "Of course, they were doing what they were supposed to do, and I was doing what I was supposed to do.

"But under different circumstances, we might have been good friends."

Powers, who got the nickname "Shifty" playing basketball as a youngster, served three years in the Army during World War II and later worked as a machinist for Clinchfield Coal Corp. He found renewed notoriety when his military experiences were depicted on film and in the Stephen Ambrose book of the same name.

"He actually hadn't talked about it, his war years, until the book came out," said his daughter-in-law, Sandy Powers. "He gets fan mail from all over the world, and calls."

"For me and my kids, it's just amazing that our regular, sweet uncle was such a hero," said his niece, Cheryl Gilliland of Roanoke. "It sure changed his life in later years. He went places and met people he never would have otherwise."

Darrell Powers met a German soldier in 2005 who had fought against him at the notoriously brutal siege of Bastogne during the winter of 1944.

According to his son, Wayne, he had in September been scheduled to travel to Iraq to meet with U.S. soldiers, but health problems prevented it.

"He was so disappointed. He wanted to meet with the soldiers so badly," Sandy Powers said.

One of his closest friends, Earl McClung, of Colorado, in 2001 called Darrell Powers "a heck of a good soldier and a heck of a good shot."

"And he was there every time I looked up," he added.

"Our family had four boys and one girl, and I'm the only one left," said Powers' sister, Gaynell Sykes of Roanoke, on Wednesday. "He was a great brother. I know he was great at a lot of other things, too -- great father, great son, great husband."

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Our condolences to the family of this great American soldier.

Charles M. Grist
www.TheCobraTeam.com
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com