![]() =http://img38.photobucket.com/...
Born in Lancaster, Pa., on January 21, 1918, Mr. Winters spent his formative years in eastern Pennsylvania where the Pennsylvania Dutch work ethic was drilled into him at an early age. After graduating from Franklin-Marshall College in June 1941 as a business major, Mr. Winters volunteered for military service. His intent was to spend the mandatory one year in the Army, then return to civilian life to pursue a private career. Following his induction in August, he spent his basic combat training at Camp Croft, S.C., where he was stationed when he received word of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. During basic training, Mr. Winters was amazed when an officer lectured for an hour about a particular type of rifle while holding the wrong rifle in his hand and became determined to attend Officer Candidate School and arrived at Fort Benning, where he graduated in July 1942 as a second lieutenant of infantry.
It was also during basic that Mr. Winters, so impressed by the paratroopers he saw, decided to volunteer for the Airborne. When the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was formed in August, Mr. Winters became one of the original members of Easy Company. Assigned command of Easy's 2nd Platoon, he soon completed his five jumps and received his airborne wings. In mid-April 1943, he had also assumed the duties of company executive officer, a position that he found brought new challenges. Still a first lieutenant, Mr. Winters remained with Easy Company when the regiment joined the 101st Airborne Division in June 1943. Three months later, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) deployed to England to prepare for the ensuing invasion of the European continent.
From September 1943 until June 1944, Mr. Winters quietly emerged as Easy Company's most dynamic and charismatic junior officer. On D-Day June 6 1944, as with other units within the 101st, it was Easy Company's mission to seize the causeways behind Utah Beach to facilitate the expansion of the beachhead. Unfortunately, the Division's drop was scattered across the Cotentin Peninsula. After landing near Ste. Mere-Eglise, and reaching Division HQ at Ste. Marie-du-Mont, Mr. Winters lead his company (which consisted of of two light machine guns, one bazooka with no ammunition, one 60 mm mortar, nine riflemen and two officers) on an assault on a four-gun battery of German 105 mm cannons near Brécourt Manor . The battery was set up in a hedgerow and defended by a 50-man German platoon. Mr. Winters' action at Brécourt Manor was a textbook infantry assault, frequently studied at the U.S. Military Academy. For Mr. Winters' heroic leadership under fire during the attack at Brécourt Manor he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He was promoted to captain on July 2nd, but not before leading his company in another attack to capture Carentan, a small town at the base of the peninsula. He would lead the company with great distinction during Operation Market-Garden in mid-September, and then remain in Holland until late November. Soon Mr. Winters was promoted to executive officer of the 2nd Battalion. His toughest fight was at Bastogne, and in March he received command of 2nd Battalion, which he led with distinction until V-E Day when his battalion was stationed at Berchtesgaden. He ended the war as a Major.
When the war was over, Mr. Winters left the Army and found solace far away from the battlefield. A highly successful businessman, he is a frequent lecturer at West Point. His message to the cadets is always the same: Hang tough and take care of your soldiers. Asked by one cadet what his toughest challenge as a commander was, Mr. Winters instantly replied, "To be able to think under fire. In peace the toughest challenge is to be fair." Mr. Winters keeps in touch with the men who played such an important role in his life. "They are my brothers," he said. They're family. I keep in touch with them as much as possible. We share our memories. We share our feelings. We share our grief and our happiness. We're brothers. You can't be closer than that."
![]() =http://img38.photobucket.com/...
Damian Lewis plays Mr. Winters in the mini-series Band of Brothers and received a Golden Globe nomination for his work. Lewis is a British actor who worked mainly on stage and the small screen in the UK before getting his big break in the Spanks mini-series. He dubbed himself "The Ginger Ninja" referring to his bright red hair and love for motorcycles. Lewis followed Band of Brothers by taking the lead role in the Granada version of The Forsyte Saga. He can currently be seen in Stephen King's Dreamcatcher. He has an upcoming role in An Unfinished Life with Robert Redford and recently finished filming on Martin Scorcese's Brides.
"In England, if you fancy people who are redhaired you must be kinky." -- Damian Lewis
![]() =http://img38.photobucket.com/...
Damian Lewis greets Mr. Richard Winters at the Normandy premiere of Band of Brothers
Photo from Tircuit.com
Sources: Major Dick Winters dot com, Tircuit.com, Damian Lewis Online
|
