Warbird Information Exchange

Roger that as I would still like to shake his hand and say thank you....

Giving this one a bump again, yes you guessed it, been watching "Band Of Brothers" again.
God Bless them All!

_________________
Fly Fast Make Noise!

This is in no way meant to take anything away from Winters, nor his NCOs, nor those who served under them..but I can't help but wonder just how many others there were (in all the branches of the military) who were just like them, but we've never heard of because they haven't been the subject of a book, movie, or TV show. All are heroes in my book.

SN

This.

No disrespect to Winters or his troops, but that is the one thing that just burns me about all of the 'Band of Brothers' adulation over the last near-decade...there are literally thousands of other GIs who are worthy of the same praise, yet are never the object of it.

Personally, it seems like very misplaced emotion when people get all gaga over the soldiers featured in Band of Brothers, when their effort is better placed in the guy living quietly in the nursing home in their own town who participated in just as much and performed just as gallantly (but wasn't the subject of an Ambrose book or HBO miniseries).

_________________

Caught some of this again yesterday while waiting to start digging out. The Bastogne sequences were especially poignant !

The boys are doing fine and the Major is as sharp as ever from recent reports.

This reminds me of all the "flak" many members of the 509th CG took from the other bomb groups within the 20th AF. They showed up in on Tinian mid 1945 and got nice housing and amenities, top of the line support to. There was even a little poem written by the other bomb groups about how the "509th was winning the war". Of course this was all in somewhat good natured ribbing but it does make the point that while there are a few high profile units and people, there were hundereds of others who did just as much and quietly went home or were sent quietly home.

We all owe EVERY veteran we meet a big "thanks" (Thanks Randy! and to all of you veterans here on the board)

Tom P.

OK...BoB is my favorite series. Seen it about a dozen times. That being said and having been to many of the places Easy Co. was, every tour guide we had kinda' debunked a lot of the stuff that was in the series. In other words, Spielberg and Hanks "Hollywooded" the facts. As far as a TV series goes, it has no peer. As far as factual details go, it has many flaws.
Hollywood has produced many WWII films that laud the accomplishments of our GIs. Too many to list here. Most were good, some sucked. I don't think many WWII vets will say they've been overlooked.

Mudge the BoB fan

_________________
Land of the free because of the brave

Interesting issues with Ambrose plagiarising.

http://www.forbes.com/2002/02/27/0227ambrose.html

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Band of Brothers is by far the best depiction on film. Are there flaws? Sure. It is still the best. As for Tom Hanks, lets also remember that he led the charge to build a WWII Memorial in Washington DC and put up a good chunk of change to do so. And that by doing that, it brought ALL WWII vets into the spot light.
Remember that the miniseries is based off of the book. The book was written after Mr. Ambrose chose a unit that saw the more action than the others.
The 506h PIR, Easy Company jumped on their first combat jump in the early morning hours of D-Day. They took out a gun that was firing down on the beach, saving lives(using a technique that is still taught in the US Army), They liberated small towns from the Nazis, they Jumped into Market Garden, and then into the Battle of the Bulge, where even after companies retreated, E CO stayed to fight until the end. Then they liberated a Concentration camp, and on to Hitler's Eagles Nest. In this process they lost the most men out of the other companies as they were always placed into the fight. So yeah, I think it is fitting that E Co gets alot of glory from it. Having met Dick Winters, Bill Gaurneer, Babe Hefron, Buck Compton, and Don Malarkey, I can tell you that they do not have big heads over it. Bill Gaurneer told me and Zachary that he couldn't believe we drove from Oshkosh, to Elkhart, then to Reading, PA to stand in the heat to meet them. I told Babe Heffron what an honor it was to meet him, and he responded with, "Ah who are we. Just remember that the heros are the ons that didn't come back." To have done what they did, and have seen what they saw, and still have that attitude is amazing.
Also lets remember that with the popularity of Saving Private Ryan, and BOB came video games based on real events, and in some cases actual people. All of this still puts people on the right track of thinking which is to pay respect to their veterans. One video game even has an emblem that is show while the game is loading which states, "Honor your veterans". So yes while the BOB focused on one unit, it also had effects that reached out to all veterans.
Just putting on a uniform doesn't make you a hero, it's what you do once that uniform is on that matters.

_________________
Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Bill Guarnere says it best. "It took a lot of people to get me into action and keep me there and I couldn't have done it without them"
Babe, when thanked for his service talks about his 3 brothers who served and says "nobody ever thanked them so why are you thanking me?"
Dr Ambrose was the beneficiary of decades of writing between members of Easy Co and the meticulous records, correspondence and other things that were kept by Bill Guarnere and Major Winters.

They all ask one thing of any of you . Find a local guy and do something for him or just say thanks to those who celebrity did not shine on.

Very well said.

_________________
Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

n/t

_________________
Shop the Airplane Bunker At
www.warbirdbunker.com

I don't think it is misplaced emotion. People get emotional about this group because of what they symbolize. They represent all of those soldiers who don't have epic movies made about them. They represent the little old guy down the street who sacrificed part of his youth for the greater good and even more importantly they kid who will be forever young because he paid the ultimate sacrifice. Everyone needs a hero and I'd rather Wild Bill Guarnere be some kid's hero than Kanye West.

There is always going to be more adulation over those groups who have the benifit of having well documented and more well know history. When my grandpa came home, just like most people's grandpas there were no ticker tape parades and no people buying rounds of drinks for everyone in uniform at the local tavern.

I think anger over the adulation is misplaced. Personally, I'm just happy that some people recognise that sacrificing yourself for the greater good is worthy of praise, worthy of documenting, and worthy of making films about it. I prefer it much more than an endless line of Michael Jackson tributes.

Ryan