Major Richard D. Winters

My hero is Major Richard D. Winters (ret.). Winters, or "Dick" as those who were close to this incredible man called him, became a "hero" during World War Two. However, he really was a hero his whole life; before and after the war Richard Winters was an outstanding example and hard worker. That is the reason he is my hero; he was not just a war "hero" but also a great person and an outstanding role model to everyone around him.

Major Richard Winters was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on January 21, 1918. He continued to grow up in Pennsylvania on a farm with his parents, Richard and Edith. Winters continued through High School and College in Pennsylvania also, attending college at Franklin & Marshall. Major Winters stood at six feet tall and weighed one hundred and seventy seven pounds, so he was a very athletic man. He played sports throughout his High School and College years, even though he had to drop wrestling, his favorite sport, when he went to Franklin & Marshall. This athleticism from his body frame and young years working on a farm would serve him well, because he would be demanded to preform incredible acts of strength in World War Two.

Major Richard Winters became the legend we see and read all about today during the four years of War World Two. He enlisted in 1941 and went through basic training in Camp Croft, South Carolina. In 1942, Winters applied to go to Officer Candidate School and was selected. After graduating from OCS in Fort Benning, Richard Winters decided he wanted to become a Paratrooper. He was assigned to Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. It was at Camp Taccoa, in Georgia, where Winters underwent the intense training to be a Paratrooper demanded by Lieutenant Herbert Sobel. Once through training, Easy Company was arguably the best Company in the whole Regiment, thanks to Sobel. Winters was a leader through training, and it was noted (he was made First Lieutenant, Executive Officer), but it was not until the D-Day jump on June 6th when Winters truly made a name for himself.

Upon landing from a scattered drop on D-Day, Winters had already lost his weapon and a lot of gear because his leg bag, a British invention, had fallen off. He continued on anyway, weaponless, through the dark and German infested area to find his Easy Company men. The next day, Winters was ordered to take out four German artillery guns. Easy still had 90% of its men unaccounted for, yet Winters carried on. Richard Winters led his men on an attack that would later become a textbook assault on a fixed position, still taught today in Army Academies. He set up a base of fire and sent two squads, with him in the lead of one, to the left and right flanks of the guns. Once the first gun had been secured, they continued up the trenches and rendered the other guns useless. Winters received a Distinguished Service Cross for his action on the guns, and he would continue to earn many more medals throughout the war with his bravery, leadership, and courage. In one of the interviews for the HBO production "Band of Brothers," the men of Easy Company said that once the war was over, the company was surprised (very pleasantly) that Winters had survived the war, because nobody thought he would. With his overabundant leadership and bravery, Winters was always in the front of the attacks he led or was doing something to put himself in danger to help others.

Major Richard Winters was not just a hero in World War Two, but throughout his whole entire life. He continued to be an outstanding person after the war, most likely because of his early upbringing on a farm with great parents and extraordinary qualities. Winters was a leader both in and out of war, leading by both example and control. He taught at an Army Academy while still in service, training people to lead like him. Also, he wrote books about how to be a leader. Winters was also a very modest person. During the end of the "Band of Brothers" Winters was interviewed, and his grandson asked him if he was a hero in the war, yet a still humble and now old Richard Winters replied: "No, but I served in a company of heroes." Also, when Winters was in Easy Company, he was regarded as a little odd because he neither drank nor smoked, and even after the war he did not become a drunkard or a mean, angry person like so many people do after facing the terrors of war. Richard Winters chose instead to deal with his feelings by raising his family on a quiet farm where he grew up; Pennsylvania.

Major Richard Winters is my hero because he was such an incredible example to everyone around him. Ultimately, Winters was just living from Christ's example, which I admire too. However, Winters is an encouraging example of a normal human being who truly lived with qualities like courage, leadership, bravery, honesty, and humbleness. I also admire how brave Richard Winters was during World War Two. Whenever I am facing trouble or fears, I can look at something Winters did and be encouraged. He was always helping or leading someone in the War, in spite of many dangers. Winters is also my hero simply because he served in World War Two. I think that anyone who has served our country in war is a hero, Winters just went above and beyond the average soldier.

Richard "Dick" Winters was an extraordinarily brave war hero, but also a hero in his every day ordinary life. He is my hero because of his incredible courage to do all he did, both in World War Two and in his regular life. I am very glad he, and Easy Company, got the recognition they deserve by having several books written and the HBO production "Band of Brothers" made about them. Unfortunately, Winters and men like him are seen few and far between in modern times, and the number of quality men like Winters is shrinking daily. Major Richard "Dick" Winters died on January 2, 2011 at age ninety-two. However, his accomplishments, his legacy, and his examples will not be forgotten.