To Maj. Winters and his brethren, and to all soldiers young and old:

Thank you for trying to make the world a better place. Hopefully someday we will make your efforts worthwhile.

What an amazing career,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Winters

Respect

Indeed. Thanks for that link.

Absolutely fascinating :rock:

In the comments to the BBC article about his death,

...and he didn't lack a sense of humor, either :D

:salute:
Salute to an honourable life. As sad is it is to see him go, he has after all lived a deservedly long and respected life after his war service - and told his story to the fullest, one that I'm sure we won't forget thanks to the exposure it got. He beat all the odds against him, and the only person who deserves credit for that is he.

However as a symbol for a generation of soldiers many of whom never lived to see victory, nor lived long enough to have their stories told and known, his passing is a sad reminder. May we never forget!

I think that a good way to sum Winters up. He was a symbol; an icon.

Yeah, well said, CCIP. When you talk to WW2 vets, to a man they say that "the real heros are buried over there..." This incredible humility is part of what makes them so very special. The world is a lesser place for their passing (including those who were killed 65 years ago).

RIP Major Winters. The world will never forget your sacrifice.

Damien Lewis did his portrayel well in band of brothers.

I don't know if you guys ever watched the behind the scenes parts of BoB, but each and every actor looked just like their counterpart. There was a big gathering for a screening or something (probably more like a reunion or soemthing), where the soldiers got to meet the actors, and most them posed with the soldiers families. To a one, they looked like they from that family, and most of them looked like the actual guys from younger photos.

I only knew Winters from his portrayal in BoB, which I trust was pretty good, but one thing that always struck me about this portrayal is how much he really wasn't the classic hero - he wasn't a "knight", a hellraiser, nor seemed to have an ounce of bravado, arrogance or killer instinct about him. He seemed like a quiet, professional, thinking and feeling man with a strong sense of duty who hated the business of war, but cared about his men. It felt like his assignment as an officer weighed heavily on him, but he took to keeping that responsibility on himself at all cost, refusing to let others take that burden for him. I think he embodied the attitude of "if I don't do this, if I don't take responsibility, if I don't fight - then who?". And that trait, along with humility, is one that I think we need to learn from men like him. They didn't fight because they wanted to, but they instinctively knew that if they didn't, someone else would pay that price. If there's one thing we should remember Winters and his fighting brothers for, I think it's that.

Well said, CCIP. Well said, indeed.

I wouldn't have heard of him if it wasn't for BoB. Netherless, I soon gathered that he is the kind of officer any soldier would want. We shall all die someday, and now it was his time.

Rest in Peace buddy.