For those of you that didn't get the news flash, Dick Winters (92) of 101st Easy Company died on the 2nd January 2011. Like many normal men (and women) around the world, he was called up to fight in WW2. Unlike many, he was widely credited for being a brilliant leader, a superb officer and a good reason why so many men of Easy made it back.Unlike so many heroes of the Second World War and other conflicts, Mr. Winters has had his story of bravery and heroism documented (with artistic licence) by both Stephen Ambrose and Tom Hanks/Stephen Spielburg in 'Band of Brothers'.
For those of you who own it, it's time to dust off 'The longest Day' and 'Crossroads' and give some time to think of those men who gave their lives to enable the world we have today. For those of you who don't own Band of Brothers, who (heavens above) have never seen it, it's worth it. They gave us a world where we can thankfully choose whether we want to be in the armed forces or not.
And those other men in their millions (on all sides), each unique and beloved people who cherished and sought and wondered, whose bravery is now sorely forgotten, whose actions are lost with their deaths or misplaced in the miasma of history.
My grandfather was lucky enough to survive the War, despite being shot down over Germany and spending half of the war in Stalag Luft, but he spent his remaining days a broken person in many ways.
How lucky we are.
Damian Lewis as "Lt. Winters" in Band of Brothers (HBO)
