A WWII veteran was once asked by his grandson:
‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?’ Grandpa said, ‘No, but I served in a company of heroes.’ “
That, and the following quotes are from an NPR article: Dick Winters, “Bank Of Brothers’ Inspiration, Dies.
Dick Winters, key character in the book and movie Band of Brothers, left us on January 2, 2015.
When he finished his memoir, he told his coauthor:
‘Wars don’t make men and women great. But it sometimes takes wars to bring out the greatness in men and women.’
We see in the miniseries the greatness that was in Mr. Winters. I am encouraged and we are blessed to have had him and oh so many others in our midst.
If you want a well presented history of WWII along with the horror of war in general and fascism & nazism in particular, check out the miniseries.
A few highlights from the HBO production:
On D-Day, Winters led an attack on a German gun battery, destroying the weapons firing at the American troops on Normandy’s Utah Beach. He and his company liberated a Nazi concentration camp and later captured Hitler’s mountaintop retreat.
A Pennlive article, Dick Winters, of ‘Band of Brothers’ fame, dies, says that Mr. Winters was uncomfortable with the label of hero. Article says he graciously accepted the attention and celebrity.
For me, someone saying “nah, I’m not a hero”, is a major indication the person is, in fact, a hero to be admired and emulated. Beware the man who personally tells you what a wonderful hero he is.
Farewell, sir.