Richard “Dick” Winters (1918–2011) was a United States Army officer, best known for leading Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division during World War II. His actions during D-Day and subsequent campaigns made him a legendary figure in military history.
Born in New Holland, Pennsylvania, Winters graduated from Franklin and Marshall College (1941) with a degree in business administration. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, trained at Camp Toccoa, and became a paratrooper. On D-Day (June 6, 1944,) he led a successful assault on Brécourt Manor, earning the Distinguished Service Cross. He later commanded Easy Company through Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and Germany’s occupation.
After the war, Winters worked in business and agriculture, maintaining a low profile until historian Stephen Ambrose featured him in Band of Brothers (1992,) which inspired a 2001 HBO miniseries.
Winters authored Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters (2006,) detailing his wartime experiences and leadership philosophy. His life is further explored in Erik Dorr and Jared Frederick’s Hang Tough: The WWII Letters and Artifacts of Major Dick Winters (2020.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Dick Winters
If you can, find that peace within yourself, that peace and quiet and confidence that you can pass on to others, so that they know that you are honest and you are fair and will help them, no matter what, when the chips are down.
—Dick Winters
Topics: Peace
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