Easy Company 506 The real Band of Brothers - A look back
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2021
- THE NORMANDY INSTITUTE PAYS HOMAGE TO THE MEN OF EASY COMPANY
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the series “band of Brothers”
On September 9, 2001, the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers aired its first two episodes. Two days later the world was in shock as planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York. The attack remains one on the most traumatic events in history. In effect, “Band”, as the series is affectionally known, proved to be the test of what we could bear to watch compared to what we had no choice but to watch.
The series “Band of Brothers” was a balm for the shock of 9/11, we take a look back to the 2005 Easy Company Reunion tour in Europe.
The Normandy Institute and Genesis Publications, present a short film of the 2005 European Reunion Tour of Easy Company.
The series Band of Brothers has come to signify the courage and sacrifice of those who took part in World War II - and will form part of the fabric of the story of humanity. Walk in the footsteps of Easy Company 506 - the real Band of Brothers - for the 20th anniversary of the epic HBO mini-series Band of Brothers.
In 2008 Genesis Publications, based in the UK, published the definitive Band of Brothers book with a foreword by Tom Hanks and an afterword by Steven Spielberg. Damian Lewis presented a homage to Dick Winters.
We were privileged to have called the veterans that participated in the tour our friends.
In the intro, Kirk says “…this is the first time grandpa has ever told his story” when talking about the people who would gather for the interviews they did. That really hit home for me. My grandfather was a WWII vet who fought from France, through the battle of the bulge, and into Germany before he came home. I went with him to his unit reunion in 2003 and left to begin my army journey soon after. Later, after 15 months in Iraq, I sat down with him to talk about the things I had experienced, and he began to compare them to his experiences in Europe. It wasn’t long before he began to write a memoir about the war and finally open up about it after 60+ years. I feel like our bonding over shared experiences, though separated by decades and a generation of our family, formed
a special bond that can only be formed between those who have been through it. I miss him often and I wish he was still here to tell his stories today.
My wife's grandfather would not speak of the war. When learned I was a veteran of Desert Storm he shared his experience on the Rhine. It was an amazing conversation. He has passed away since but one day when my Grandchildren ask I can share what was shared with me.
Incredible group of heros. Dick Winters deserved the MOH. HE was highly decorated but never a recipient!!!! RIP GENTLEMAN. THANK you men
You really see the young men they were when they’re all together. The laughing and joking with each other is probably my favorite thing to see. I’m here because the last officer of E company, Edward Shames, passed away 3 days ago. There remains only one E company man today that still lives, Bradford Freeman. It’s our duty to honor these men and immortalize what they did for our country and the world. One thing I know for sure, I will always be grateful for these men, my grandfather that served in combat in Italy, my great uncle that was killed in the pacific and the many others like them. They truly are my heroes.
Bradford Freeman has sadly also now passed, rest easy, easy company. truly the greatest generation.
Wonderful
They saved democracy and America. Now it's our turn.
Don't vote for the fascist for President. Vote blue.
those moments between Malarkey & Perconte when they joke around and laugh are just priceless!
Perconte- “If bullshit were blood, he’d be wounded.” 😂
The greatest generation of all times. Sad to see where my country is at today.
agree with you 100 percent on both points you made
Its going to be fixed, ride the tide.
It is such a shame… they fought so hard and we just neglect our history.. I salute these brave men and what they did for us!
@@ardshielcomplex8917 it will one day when all of us Patriots get sick of the situation.
Agreed. But I kept it going. Army aviation. 122nd avn RGT. 128th AVN BGE
Sir Malarkey and Sir Perconte joking with each other is such a heartwarming and amazing thing to witness. We got to see a lot of it in the movie but it gives you another level of emotion when you actually see their bond irl, just makes you think about all the things they had to endure together during the war
Thank you for posting this video. I was lucky enough to be part of the Band of Brothers production, just before we started training with the actors, during the boot camp, I lost both my parents within 6 months of each other, Dad died on his 50th birthday and my Mother passed away 6 months later aged 47. The production company, said take as much time off as you like, I had a week off and came back to Hatfield to start the filming. I had the honour to meet wild Bill and Babe, talking to them and listening to the stories of what they went through, took my pain away. The men of Easy company will always stay in my heart, just like the memory of my mum and dad. Working on Band of Brothers made me a better man. Thank you.
Good on you, brother sure your Dad and Mother are proud of you!
so sorry for your great loss 💓
sorry for your losses
Thank you Pete and may your parents rest in peace and in joy for what you have accomplished
From France with love
Pete, amazing story and I’m sorry for your loss. It must have been incredible to work in the miniseries! I took a WW2 class from Stephen Ambrose at the University of New Orleans. It was the year the book came out. He put on a seminar where he brought Winters, Lipton, Smokey Gordon and a few others. They all signed my book. Winters signed it “Hang Tough” , his usual saying. I cherish that book. It was an amazing experience to meet the men of Easy.
A generation that understood that freedom wasn't free.
I’m watching this as I watch my grandchildren. Thank you for what you did to keep me and my grandsons free.
For a long time I thought about whether I should write something about it as a German.... . I have seen the series and it has touched me, very touched. These brave men who came to Europe to free it from Nazi rule.
I am not ashamed to be German. My grandfather served in Denmark, then was a prisoner of war in the US. This war started from German soil and brought such immeasurable suffering to the world! I do not understand until today how people can derail in such a way, how people can follow an ideology which only despises and sows hate. Many men have loaded great guilt on themselves.
Nevertheless, I know of many men who went to war in despair, who took their own lives because they could not bear all this violence and brutality. For me, too, the Americans are heroes! But we should all never forget how ambivalent human nature can be, how seducible. I believe that something like WWII is possible again at any time, and looking around at what is happening in the world right now, this film is more relevant than ever.... .
I have often asked myself what we Germans did to deserve to be so well off again after the war. Thank you to all the Allied forces who gave their lives in this war and put on the line... !
Dee Dee Dee e Dee Dee a a saw we see dds
We'll there was an experiment conducted in a school in America
That explains why and how people follow these ideologies
Respect for honesty 👍👍
Completely agree with you. The situation in Ukraine is very frightening because it demonstrates how easily humans are seduced, as you describe. It took less than 12 hours for both sides of the Ukraine conflict to mobilize mass support, rancor, and dehumanization of the enemy.
Westerners who had never heard of Ukraine became fervent Ukrainian nationalists overnight, plastering far-right Ukrainian slogans all over their social media pages. Russian internet saw an equal and opposite reaction: the pro-war "Z" motif plastered everywhere. 21st century mass media is truly fearsome weapon. It is easier than ever to incite humans to violence.
Very well said I believe just what you said about world War ll could start again only it would destroy all of civilization seems like everythin g is going down the wrong path
".....when the word hero was mentioned, the men looked away......" Reminds me of my dad who never mentioned a word about his service (167th Combat Engineer Battalion, 1943-1946). A very modest and humble man, like most ww2 veterans. He passed on young(62) in 1986. I wish I had the interest I have now back then. Even without knowing his military service, he was and always be my hero!!! R.I.P. Dad
The years as my dad served, God Bless your dad & you , family. 🇺🇸
@@vegasdano7569 God bless your dad and your family! They were Hero's! The Greatest generation!!!
My grandfather was a copilot during WW2. He was shot down twice and somehow survived the war and made it home. Watching these interviews reminds me of him. Humble, tough as nails, and full of compassion. God Bless these men, they are all heroes, every single one of them.
Seeing Malarkey and Perconte together really warms the cockles. Obviously, it happened loads, but we never got the reunions of the guys on film to see the chemistry between them all.
Just lost Bradford Freeman. Thank you for memorializing these heroic individuals who loved each other. 🦅🇺🇸
Rip, you Band of Brothers.
Airborne all the Way. 🇿🇦
@norbertofontanez5550
Your Commander was a wise man, Norbert.
🇿🇦 🦅 🦇 🦅 🇿🇦
@norbertofontanez5550
🎖️🎖️ Salute 🎖️🎖️
My Dad severed my 2 uncles my Mom worked in a aircraft factory I will never forget the sacrifices they made and the love of country they had God bless them all
And now the men of easy Co are again united as a unit. thank you to each and every one.
I love that I’m still being surprised by new footage popping up here! I’ve been obsessed with Band of Brothers since it came out and was even lucky enough to travel back to Normandy with Bradford Freeman and other veterans in 2019. We went back to Brecourt Manor and he told me about setting up his mortar with Malarkey at a crossroads a couple hundred yards from the Manor and lobbing rounds in to try and silence the MG-42s that were set up in the buildings. I was even able to photograph a portrait of him standing in front of a hole in the side of one of the buildings that he was convinced was made by one of their mortars.
RESPECT & MUCH SALUTE! Thank you for your service !
Very moving. My mother recalled that she never understood “camaraderie “ until she and my Dad went to a memorial service in Dunkerque, for the first time , and my Dad was pounced on my his mates who he hadn’t seen since 1940. This video reminds me so much of the story she told.
It's actually Dunkirk, My grandad fought at Dunkirk, he never called it Dunker queue, ill honour his memory by calling it correctly DUNKIRK!
@@fastyaveit I wonder what your Grandad would say !! The pronunciation is virtually the same , it’s just the spelling. Try Ypres......Why-pers, Ea-pre, or Ee-pree.
@@californiadreamin8423 He was shipped out to aleilamayn? And survived the war.
He was a proud ex-soldier and lived for 87 years.
Dunkirk or El Alamien, History doesn't recall anything about Dunker queue or aleilamyn if you google Dunkerque it will say Dunkirk because that's history for you.
Grandad disliked France after the war, I do not know why, but I remember him getting emotional when he talked about his war years (I was so young and regret I didn't listen more), I won’t dishonour his service or memory by calling Dunkirk anything else.
Even Christopher Nolan called his film Dunkirk, which I watched with my Dad, by the way.
I asked him if we should have stayed, but he said no, the French had to defend their own country just like the Brits had to withdraw and defend their own.
That's what Grandad did, he got out of Dunkirk and then went to Egypt, El Alamien to be precise.
I followed a French blogger for a while, she went to Normandy to visit war graves, it was good, she went to the American cemetery, then the Canadian cemetery, then her video ended, I guess the British didn't land in France June 44.
@@fastyaveit I’m sure your Grandad knew he was lucky to survive the war, and I’m sure he was pleased that you showed interest in his time in France and Egypt .
@@fastyaveit dunkirk is just the english name of the city, dunkerque is the french name.. if i google dunkerque it translates it to Duinkerke because i live in belgium and that’s the dutch name for that city.
OUTSTANDING............CHOKES ME UP ......EACH TIME I WATCH IT .............NEEDS TO BE SEEN BY THE YOUTH OF TODAY !
To all those who’s grandfathers, fathers, uncles. Served in WW2, to the families thank you 🙏🏼, and God Bless them all 👍🏼🇺🇸🇺🇸. Miss you Dad 🕊️
These guys; these heroes risked their lives to fight against Fascism, Nazism, and Racism. They bled; they run into the life of fire; they fired their weapons, and many of them died (paying with the ultimate sacrifice) to fight nefarious people, nefarious political ideas, and the military targeting of their own civilians by Nazis; targeted for systematic racist mistreatment and eventual death. And I am humbled to state, in this public forum of YT, that my grand-uncle fought in this U.S. war. Ever since then, uncles, cousins, and now nephews and nieces have joined the various armed forces of this great country, our country. The country of Americans. Americans who are Republicans and Democrats; Americans of every political view. Americans who are whites, blacks, browns, and many other shades of skin color. Americans who are Christians, Jews, Hare Krishnas, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and atheists; but Americans nonetheless. We salute every single member of the 506, 101 Airborne division, and every other branch of our U.S. Armed Forces that served.
There aren't thank-yous enough that can be offered to these men for what they did for the world.
These guys are my heroes no matter what they say...they are heroes, a company of heroes. They mean more to the citizens of the USA and the world than can ever be measured. I write this on 1/7/2022 and I am not sure if there are any E company vets left. Listen, if you ever get a chance to speak to a WW2 vet make sure you take it...our chances are dwindling. God bless our WW2 Vets. God bless em.
Sadly. Lt shames the last remaining easy company member past in dec 2021
I got to meet my supervisor's 96 year old dad who is a WW2 vet. Served in the Pacific theater... Lost his wife of 65 years recently but he's carrying on.. Still sharp as a tack living in Tacoma Washington.. i didnt know what to say to him i just said Thank you sir.
Humbled by their service. May we be worthy of their sacrifice.
It was so fun to see Don Malarkey and Frank Perconte teasing each other. You can tell that it really did a number on Don Malarkey though, it still really upset him a lot.
As I understand it, Don Malarkey was the last original Toccoa Easy Co man to die. Yes Lt Shames is still alive but he was not an original Easy man.
@@michaelhayden5264 Lt. Shames was a toccoa men...
@@Nokdu. Yes he may have been one of the original members of the 506 PIR, but I think he started off in Ï Coy before transferring to Easy.
That intro is so true. My grandpa was a Canadian paratrooper in WW2 and never told us stories. I recently found out that a student from the local highschool near his farm wanted to do a presentation on a WW2 veteran, so he talked with the student a bit. But that's about all I've heard of him telling stories. RIP grandpa Roy, a true hero.
What I love about seeing stuff like this is that it never is political. Left, right, center, republican, democrat, independent, it just doesn't matter. It's about remembering and paying tribute to all the heroes in which we all owe a debt so enormous that it could never fully be repaid. The GREATEST Generation
Very well said
I think that's partly why I spend so much time with Band of Brothers content. Their purpose and moral right was unambiguous. I hesitate to be nostalgic and also not become inured to the horror of what much of the planet endured during these years, but I can't help but be envious of a more united time (at least in our country).
Now it's all politics
Yes
Just as it should be. Years ago, nobody talked about politics with other people. Who you voted for was private and personal. I wish it was that way still. In fact, I used to bartend and we always said, there are two things you don't talk about in a bar, politics and religion. ;-)
To the men who died, “the heros”; they gave their “today” for my generation, the baby boomers, “tomorrow’s”. Thank you, RIP Easy Men.
What makes a soldier proud is not being called a hero, but the fact of knowing that he did his duty. It is a matter of honor. They knew it and were proud of that and of their comrades, with whom you form such a close and emotional relationship that you will hardly find in civil life. My respects to all of them, honorable and upright men.
None of us are comfortable being called "Hero" because we've lost too many of our brothers who were Heroes and never thought of themselves that way at all.
My father was a Marine in the Pacific. I asked him once why he never wore anything related to his service and he said because he couldn't stand being called a hero. This wasn't just humility. Like Tom Hanks said in that quote, it puts an unfair burden on them.
@@ardshielcomplex8917 . Agree . Those who gave their lives are real heroes . I would say the rest are survivors .
I'm proud of my service because I fought for my country. I don't care if people now say it was an illegal war. We were told it was necessary, so we went.
I have been to Normandy and walked through the cemetery, an experience I will never forget. Americans should never forget either.
This footage is absolutely priceless. These interviews are all words we’ve heard but never from the men themselves outside the famous interviews. Thank you so much for sharing this. Please do share any more if ever possible
I could not imagine the courage involved in this landing and invasion. By far the greatest of the great. This CD SET I inherited from my Dad is one of my favorite items. He was too young for WWII AND served in between the war and Korea
I love the men of the 101st airborne 506th Easy Company may they all rest in peace 🙏🏼
Band of Brothers was the best depiction of the events throughout WW2 and will stand the test of time to never be topped for this! I have watched the entire series time and time again! Every single time, we laugh with the actors, feel sorrow with them and even cry with them! To know that this was based on peoples realities will entice anyone to consider these men absolute hero's! It is from their and countless other’s devotion during the war that we get to live the lives we live today! I only wish I could have been first hand to hear these stories from the mouths of the men who lived it! However, Band of Brothers truly captured it!!
The woman in this video said it best referring to the people gathered to hear the first time reliving these events! Both of my grandfather’s served for Canada but would never speak a word of it! These men, all of the men and women who served in WW2 deserve everything and more! They will always have my respect, my gratitude and it is sad to see time taking these people from us now!
Never forget, Always respect! And Thank you!
Absolutely loved this! I've watched the full series over 20 times. Every time I start it over I learn something new about each person
In my opinion there is no greater sacrifice that you can make than to be an American soldier. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
This has to be ,without a doubt ,my favourite series EVER. I cant tell you how many times I've watched it. And I cry every time I hear the testimony from the soldiers who were there. I'm not a religious man by any means, but God bless each and every one of you. And that's from my heart.
Seeing perconte and malarky banter is one of the coolest things I’ve seen regarding this series. You could imagine them when they were fighting together
I had the honor to meet some of the men of Easy Co. back in 2004 in Norfolk, Virginia at their reunion! I will never forget they are the Greatest Generation and God Bless each one of them! They all treated me like their best friend! My Dad and I spent a weekend with them it was great!
These men like of Easy Company we're the men I admire the most... Certified Combat Veteran, not a mere veteran. Salute.
Everyone of them are HEROES.
The best war Movie/Series ever hands down. What brave men. Never again will you see a generation of people like it. Rest easy guys now your all together again 🙏
My Father in law moved in with us after losing his wife .The thing was he served in the royal navy from 1939-45 when he was in his 20's. In 1990 with some Lottery luck he was able to fly back to England a few times to reunite with his ship mates when in his 70's . His ship HMS Orion was the first ship to open fire on the D-Day beaches that morning.
Although not in the 101st my Dad served in WWII and like these Gentleman he doesn't believe he's a hero. Also like these Gentleman he would say the true Heros are the ones who didn't come home.
Thank you for literally saving the World.
Never forget this boys, heroes for all Times, thanks for this movies
The REAL American heroes. You won't call yourself that, but I will. Thank You MEN!
Shifty has such a lovely way of speaking!
I love in BOB where Donnie Wahlberg as Lipton says, “Don’t miss Shifty.” Now that’s brotherly trust if there ever was right there!!
Stories like this are so important to hear because you are getting first hand information. I'm currently reading beyond band of Brothers, the war memoirs of major Dick Winters. Until reading this book, I never realized how many inaccuracies were in the miniseries, Band of Brothers. I realize that it was a miniseries rather than a documentary but some of the inaccuracies that were portrayed in that mini series we're so ridiculous especially the story about Albert Blythe and his supposed death when in fact, he actually made a career of the army and even served in Korea and eventually became the company's first sergeant.
Spielberg and Hanks could have gotten it a lot better than they did. I highly recommend the book that I named.
So of all the hundreds, if not thousands, of the details they got right, they're going to continue to be blasted for the honest mistake of Blythe's death. They didn't film a documentary. Easy Company's story, as illustrious as it was, was primarily used to tell the overarching truth of WWII. Now you go try to get that better than they did.
I recently read Winter’s memoirs and I think the series got most things spot on. The Blithe mistake was just that - a mistake. The veterans genuinely believed he had died and verifying things the veterans told them was difficult back then because they didn’t have access to the kind of records we have now on the internet. You have to remember that the show was a drama and therefore some events were condensed or slightly altered to make the series make sense narratively to the audience. Also the veterans themselves remembered the same events differently so the writers had to wade through a lot of conflicting reports to make one coherent story.
There is an HBO podcast series that interviews different people who made the series, like Tom Hanks, etc. They explain why they did it the way they did and of course E Company was well aware of everything they did and pretty much signed off on it. Well worth a listen on UA-cam.
god bless all that passed and those who survived and came home thank you for your service and sacrifice
This is a historical treasure....... Should be shown in history classes or whatever they are now
All part of the Greatest Generation, never forgot each other nor their brothers who never made it home.
My endless thanks to all of them and may God bless them always!!!!! ✝️🇺🇸✝️
Irreplaceable . Everyone of them . . They lived history , they made history . Forever remembered and honoured . TOTAL RESPECT TO ALL who were there . Never to be repeated in a company of their own , honour and respect they stood side by side , as one . .
We Seabees always watched the Band of Brothers movie. Great Respect! Thank you all for your great service. Cheers to the Greatest Generation!
The "History Channel" sent me here. So glad I now can be part of your project!
They were my hero’s . They answered the call, when our country needed them.they were living history. I wish more people would appreciate those men who paid the price for our freedom today
I knew none of these guys but I know them all!
Godspeed! I thank God that such Men Lived! These guys make me proud to be an American 🇺🇸
They are known as the greatest generation for a reason. 🇬🇧🇺🇲🇨🇦
Tears to the eyes and hearts. 🇺🇸 🌎
Miss my Grandpa so much. So glad he shared his stories with me over the years.
Thanks for sharing!! If you ever get a chance, visit Toccoa, Ga and visit their museum and Currahee Mountain. You will be blessed.
The WW2 veteran went and saved a world gone half mad and all they asked for was a place to bury their dead. I know we will never see a generation like those men and women again
Wow. What an amazing upload for this occassion.
Thank You so much to the makers of Band Of Brothers and this Documentary for letting us see the faces of these heroic gentlemen, and for letting them know how much we love them while they are\were still with us. No one more than Easy Co, but including many other soldiers , sailors, and flyers fall into that category that has been labeled "The Greatest Generation" who left home and hearth, never knowing if they'd be coming back, and those that did not make it back, and those that left a part of them in far away places. They are reluctant to call themselves Heroes, and yet there is no better description than HERO for each of them. They valiantly fought for and won our freedom those many years ago, and we are Proud and Inspired by this. We will never ever forget you.
You men and brother's in arm's will never be forgotten in my lifetime. I'm 27 and if I ever have children I will be sure to shed you guy's story's to them and they will be raised to remember and respect you strong men as I do.
Thank you all,
Sincerely, The whole World!
such great men , i wish this was longer
A beautiful tribute to the Men of Easy ♠️ Hang Tough ♠️ Thank you for posting ♠️
I don't know if it is normal but, BOB being one of my favorite series/documentary of all time. As a combat soldier, i understand alot of what i see though i am no way comparable to any of these ecceptional heros of ours. My family has always served going as far back as the French and Indian Wars in the early to mid 1700s. Most of my family of my parents age fought in WW2, uncles, and thier cousins from Eastern Kentucky, my mom's dad(my much reveered grandpa) and uncles in WW1. At 66 and thinking i am still a tough guy even though my body is broken and tired, i am not really. I admire the men so much that it is just an emotional release. I cry everytime on certain scenes because it gives me pride and respect and in a way brought me closer to those whom have allready gone and some that never came back. I still shed tears and i am not ashamed....
Es un verdadero honor ver a todos estos hombres que dieron su vida por libertar de alguna manera no solamente a un país si no a todo el mundo que si no fuese por todos esos hombres que dieron su vida tal vez esté momento no existiera ni siquiera estaríamos bien a la compañía Easy aquí en UA-cam sinceramente gracias a todas estas almas que dieron su vida por este mundo libre pido una disculpa a todos los miembros de habla inglesa de este canal por escribir en español que es mi idioma pero creo que la guerra y la libertad que nos dieron todos estos hombres no es de un solo idioma. Gracias a todos estos hombres que dieron su vida , y Dios bendiga America
This is one of the best Second World War movie/series to have ever produced... I think justice have been served for the Easy Company through this series... The best and legendary Company of Heroes of WW2... As the woman here narrates the introduction,tears rolled down from my eyes unknowingly...
I think this revisitation and reunion for all the Vets is a torture for them as they go down the memory lane of their brothers who didn't came back home😞😞😞... Its so rare to see men of their ages shedding tears for something they went through which was pretty bad and ugly to have seen and experienced as they fought their way inside Berlin...
Thank You all for your Service and sacrifices for us,the current generation..
Beautiful people, the world should never forget.
This are the greatest generation that ever lived. Thank you for the freedom
GREATEST GENERATION
Thank you for your service. We all owe you so much.
Thank you for making this available.
Don malarkey was a real,handsome man, but all of these guys were fantastic people, hero's one and all
Thanks, it was so heartwarming to see the brotherhood that these men, especially the Toccoa originals, still have nearly 60 years after D-Day.
Heros? In my very humble opinion - definitely. But more than that they really were "brothers" (especially those from the Toccoa ). Great to see and reflect on these men, who sadly are now all gone. That last comment about "loving each other", that period of their lives can never be replicated nor taken away.
If not heroes, then, when alive , what do we call them ? They have passed, now they can be certainly remembered as Heroes !
Thank you for filming my heroes
I remember waiting and waiting for this show to air, finally Sept 9th 2001 arrives and two days later 9/11 attacks happen and then no one was thinking about HBO anymore.
I live right near Currahee. It's a special feeling when you drive by it or stop there. We don't have men like this anymore. I wish we did.
Thank you for this excellent documentary featuring these great men. We in England haven’t forgotten their sacrifice. Many flew from Upottery airfield in Devon the night before D Day - as seen at the start of Band of Brothers - an airfield that the locals call Smeatharpe, as that’s the village it is actually in. The South West Airfield Heritage Trust (SWAHT) has restored one of the original Nissan huts there, and it is a museum and memorial to these brave guys, which is manned entirely by volunteers. There is a surviving brick built original sentry box nearby, at Moonhayes farm. That too is a memorial, with a cross and poppy and name for each killed that night. Every year, the Sunday nearest to D day, we have a short service there, led by a local minister and the local Royal British legion, and fly the Stars and Stripes, and have a 2 minute silence for them. On the night of the actual flight we have a vigil on the airfield, at the time they took off. This year the ruined control tower was illuminated, whilst we watched a video showing some of the actual take off from the runway. During the 2 minute silence the video silently rolled through the names of those lost. It was very moving.
We are pleased to remember them all. It was good though to see that mention was made of all those others who fought and gave their lives. We had been fighting alone since 1939, and my mother, a driver in the army, said how tired everyone was and how good it was to see ‘the Yanks’ arrive. She always said that they were so grateful for the support. My uncle was also at D day, in the Royal Navy, and I’m sorry to say rather bitter about it ‘ the Yanks landed on the wrong beach and we had to go in and pull some of them off - and you never hear a word about that’. That is not to take away from anything these men did. They, and all those involved, were brave and it it is right we remember them.
Incidentally the SWAHT also maintains a second small museum/ heritage centre at Dunkeswell, another US airfield in WW2 just a few miles away from Smeatharpe. ( and still in use today for private planes and parachute jumps). Joseph Kennedy, brother of President Kennedy, was stationed there for a while. We remember them all.
I love their sense of humor , even after everything they've been through .
All of 506th is now reunited beyond.. Think Malarkey was the last to pass some years ago.. RIP 506th Thank you for the freedom and service!
It's sobering that they're all gone now. But what a reunion they must be having.
9:17 its normal for him to cry. He lost 5 of his best friend there, 2 KIA and 3 WIA.
They're all gone now....
Thank God they lived in the time they were most needed.
Rest In Peace
Thank you for showing this to us❤️
The Greatest War Picture of All Time! #BandOfBrothers ❤
Darrel shifty powers was one of the most genuinely good man ive ever met. Even going to the lengths that he coulf have been friend's with some of the german soldiers who might like to hunt and fish. Humble man.
I'm not crying, it's my allergies.
Just a phenomenal way to salute these men. They are TRULY HEROES
‘Wars are fought with weapons but they are won by men “ -general gorge s patten god bless those men I wish them all love peace and happiness and hope they are all well much respect
Beautiful video, thank you.
Wow. Some of this footage blew me away
Thank you
Remember when it first dropped on TV, I put off watching it and waited for the DVD to drop so I could binge watch it, my favourite WW2 series ever
Real band of brothers from the greatest generation. They will forever remain in history. I salute them!