"Dad has this record of "People Will Say We're in Love." Reminds me of a couple I once knew, so there's that tricky smile on my lips and a wee bit of twinkle in my eye as I listen."
— Dick Winters in a letter to DeEtta Almon
this video could not have been made without yna @evidenceof: i compiled all your wonderful posts, but every single historical photograph, letter, quote, and transcript you see (including the one above!) was scanned or collected by her. thank you for everything, and for providing inspiration and motivation to work on such an ambitious project!
more credits/sources under the cut ->
the style of this video was inspired in part by (and could never live up to) twelve years a clown and a new season by kira @remythologise. you do well-sourced fandom meta as comedy so well!
HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS CITED (in order of appearance; sourced by yna unless otherwise specified):
Letter to from Bob Gibson to Harry Welsh
Conversations with Major Dick Winters by Cole C. Kingseed (partially via @sheletlune here)
Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's "Band of Brothers" by Don Malarkey, Bob Welch
Band of Brothers panel at the American Veterans Center Conference (2007)
From Toccoa to Europe: On the Ground with Easy Company from The National World War II Museum
Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters by Larry Alexander
Letters from Dick Winters to DeEtta Almon
Band of Brothers show bible (via USAHEC)
Ron Livingston interviewed by Ross Owen for The Story So Far podcast (via @sidsledge here)
Letters from Lewis Nixon to Dick Winters
Mark Cowen's interview of Dick Winters
Dick Winters' eulogy for Lewis Nixon
Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife from The Gettysburg Museum of History [disputed]
Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters by Dick Winters
Letter from Grace Nixon to Dick Winters
Letter from Dick Winters to Lewis Nixon
FAN POSTS FEATURED (in order of appearance):
Tom Hanks meme by @bleedingcoffee42
Gay people can never flirt normally by @4o4notf0und
Tags on this post (by @stopstopstopit) from @igotyoubabeheffron, @randlemartin, @mr-chatterboxs-column
Why is he looking at him lighting a cigarette like that by @sidsledge
Tags on this post (by @airborneinfantry) from @roedotjpg, @holdingforgeneralhugs, @airborneinfantry, @boogiesheep
This yaoi shit is life or death by @bleedingcoffee42
Yearning disease by @evidenceof
Fujo goggles by @sidleckie
I'd follow him to hell by @stopstopstopit
What are your thoughts on... by @balladofthe101st
Their souls are literally intertwined by @stopstopstopit
Harry Welsh art by @foxholebuttfinder
Live Harry reaction by @finalgirljesus
Addicted to chilling with gay guys by @ww2yaoi
He gave him chocolates by @sidsledge
Loving your best friend so much by @sidsledge
Happy VE Day by @evidenceof
Getting your shit rocked by @sidsledge
Tags on this post (by @searchingforacircuitbreaker) from @sleepy-hyperfixations, @siiiiideblooooog, @redhcad, @kazanskied, @hanniewinnix, @danopdf, @cock-guillotine
Fellas, is it gay by @luckyreds
Tank fanart by @andromeddog
Bastogne fanart by @roberttingle
He's the exception to everything by @runaeveena
The Inherent Homoeroticism of War Media by @oatflatwhite
im often thinking about the way dick winters wrote about nixon in beyond band of brothers. from “captain nixon found his usual retreat in alcohol that evening, but i was glad to see him safe” to “nixon departed joigny the next week, making me about as lonesome as a lovesick sailor who married a wave in an eight-hour pass” and finally, “what greater trust, what greater honor could i ask for than to be trusted with his precious inventory of vat 69?”
Now you’ve asked me about this “Band of Brothers” series and Ambrose’s love for the 101st. Now don’t get me wrong, my buddy Dick Winters is one Hell of a man. However, this series, this book makes it seem that the 101st won the entire goddamn war. This isn’t jealousy, but we in the 82nd Airborne know better. I think I know why and how this love affair Ambrose had for the 101st happened and the resulting media celebration we see today.
It started the day the 82nd Airborne booed General Eisenhower.
Publicly and very loudly!
Damn right we did!
That was after Normandy and it is an interesting story.
[…] when we left for France we were told if you made three jumps, you could go home on leave.
Kind of like those deals to go home in the Army Air Corps who did 25 bombing missions and all that crap. We were told this and believed it. So, this was in our minds when Eisenhower began speaking. We thought he was announcing that he was giving us a break.
Now remember many guys in the 82nd had jumped in Africa, Italy, and now Normandy. That’s three jumps buddy. But at the same time, Eisenhower was addressing the 82nd Airborne, He said
“He was proud of them and that as he relied on them in the past, so shall he rely on them in the near future.” That meant we were not going anywhere. No leave in the States.
We were getting nothing.
What we ended up getting was a trip to Holland…
He said, holding this mic, that “He had other plans” for us and the entire 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment started booing the Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force. Booing him big time. We were shouting cusswords at him really giving him the business. We stayed in formation but we were pissed.
It was Gavin who got us to calm down. He got up on a jeep’s hood and got us all to calm down.
I’m told Eisenhower really reprimanded General Gavin and after that day Ike was always seen at 101st Screaming Eagles events. We rarely saw him.
The Screaming Eagles, his new favorite.
You know he was even going to give the 101st AB honors to march in the victory parade in Berlin.
This was too much and Gavin stepped in and changed that. We earned it. The 101st was created and came out of the 82nd Todd. We were the senior Airborne Division with more jumps, more combat time, than any other US airborne division. While the 101st had Eisenhower, we had General Gavin.
So, we marched under the Brandenburg Gate celebrating our victory not over the Germans, but over the 101st!
So, now in later years, who becomes Eisenhower’s biographer?
Stephen Ambrose.
Who wrote “Band of Brothers?”
Ambrose.
So of course, his head was all full of this love from Ike for the 101st.
Listening to Army Dreamers but the Soldiers Sing consistently gives me chills, makes me cry, or both
Listening to it is such a magical and emotional experience and I highly recommend it, especially for those interested in history, learning about wars, and/or war movies and shows
The podcast episode was taken off of Spotify, but it is still on YouTube at the link below
janainaart
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dededos
dailybridgerton
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