Major Dick Winters Retrospective

Major Richard "Dick" Winters was a true American hero. Winters commanded "Easy Company", 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, during World War II. He died on January 2nd, 2010.

Winters was involved in every campaign the 101st participated in, starting on D-Day and careening through Operation Market-Garden, the defense of Bastogne during The Battle Of The Bulge, and finally into Germany, taking over Hitler’s The Eagle’s Nest.

Winters was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the United States second highest military honor, for his exploits leading an ad hoc group of scattered parachutists in destroying German battery emplacements at Brecourt Manner. In 2007, the mayor of Eindhoven, Holland presented him with the Medal of the City for his unit’s part in liberating the town from the Germans in September 1944.

The bravery and heroism of Richard Winters and the men of Easy Company was brought to life in the 2001 HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers". Actor Damien Lewis portrayed Winters.

Medals and Decorations

• Distinguished Service Cross
• Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster
• Purple Heart
• Presidential Unit Citation with one Oak Leaf Cluster
• American Defense Service Medal
• National Defense Service Medal
• European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 service stars and arrow device
• World War II Victory Medal
• Army of Occupation Medal
• Croix de guerre with palm
• French Liberation Medal
• Oorlogskruis with palm
• Belgian WWII Service Medal
• CCombat Infantryman Badge
• Parachutist Badge with 2 combat stars
• Medal of the City of Eindhoven