I met Sgt.Don Malarkey in 2008 in McMinnville Oregon, after attending his discussion about his time during WW2 with the 101st. During the Q and A session afterwards, a guy asked him how accurate the series Band of Brothers was, and Malarkey said that he wanted to clarify a few things about that. He said that the grenade explosions were to big and the shelling that they endured in the Bois Jaques outside of Bastogne wasn't intense enough. Malarkey was bothered by the inaccurate portrayal of Albert Blithe in the series, saying that Blithe didn't lay around hiding for a day after jumping into Normandy, and he didn't loose his sight. He said Blithe was a good soldier and fought in Korea and Vietnam, and that Easy Company wasn't the only company from the 506th in the woods outside of Bastogne. He expressed that he was just one man amongst many that deserved to be mentioned in the series. He said that Joe Toye was the toughest SOB in Easy Company and Shifty Powers was the best shot in the company, and had incredible eyesight. While in the Bois Jacque during the battle of the bulge, Shifty shot a German sniper out of a tree down in Foy. Malarkey said it was at least a thousand yard shot. Malarkey said that only Shifty had seen him and could have made that shot. Another time Shifty had counted 7 trees down the hill in Foy and Dick Winters came to Shifty's fox hole to have a look for himself. It turned out that the German's had brought in an 88 mm artillery piece and had put branches on it to hide it amongst the other trees. Winters called in an artillery strike and that took care of the new tree in Foy. He said that Sobel made E Company what it was, due to all of the training and discipline under him, but was in agreement that he did not want Sobel leading him into combat. During maneuvers in England, Sobel had gotten the company lost, and George Luz did in fact imitate the voice of Col.Sink while hiding behind some bushes, telling Sobel to cut the fence and get the company moving. E company later had to help round up the cows that had gotten out. Malarkey said that loosing his best friend Muck, and Penkala in the Bois Jacque by a direct hit from an 88 mm round still bothered him, as well as seeing Toye and Guarnere wounded put him into a deep depression that he struggled with every winter after WW2. RIP Sgt. Don Malarkey 7/31/21-9/30/2017 and to all that have served and to those that paid the ultimate price. Thank You.
How lucky to be able to meet him before he passed and hear his memories first hand. All of these men went through things my generation can't even imagine. My grandfather was a pilot in WW2, first in Europe and then the Pacific. I wish he was still alive so I could get his war stories, but he passed when I was still in school.
arkansaswookie The European theater and the Pacific to include Korea and Vietnam soldiers paved the way for Marines like myself and those men and women who were active during those conflicts deserved more than what they didn’t get. I always give my time to any veteran wherever I meet one wether it’s at the VA or out and about traveling-some have even become friends and family. Thank you for your input. Semper FI
these guys were lucky to be documented and honored but there were so many soldiers from my country they never make it back or never mentioned in history more than 80 thousands of soldiers of India died under British army and they are not even mentioned in any part of the war nobody knows their stories.
vivek sharma That is when people like you if you know the history put it together and place a narrative on it for us to hear and see. You have to think in today’s cyber world where people are mostly on their phones (which is bad) and have that accessibility to have it and see it right away!! Look, I am an American of parents from Mexico. In Mexico we have been in every American war and my ancestors are never mentioned but I know about it and the information is out there but to me it’s my job to see it and research it and out on blast for people to know but today’s generation don’t want to know because they believe that it has nothing to do with them when indirectly it does. So maybe one day I’ll put it together and ask a friend or family member to put out there for you to see because I don’t do social media platforms other than RU-vid. Will see, but many should study history-it’s an eye opener of what you can find and read about especially the story of those who been their and those who’s story has been written down somewhere!! It’s actually exiting and it gives you answers to why things are the way they are!! Good luck.
It’s hard to believe that over 20 years has passed since this was released and all of the heros are no longer with us. I’m glad that they were celebrated before they were all gone, and now they will live on forever. There simply will never be another generation like them, this country is in a pathetic state today
Yet here we all are. Watching the series or the interviews year after year. Shedding the same tears we did the first time and remembering our own grandparents 😢 it’s a beautiful creation to keep a memory alive. I wish we had a British version. (We had the SAS series but it’s more tongue in cheek then BOB was)
Shifty Powers is such a sweet soul. Two things stick out to me: when everyone's describing how awful the Normandy jump was, but he mostly talks about how bad the guys on the beaches must've had it. And later, at the end of the war, he talks about how the German soldiers were for the most part just regular guys fighting for the other side, and who knows, maybe they could've been friends under other circumstances, so be bore no ill will. What a guy.
@@jimisnotunique Yeah, I didn't discover BoB until around six months after Shifty left us. Speaking for myself, I was simply gutted to find that he only lived about 25 min. away from me and the chance to meet him was lost forever before I even knew of his existence.
One of the most powerful images I’ve ever seen is Bill Guarnere walking through the Ardennes 70 odd years later, unassisted, missing the leg he gave up saving another man. Chills
@@luketimewalker I was going to add, "Wait, that must be the joke." Because Marty McFly is a TIME traveler. But I was afraid I'd be wrong. I had a feeling that you were gonna tell me that that IS Michael. Thank you for telling me! I can just imagine how Doc would react if he came across a galaxy far, far away...."Great Scott!!!"
Im Dutch. May 4 is the day on which the Netherlands commemorates its victims of war. Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag) takes place each year on May 5, the day after Remembrance Day (Dodenherdenking). It is a celebration of the Netherlands being freed from Nazi occupation after World War II. Thank you Easy company and the other companies + Canadian, British, Polish, , Belgian, French, and Czech servicemen for liberating us.
@@angryeric2961 Delusional scumbag. Democrats behave like nazis these days so shut you ignorant mouth. These vets would be horrified if they saw what the dems stand for these days. so your idea that people should vote red if they respect these vets has to be one of the most ignorant things I've ever read on the internet. You should be deeply ashamed of yourself clown.
It breaks my heart that all of these amazing men have now passed away. I would've loved to spend time with them and listen to their storys. I'm greatful this documentary was put together.
my thoughts are the same. I would spend all day asking them questions which they might not prefer to answer but still I would love to spend time with them and give my utmost respect and gratitude. HATS OFF TO YOU SIT
@@albundy7198 your ignorance of what this countries stands for given to us by our constitution and bill of rights shows me that you have never serves one day in a uniform or swore an oath to give your own life to defend it
These stories should be part of school curriculum. This will help kids learn of the history, understand what the world has gone through and that peace is something that has been fought hard for. And this would be a great way to pay respect to these great men and keep them alive in our memories.
@@sydurgraham7760 idk what your problem is because he's right. People are clueless about history and look what's happening. If people had a little perspective they might chill the fuck out.
6 million people have taken over an hour of their time just on this video alone just to hear about the lives of our fore fathers/grandfather's. Let that sink in and show how much love and respect we have for them year after year
Bill Guarnere 4/28/23 - 3/8/14 (90 yrs old) died of an aneurysm in Philly. Survived by his 2 sons, 9 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. The Governor of the State of Pennsylvania ordered state wide flags to be flown at Half-Staff to honor this great man and true American Hero.
A true hero. A hero amongst heroes. May God watch over him and may he be reunited with the members of Easy Company that went before him. Sir, I salute you. R.I.P
+unirrational I guess in a way we are lucky to idiolise the people you mentioned. Thanks to the men of Easy Co. we live in a time of relative peace and can appreciate things like the arts. Not taking anything away from the heroes in the movie above.
A lot of people do a lot of good and that's great. Really. But when was the last time Little Richard put his life on the line to defend your freedom to express the opinion you just did?
There were plenty of good Germans too. It's not like the good guys lined up against the bad guys. The difference was Hitler, who brought misery to everyone. The German people suffered horribly under him.
I'm struggling in my life right now. This reminds me that I have so much to be thankful for because of these men. Thank you guys for everything you did.
kinskifilms historical significance & to inspire the ideals of hard work & sacrifice & to show kids what can still happen today. The best way to avoid mistakes on our horizon is to learn from history. I think progress can be great and all but the pampering of everyone’s feelings & this atmosphere of wanting to always be a victim is not helpful. I think there are too many great lessons to list really.
jonnsmusich I can maybe agree to that to an extent but we can learn many lessons from the past which is why we all agree that is was a good idea for herodotus to pass down some history for us and we have continued to do so. But, sure each generation must find its way through the times in which it finds itself I can agree to that.
Babe Hefron's part about living every day with the knowledge that someone took a bullet meant for him always gets me. 55 years later and it's still fresh in his mind.
This documentary should be shown at all schools world wide. We seem to come to an generation who doesn’t know enough about WWII. As being an 30 year old it’s almost the last generation who had grandfathers who served or had been in war. We should teach our children what happened ♥️🙏🏻
I'm 34 and my grandfather was in the Korean War. My husband is 35 and his grandfather was a ww2 vet. I know what you mean though, if you were a certain age then you'd expect most people you met had a male relative that was drafted to ww2, Korea, or Vietnam.
Very true. My great uncle Jean stormed the beaches when he was a just a few days shy of his 15th b day(he used his brothers birth certificate) and when I look at my 19 year son, it brings tears to my eyes.
@@isaacshaver6218 My late grandpa - a brazilian Pracinha - was barely 20 years old when he was drafted to fight the nazis in Monte Castello, young fellas used to be made of steel back then ....
You’re 30? Stop pretending like there isn’t a gigantic swath of World War II nerds in every graduating class. Maybe you just have a shitty personality?
Very insightful for a younger person who,unlike people my age, knew many family members, neighbors, teachers,ect who served in WWII. It's so important that young people today,and those yet to be born,know what these men,and all the millions of others who served, did for all of us.
I miss this generation. Lost my dad in '98 and father in law March of this year. They were both Vietnam veterans. I was an Army medic myself. We are too quickly losing some of the best people, even those still left from Vietnam. It's sad.
What he say in the end... "grandpa, where you a hero in the war?" - "no, but grandpa served in a company of heroes." Now THAT is a true man and hero in my heart. All the respect to those people. - from Denmark.
This should be shown in our schools. These gentlemen are the very last of decent human beings, I have seen this a thousand times and it still gets me to this day. I served but thank god never saw conflict on this scale, I pray that my son never does. I am not sure if he will or won’t but we are again making the same mistakes that could again lead us into war.
‘Band Of Brothers’ Had a profound effect on me as a younger man.. I’m 37 now but damn did it touch my heart and feel immense pride in my country. I love America 🇺🇸
In the D-Day memorial in Normandy, there’s an inscription carved in the polished rock near the fountain/water feature that says “From the heart of our land comes the blood of our youth, given to you in the name of freedom”. Gives me goose bumps whenever I see the picture and remember reading it in person
When Mr. Suerth mentioned his mother and got emotional it really hit me. When this was filmed it was almost 60 years after he was wounded and it was still with him. I'm in awe of these great men.
Such humility, Winters had. "If I had been harder and better, a lot more of my men would have gone home." and this coming from one of the most brilliant strategic minds of the war. That poignant statement made me cry.
Under incredible conditions, these guys prevailed. Looking back at how they could’ve done better is their regret that their buddies died. As someone looking from the outside, it’s incredible that anyone survived. I hear all the time from this generation that the real heroes are lying in those fields, and although I understand that sentiment, they were right there fighting with them. I respect these guys so much. God bless and keep them, they can sleep peacefully now.
Major Richard Winters should be as well known and discussed in history books,classrooms,ect as Eisenhower, Patton, MacArthur, and all the other big brass!
I was honored to be a part of the 506 in Ramadi, Iraq. We did our best to make these men proud but there was no way we could've ever come close to filling their boots. It'll be a sad day when their generation is gone. They made America great!
I was in Kurdistan with 10th Mountain and Baquba with the Big Red One. That was intense, but NOTHING compared to what those dudes endured. Much respect, to them and you.
@@26michaeluk I was in Baquba for my second and third deployments. While Baquba didn't get us much press as Ramadi, Fallujah or Baghdad, it was still in the Sunni Triangle and fucking intense, at least when it flared up.
I can't get over Popeye apologizing for being wounded because he knew it was bad for the unit. Not only a great soldier, but just a great dude all around. Like imagine you've just been hit by a grenade, you have no idea at that point if you're going to live or die, yet you still apologize to your comrades for being wounded. What a freaking guy.
They grew up on the Depression, they fought for his country and for the entire world... truly a great generation, I am not american, but I would like to thank these men for his sacrifice.
@Robert Bonneau it's a shame people like you take a cheap shot for a simple troll then people come along and see it and think it's real. Rinse and repeat long enough and it becomes reality, fake news online is the next big enemy and will be used to wage wars mark my words. So if you see someone posting stupid shit call it out, like the guy above me.
Most of these guys are gone now. Dear lord I wish they were still alive so we could learn the lessons they have to teach. RIP Dick, Bill, Buck, Smokey, Nixon, Babe, One Lung, Luz, Perco, Martin, Bull, and all the rest of them. God bless them.
These are some MEN. I live right outside Hershey Pennsylvania. Dick Winters did indeed come back and lived in a quiet little corner of Hershey. He died not that long ago. And we miss him.
I grew up not too far from you, in a small little town called Columbia, Pennsylvania I’m not to sure about the rest of Pennsylvania but I do think I can generalize that much of the Susquehanna Valley is extremely proud of our veteran community.
If a salute from a civilian would have meant anything to Maj. Winters, I would like to have given him one. A lot of good men got to come home alive because of him. RIP.
Probably the most honest, sincere account of men at war you could ever hear. An emotional record of history as told thru’ the experiences of the men from the Screaming Eagles. I salute them. This piece of history should be promulgated in schools to educate folk in what my father’s generation had to sacrifice. RIP.
"there i was with a trench knife, a canteen, and 6 candy bars... ready to fight the german army." god i miss when men were men . i miss your stories, RIP grandfather.
My aunt lived next to Babe and I would always get to go next door to his house as a young teen. I still have the airborne cover he signed and gave me. He would never talk about what had happened over there but he did show me some really cool things he brought back. I was a big history buff and was grateful to have been able to know him.
@40:29 Babe's words are perhaps the most real expression of what the survivors go through that I have ever heard. I admire these men not only for what they did when called upon, but for their ability to live and survive with what they have seen and experienced. "Survivors' guilt" is something we hear about a lot, but maybe it's better for us to think of it as "survivors' burden". It is a heavy load that they carried every day of their lives, long after they set down their rucksacks.
So sad that this generation are now dying out - a lot of young people could learn a lot about humanity from these men. I'm 21 and I look up to these men more than anybody else.
My heart aches with nothing but sheer respect and love for all of these men. Words aren't even enough to describe how incredibly proud I am of the very brave men that fought such an awful war for all of us to live in freedom today. Real hero's. God bless you all. 🖤 🇺🇲 🇬🇧
156 dislikes? That's fine. That's your opinion. Remember this though: "If not for the these men and the greatest generation you wouldn't be able to voice your opinion." You don't have to like it but I certainly hope that you respect these men.
Bob Kline Amen on that! Imagine if the Axis forces won the war? ..... how we could not like those men ? The ones that fought for us ? Well I like them and I thanked on them .
@Rick Sautner Many young men from all sides just like our own didnt want to go but were drafted to say no was prison or death but they all turned out hero`s one way or another despite who their leaders were.
When “Wild Bill” says the true heroes are buried in the cemeteries and he’s says “not us”, I always smile because my grandfather was the same way: tough, humble and didn’t think of himself as a hero. But to me, he was my hero!
as the next generation after these people...yes I'm a boomer...sue me...each and every one I ever met said the same thing...the heroes are the ones that didn't come back....and these were guys that had chests full of medals...battlefield commissions...you name it they had it.
While watching the full miniseries and seeing the interviews with the then-unnamed soldiers at the beginning of each episode, I knew instantly which one Guarnere was. Frank John Hughes did such a brilliant job of portraying him, and I hope he did Wild Bill proud.
Pet3r38 I can tell you that the Mk V was used during the war in Vietnam, well after the 40’s. Made of wood. You’re probably the guy nobody wants at a party.
RIP to all these wonderful heroes. One of the best war documentaries I've ever seen. A true, raw account of their brutal experiences (the ups and downs) during the biggest and most IMPORTANT conflict in human history. Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division, and ALL of the 506th Infantry Regiment will live FOREVER. 🫡
I can't help it. Every time at the end of BoB and this special when Winters is talking about the young one asking Grandpa if he was a hero in the war, I get choked.
My father was a WW II veteran. When he spoke about the war he laughed sometimes. Other times he cried. He never watched a war movie but he sure did smile when he spoke about his buddies. I knew him much later in his life. By then he sure knew how to have a good time. I loved that man. He died in 2014. We'll never understand what these men went through. 407,000 died in a three year visit to hell. In the subsequent 80 years we've bitched and moaned about unemployment, inflation, terrorism, politics, and all manner of change. None of that compares to the scale of misery these men survived. And I hope that my grandchildren, when they're old and gray, can say that too. Never again. Thanks dad.
If you are having trouble understanding just how horrific World War 2, and war in general really was. These men went through battles 50 years before these interviews, and they still are tearing up. My Grandfather was in the Pacific Campaign and when it would thunder he would get really shakey and anxious because it reminded of him of shelling.
when Malarkey said that the shelling wasnt intense enough it made me think how could anyone have survived that, let alone an entire company of soldiers make it out alive. to out do the shelling, you also endured that with foxholes that wasnt deeper than a foot, and the soldiers living out the deep freeze in their jump suits, with no winter clothing.
Back in the 70's my mom hired a handyman to remodel our house. He was a former marine who had fought on Iwo Jima, and he would curse the Japanese cars in my neighborhood.
@Jason King Where I'm from we take two minutes of silence every year on the day before we celebrate the end of the war. It is to remember all the fallen soldiers and victims of the war. Only two minutes in a year and even this is too much for some as they feel it is the right moment to get attention for their cause. It's repulsive. In 2010, there was some a-hole that started screaming during the remembrance service in the capital, causing people to fear a terrorist attack and total panic ensued where 63 people got injured. (panic was magnified by someone accidentally dropping their briefcase and someone else thought it must be a bomb). In 2018 some protest group about the colonial past thought it would be a nice moment to ask for attention for the victims from 'their' group. Sometimes, I hate people........ Show some respect for Gods sake.... On the other hand it is a nice tradition. Generally people even stop their cars when driving and total silence can be 'heard' during these two minutes. (if not for some dickhead like above that is)
“When we had a man who was man killed we found that he was at peace and he looked so peaceful and we were glad that he found peace”😭 I believe that is true to its entirety
I'm an ex British Army Infantryman. I recently had the pleasure of going to the Eagles nest with some good friends of mine. We drank a bottle of wine in honour of these troops as close as we could get to the same spot that they did back in the day. It was one of the most wonderful and deeply moving experiences I have ever felt in my life.
I'm an ex American Soldier and I also had the pleasure of going to the Eagles nest, kind of a scary bus drive getting to it , but what a view , yeah that was an amazing experience. Cheers from America mate.
I dont know these man, any of them, all those soldiers, but great respect, they jumped out of planes, died for freedom, had victory, and now im sitting here, living in freedom.
Some of the greatest men who ever walked the Earth. The marvelous aspect of their mortal greatness is how average they were in life. They were not kings or tycoons, they did not hail from the establishment families. They were farmers, laborers, salt of the Earth. Their nation called upon them to save the world, and they accomplished the mission.
George Luz worked pretty blue collar jobs, nothing fancy. I think it was something like 1200+ people turned up for his funeral, no pretence to be there just respect for the man.
@@jimplummer4879 tragic, would have loved to hear his thoughts and memories. From what I've been able to find and read, it seems like he was portrayed well.
As of the writing of this post, there are no more surviving members in Easy company. The last member who died was PFC Bradford Clark Freeman and he passed away on July 6th 2022. He was a part of Sgt. Donald Malarkey's squad in Easy Company as part of the mortar team.
The Mean Conservative True. On the other hand, Lipton sure seems like he was a mentally strong man. Imagine what he was like in his prime. From accounts I've read, he was a pillar of strength in the Company.
tjdinfl From what I've read, Lipton was very successful in pretty much everything he did after the war because of his natural character. He's probably the most inspirational person to me after Winters.
Bless these men for choosing to re-live unbearable trauma to give the rest of us a unique glimpse into a peice of history most of us can barely conceive the difficulty of, it truly feels like a privilege.
I can never watch this without having a tear. My Grandpa was in the 8th Army Air Corps in WW2 as a B-17 top turret gunner. He never spoke about the war. To think about what these men went through and their sacrifice. Thank you to all veterans and those that have laid their lives down for our freedom.
Thanks to the British also. I served as an American attached to the British royal Air Force from 84 to 87 in Cornwall England. Loved to see all the World War II British veterans show up with their medals on during Remembrance Day parades. Even if it was raining , there they were. We would stand in the pouring rain without the least care, knowing that these men had went through such horrible difficulties for all of our sake. God bless them
1:04:42 Winters talks about the German Major surrendering his pistol, which have never been fired. That is the key moment of this entire documentary for me.
I could sit and listen to these men all day . The utter respect I have for them in beyond words . I’m glad they recorded this so it will never be lost and they will never be forgotten. Thank you so much for all you did for us 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 QS
Its sad hearing his kids talk about him and knowing shifty didn't speak nearly as much as he had the right to. The stories told make me believe he was something else, eyesight and observation skills that were beyond human.
I've seen this several times over the years, and it never fails to bring me to tears.. Such amazing men. They are American men and did what men should do. Without knowing them personally, I'm so proud of them all. RIP.
I'm a modern combat vet and served in the modern 101st, and I'm a paratrooper as well. I stand in total AWE of these brave pioneers and men of the WWII airborne paratroopers. Seems my service is so insignificant as to what they endured. The casualty list of E Company is staggering. Simply staggering.
No offense to brother but theirs was a righteous war. They were not intentionally killing women, babies and old people and their goals had nothing to do with territorial gain or oil.
@@Jb-Raja I'm not judging morality, but in fairness WWII saw massive carpet bombing operations, 2 nuclear bombs on civilian cities, flame throwers, and other pretty horrific wartime activities.... so let's just be accurate in describing warfare. They did what needed to be done to win.
LeadCounsel I stand corrected sir. I guess seeing old frail people makes me feel protective of them but then we will all grow old and we ourselves know how we have lived our lives.
It's right what people say......These were our greatest generation. No matter which Allied country you're from.....We can't compare to these men, and the countless thousands like them throughout WWII.
***** oh ok i get what u meant. they sure failed at that tho lol. second hand equipment and ill-trained conscripts with a record worst then the Wehrmacht
1:07:26 "We've never become wealthy in life but we have a lot of wealth that means more than that." - Donald Malarkey Today's folk should listen closely to Don's words...
I was once asked in school "if you could meet any celebrity, previous Presidents, leaders, etc. who would you meet?" I said "Any of the men from Easy Company from WW2." The entire class had no idea what I was talking about. God bless these men. Never forget.
They were truly the greatest generation! I served in the Navy for 23 years and retired as a Senior Chief. I was proud to wear my nation’s cloth everyday because I knew I was standing on the shoulders of giants like these men from previous generations. Most of us in the service tried our best every day to walk in their footsteps, and not fail our previous generation’ heroes!
My grandfather was in the battle Guadalcanal in the Philippine islands. My brother interviewed him for a college paper. My mother never had the heart to listen to it. It clearly took heavy tolls, but he never let it show to his family. This show always reminds me of him❤️❤️❤️
Yes. This is one of my favorite series and that line gets me every. single. time. From the first time seeing it when it was new and I was in high school to today. Shifty was just a next level human being.
@@marielooney8746 truly. They’re all so inspiring but he was something else. Grateful this series and documentary were made, honestly breaks my heart that every company in every battalion didn’t get the same level of attention cuz man can you imagine how many Winters and Shiftys there were who never even got interviewed
My dad was in the Army, and may have crossed paths with these guys. He, too, once said that "The Germans were just scared kids like us." That made a good impression on me, that he (and most) solders understand the context and were able to separate the person from the action. On the other hand, a neighbor was in the Pacific during WWII and to his dying day, he hated the Japanese ( and would never buy anything Japanese). I always felt sorry for him, dragging that hate along with him through his entire life. That said, I know some of the Pacific battles were really terrible and he never said why he felt the way he did, so who knows.
Band of Brothers, while not perfect (what is?) was the best series ever made by anyone, anywhere. The interviews with the actual survivors tug at my heart strings. Every. Single. Time.
Op kerstavond 1944 nam mijn moeder mijn hand gedurende de middernachtsmis , en zegde dat wij beden voor die soldaten die voor ons vochten op 200 km van mijn stad Kortrijk. Ik was negen en zal dat nooit vergeten. I am so thankful, fourtin years later the same USA gave me a scholarship to study applied physics.....
Heroes, every last one of them. Even the ones that died immediately and never made it to the ground. Absolute heroes. The courage and bravery these boys possessed is like nothing else we will ever see again. Can't come close to imagining what it was like. Thank you to all these heroes for our freedom that we take so much for granted every day❤️❤️❤️
THOSE that died an early death in the war, died so others could go on to complete what needed done. They fought for us and the US but mainly for each other.
God bless you for this wonderful message of praise. Most Englishmen I converse with won’t give any credence to American soldiers and say that they didn’t need us, which kind of shocks me every time I read it. I don’t know if that’s like an English, stiff-upper-lip demonstration of nationalism but there’s absolutely no shame in admitting that you needed help and we were happy to help (well, it took the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor for us to get the kick in the pants that we needed). I know American soldiers today that say they’d be proud to die on British soil and wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s pretty much the highest praise an American can give another country, believe me.
My Dad was in the 506th 2nd Bat D Company. Growing up I knew that he was in the 101st airborne and I knew that he had survived Bastogne, But BoB really opened my eyes about what my Dad had gone through. He never really talked about the war, there were a couple of weird little stories that he told but nothing serious. I heard from my mother that he hated the whole idea of "hero" and hated the fact that his father talked him up as a hero (though in truth, he did get a DSC for Bastogne). There is (for me) one thing missing from BoB and the followon discussions. My dad suffered from PTSD for basically his whole life. There is a picture of my Dad and six of his buddies (taken in England) and on the back he wrote the names and status of all his buddies. Only two of his buddies survived, the rest were all KIA. Imagine if 50% of the people you worked with died within two months of each other. In 1962 we went to see "the longest day" together. He was in St. Mere Eglise on D-day. He talked about how frightened they were because they could hear tanks coming and how relieved they were when they turned out to be American Tanks coming in from the beaches.
As a teen I must have watched the D-Day movie at least a dozen of times. In the nineties there was a parachute hanging on the front of a church in Sainte Mere Eglise celebrating the sacrifice of the 101st Airborne. I hope it is still there... The American cemetery from Normandy has a field of crosses and tomb stones and a black marble wall where the names of the US fallen soldiers are written. A lot of them were still teenagers when they were KIA. I cried so hard during this documentary that I hardly could see the written comments of this video. In the beginning of the nineties I've also met a few soldiers in Lloret del Mar, Spain and managed to talk to them briefly. They were from UK and US and they've met to share memories of WWII - they've told me. Every single man of the 101st Airborne is a HEROE. May the ones who died rest in peace. Thank you for sharing the testimonies of the heroes who were alive when this documentary was made. No other nation in this whole world would have fought with such bravery for another nation's freedom. That's why the US of A is the country of the brave.
With you - and him, James. My grandfather fought in WW1 and never talked about it. The guys may be heroes in our eyes but they, rightly, were just doing a job. And believe me, we are more than grateful. Enough of the hero bullshit.
@@roryobrien4401 If you "are more than grateful" why can't I express my gratitude without you telling me: "Enough of that hero bullshit". That is so rude. Did you grow up in a barn or have a problem w/ US heroes? Who do you think you are to talk to me this way. Whatever the case is keep your "bullshit" for yourself and don't disrespect me & above all don't disrespect the 101st Airborne w/ dirty words about them in your comments. They are considered heroes in world's history! Have a little bit of respect for their sacrifice. They will not be forgotten. RIP 101st Airborne.
@@carmengilliard7378 I wasn't talking to you but since you've decided I have, I suggest you wise up or grow up fast. These guys would be the first - yes , the FIRST - to say they were anything but what the idiotic media calls heroes. They were humble, ordinary men doing a very difficult and dirty job and the vast majority of them did it well so that we could all be free today. So knock off the goddamn hero bullshit, alright, that's the last thing in the world they would want or would've wanted. And please don't confuse "heroism" with recognition for what they did. And watch Saving Private Ryan too while you're at it and note that Captain Miller was..a schoolteacher. Yes. War is a dirty business. Not for heroes or superheroes. You really should talk to the vets themselves if you can. I did. And don't accuse me of disrespect, you have no idea what you're talking about.
