Richard D. Winters

Richard D Dick Winters January 21 1918 January 2 2011 was an American Army officer and decorated veteran of World War II He served with Easy Company 2nd Battalion 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division and became one of the bestknown American officers of the Normandy campaign Winters enlisted in the US Army in August 1941 and later volunteered for the airborne forces In 1942 he was assigned to the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Camp Toccoa Georgia where he trained alongside the men who would become Easy Company He became the companys executive officer and later took command during the DDay landings in Normandy on June 6 1944 On DDay Winters led a small group of paratroopers in an attack on a German artillery position near Brécourt Manor The action was later regarded as a textbook example of smallunit leadership and earned him the Distinguished Service Cross He subsequently commanded Easy Company during the Normandy campaign and participated in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge Winters later became executive officer and then commanding officer of 2nd Battalion 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment In May 1945 he led his battalion into the Berchtesgaden area of Bavaria as Allied forces advanced into Germany After the war Winters returned to civilian life and worked in business He remained involved with the veterans of Easy Company and became an important source for accounts of their wartime experiences His story was featured prominently in Stephen E Ambroses 1992 book Band of Brothers which was adapted into the acclaimed HBO miniseries Band of Brothers in 2001 where Winters was portrayed by Damian Lewis Winters died on January 2 2011 at the age of 92 He was remembered for his modesty and leadership and a monument honoring him and other junior officers who fought in Normandy was dedicated near Utah Beach in France in 2012