Part II of Ed Shames' full interview with the American Veterans Center. Shames was a member of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division--better known as the "Band of Brothers." Recorded May 27, 2014.
As a Canadian, hearing you mention the RCAF is significant. A lot of American boys died wearing RCAF wings. Thank you for your service and may you in Rest In Peace.
@@MyTaegoo can you remember things exactly as they happened 50 years ago? He’s saying stories get told a little differently than how they happened and that’s only naturally to happen
I remember my father was in his 80’s and I asked him about his childhood and he told me he really didn’t remember a lot of it. At the time I couldn’t understand why he couldn’t remember as to me I could remember my childhood very vivid. Years later now that I am in my 50’s I looked back at my childhood and I realized as time goes by everything gets a little more fuzzier. I now completely understand why my father couldn’t remember.
All I'll say is If you knew some of the stories many of the vets had about Shames and would tell off the record, you might think differently about the man.
The man talks like Colonel Sink a Regimental CO was his best buddy when he was a Platoon Lieutenant which is just ridiculous. Captain Sobel was a good officer. Major Winters was an anti semite He admits to being an odd ball and he is clearly making himself look good. Either he's lying or the hundreds of others interviewed were lying, which is more likely
Everyone is their own person / who they are, and just because they may have a different personality than most, sometimes wildly, doesn't make them a 'bad person'. Sobel is the perfect example. Was he a bad person? No, but he was a sadist and a hard-ass and revelled in physical training, as well as had an ego complex, couldn't lead in combat, and many other flaws. They are all character traits. But again, does that make him a 'bad person'? No, in-fact, it was many of those defining traits (not all) that kept Easy men alive on the front lines, thanks to their rigours of training which far outweighed anything that they might actually face IN battle, and many grew to respect Sobel. The same thing can be said about Shames and Speirs and Dyke. You're also guaranteed that most people - even normal civilians - are guaranteed to somewhat hate their boss. Let alone combat foot soldiers. I rather like that whatever misgivings most of the soldiers shared about certain superiors, WAS ACTUALLY put into the portrayal. Again, it doesn't make the superiors bad people, nor treat them unfairly, it accurately portrays who their characters actually were. Shames was probably a good man, with flaws, like most of us are. Much rather prefer that than having everyone be some loveable fantasy-land bloke, where no-one had a differing opinion of anyone, ever.
Thank you Ed. To you focusing on disagreements, that’s our culture today I guess. The point is these men did what they had to do disagreement or not. Not many today even care about their country enough to listen let alone are tough enough to do what these men did. What a soft weak, unthankful country we have become!
Shifty Powers was right. I knew Ed Shames well and he admitted to yelling sometimes but only to try to keep his men alive. It hurt him deeply when one of his soldiers was killed under his command. It's quite a burden. Shifty Powers was right.
A prime example of how Ambrose disliking Shames was worked into the book and the miniseries. As somebody who has spent a lot of time with the Colonel and the other veterans of 3rd platoon I can say all of his men had great respect for him and will tell you he was the one that braught them home. He talkes the truth (even if it's uncomfortable to some) and he tells it like it is without beating around the bush. That's why he was not liked by everybody. The BOB series shows a somewhat romantic picture of Nixon. Shames truly hated Nixon because he simply was a drunk from an influential family. It was the truth even if it wasn't popular. 3rd platoon isn't discussed all that much in the book and the series. But men like Earl McLung, Shifty Powers, Buck Taylor, Paul Rogers and Rod Strohl were some of the best soldiers in Easy Company. Ambrose was in the business of selling books and sometimes historical accuracy took the back seat because of that.
@@DutchiesOnVacation Well, just like no one knows whether Spiers had actually shot POW Krauts by giving them smoke and everyone heard it from others, we don't know how Shames was. Band of brothers rarely had Shames in episode. Nixon hated war and was demoted but he didn't care and gave a job offer to his friend Winters after the war.
@@sancool84 Ok but what is your point exactly? I know how Shames was and I know how his men looked at him since I've spent a lot of time with these men. So I don't exactly understand what you are trying to say here. I tried to explain to you what kind of man Col Shames was.
@@DutchiesOnVacation I don't know how Shames was. I believed what the band of brothers mentioned about Shames that he used to yell at his juniors. I think he wasn't even projected in the series may be because he wasn't liked by many in Easy company like Captain Sobel. There may be some historical inaccuracies in the band of brothers series like how they mentioned that Blithe had died when he actually lived. Well, to simply put, I don't know about Shames man but I believe what the series said about him.
@@sancool84 And I'm telling you you shouldn't believe what the series said about him :) I have spent a lot of time with the Colonel and with the men of 3rd platoon. All of his men said he was tough as nails and demanded discipline and focus. But they all also said they respected him a lot and that he was the one that got them home. Band of Brothers was good in many ways. It brought back a lot of attention to WWII history and many veterans received a lot of well deserved respect for their service after the show was broadcasted. But the truth is that BOB had a certain amount of historical inaccuracies (like the Albert Blithe story, he did not die during WWII he even served during the Korean War) and 3rd platoon including Shames did not get much attention in the book and the miniseries because of a feud between Shames and Ambrose.
Shames is also the only person who served with Major Winters who had Bad Things to say about Winters, including calling him an Anti Semite. There's definitely a story there, both are Gone now and we'll never know. I'm reading "The Biggest Brother" written by Larry Alexander, with Major Winter's full cooperation and access to his letters, maps, in essence, Everything he had from his War Years. A little over half way thru the book, when recounting The Battle Of The Bulge, Shames name is mentioned, I believe as a Squad or more likely a Platoon Leader, but that's all. No comment, Ner Nuthin, and Winters wasn't bashful with his thoughts about others in the books or interviews about his experiences, but Shames was a name he didn't express any comments to, for, or about. That's kind of telling, in it's Brevity. I'd say, without Branding either man with a Negative persona.....But I figure they sure as Hell Disliked Each Other. In all honesty, I have to add, that I find Shames derogatory references to Winters Stand Out Only in their Singularity, and Negativity, which would have painted Shames in a better light had he left that out. It served no purpose other than as a rather Cheap Shot, maybe to try and Tarnish what is otherwise a Sterling Opinion voiced by Every Single Other Person who served with Major Winters. My opinion aside, Shames was a Hero, as anybody who went thru the Severe Conditions and Fought in The Battle Of The Bulge, deserves full credit for Sticking It Out and continuing to Fight under Overwhelming Odds and in the Worst Weather, lacking proper clothing, Food, and plagued with insufficient Ammunition all throughout the battle, in that Frozen Hellscape.They Were Heroes One And All
“I had an IQ of 145, although they didn’t test IQ back then,” . Enough said. Btw, I’ve never seen “Band of Brothers” yet. The first veteran exhibiting enormous, ego; my opinion after viewing many of these recollections...
@@DutchiesOnVacationthe way he talks in these interviews he comes across as having a high opinion of himself. Doesn't necessarily make him a bad soldier... just means some of the stories I might take with a pinch of salt
He was there. You were not. He saw the killing of his brothers and you did not. He risked his life for us. Embelish away brother. I salute you and your brothers in arms.
Are you a Jew then, since you feel so strongly about it? If not, why do you feel the need to tell other people what their cultural/national/religious/ethnic identity is?
Just take off your left earpiece, these guys are amateurs. (I'm just so glad I can at least hear this man's testimony despite this horrifyingly BAD production)
I'm a liberal and a millennial and I praise this man, I have his card with his signature on it framed that my Grandpa gave me. At least this man and his brothers fought a war that needed fighting. Not an endless war in middle east REUPBLICANS joined. Sure 9/11 was a good reason to counter attack but it was an excuse to continue and endless war the Russians where tired of fighting. A shame we turned down Churchill so many times for aid due to GOP being against the war. ONLY until they attacked PH we joined. Trump was/is the next fascist leader the will force people like this to be heroes. Imagine a German Solider yelling off the back of their Duce and a half yelling at American soldiers calling them "fascist bastards". History is cyclical because of people like you.
@@CH-em2wu No secret that liberals as a whole are extremely anti-military as a whole despite the circumstances. They spit in the face of soldiers instead of politicians. Don't get offended if it doesn't apply to you personally.
