Major Dick Winters on Adjusting to Civilian Life after WWII (Band of Brothers)

Major Dick Winters has been a personal hero of mine ever since I've seen the show "Band of Brothers" as a young man. Here are some clips from an interview of Dick Winters done by Rep. John Payne, which was recorded in the early 2000's. Thank you Rep. John Payne for sharing this interview with the world.
Here's the links to his interviews:
Part 1: • A Tribute to Maj. Dick...
Part 2: • Rep. Payne's Legislati...
Part 3: • A Tribute to Major Win...
Part 4: • A Tribute to Maj. Dick...
Part 5: • A Tribute to Maj. Dick...

[@ralphgreenjr.2466]

I was drafted in 1969 and retired in 1999 from the US Army. There was a group of 5 of us, all career military, that met every deer season in Ohio/Michigan/West Virginia to enjoy a special bond. It is deer season in Ohio and I am alone, the last man standing. It makes me remember that we joked about who would be the last one standing.There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of them. Every day I take my rifle and go afield they are with me. God bless, Mike, George, Bob, Vince, and Jonathan.

[@graememilne4202]

Well you get out there and enjoy it for your fellow brothers. Im the last of a group of five...think about it every damned day. We used to make jokes about it too and here we both are.Stay well bro.

[@lightninguru26]

Thank you for enduring so much for so many you will never know. ❤️

[@slifer680]

Thank you for your service sir!

[@George-nm8ec]

Thank you for your service.

[@anthonydemarco2583]

Thank you Sir

[@blueshattrick]

I'd say that Dick Winters is probably one of the most individually impressive people I have ever listened to.

[@BelloBudo007]

Too right he is. What I noticed is that he is an incredibly good listener. Yes he has a sharp mind, but he weighs-up and measures his answers before saying anything. I suspect that was a trait that made him such a good leader.

[@timhowell6929]

Yes, I’d add Jake McNiece to that list also…

[@mastro4886]

@@BelloBudo007 well said.

[@benpack03]

Absolutely. He’s real and honest.

[@VTdarkangel]

I would agree. The only man I would put higher is Woody Williams. I had the honor to hear him tell his story in person.

[@eronavbj]

My dad was a machine gunner in the 9th Infantry Division and fought in Normandy at St. Lo. In the mid-50s, Mattel came out with a “burp-gun” that fired specially manufactured caps via a rotating wheel. He took me to a toy store and browsed through a newspaper while the store owner loaded caps around the wheel, wound the gun’s mechanism and pulled the trigger. My father hit the floor like a rock. I was only 10 at the time, but I had heard about and witnessed some of the aftermath of his WWII experiences. This was the most vivid example I had ever seen, but he did have a 4 or 5 year period of adjustment after the war. He would go into the basement during thunderstorms, would stop and listen intently whenever a plane flew overhead. Dad always cautioned me whenever we watched a WWII movie together. “That’s not what it was really like, boy,” he would say as we watched a specific combat scene. After high school, he told me NOT to go into the Army or Marines, but the Navy or Air Force instead, so I could avoid his infantry experience. I know he had trouble with PTSD for several years, but he worked diligently, supported a wife and four children and passed at age 77. My siblings and I all have college degrees and successful careers. I credit my parents’ with instilling their work ethic into us. They truly were the Greatest Generation.

[@redmustangredmustang]

The worst part is that your dad and those who saw combat had PTSD for years and never talked about stuff they saw for 40, 50,60, even up to 70 years and took that all to the grave.

[@user-qr7ee2cp4y]

They truly were the greatest generation... they all gave some and some gave all. Most of today's generation doesn't give two sh-ts about anyone but themselves.

[@user-mh7ng4vn9l]

Respect to your wonderful parents, and for the painful experience your father went through. As an european, I say THANKS for his service. We owe you americans SO much 🙏

[@kelleychilton2524]

Yes, they not only suffered through the worst war in human history, but the war came on the heels of the decade-long Great Depression. They really do deserve the title 'Greatest Generation.'

[@rodbutler4054]

WWII was a war of good vs evil and draftees and volunteers were unquestioning. Today we have a military industrial complex that profits from producing military products that wars increase profits for them. Sounds cynical but Vietnam was a recent example.

[@artisaprimus6306]

These men suffered PTSD on their own. Their families could never understand what these men experienced. My late father was a WW2 veteran who served in the Pacific theater. I knew he served in the war, but I didn't know he was Iwo Jima. Once , I was grown, I asked why he didn't talk about it, because he was part of history. He said " I've spent all my life trying to forget it. Why would I want to talk about it?"

[@Monkismo]

My answer, as the grandson of a WWII vet and the nephew of a Vietnam draftees, would be "to dispel illusions about what war is like and discourage others from glorifying it."

[@artisaprimus6306]

@@Monkismo No, it's not up to him to relive his emotional pain, so we can gain a better understanding. I understood it clearly enough to know I didn't want to put him thru reliving those horrible events for my sake.

[@zaru10]

He did his duty once when he defended his Homeland. He doesn't need to do it again by giving insights into the horrors he saw If we were to truly imagine war we could conjure some understanding of it, enough to avoid it

[@Monkismo]

@Zarrar Lodhi That's my point. If all kids hear is a recruiter's sales pitch and a lot of hero worship toward vets, we're just sending them off to be part of the same kind of horror, but probably one not even a war worth fighting. Then they come back and say nothing and the cycle continues.

[@artisaprimus6306]

@@Monkismo Well, it's a personal choice to serve their country. It's all volunteer now, unlike in the past. They stopped the draft the same year I turned eighteen. I did not enlist based on my father's experience.

[@zeus6793]

My Dad didn't start talking until after he saw Saving Private Ryan. I don't know why that was the "trigger", but it was. The next time I asked him something about the war, it wasn't "Oh, it was a long time ago." or "I don't remember it at all". This time it was actually the things he lived through in the South Pacific. He passed away in 2013, but I got alot of his story, and I am so glad I did.

[@RivetGardener]

Good for you!

[@lautoka63]

My father talked about his war experiences only twice. He was a gunnery officer on HMAS Westralia, an Australian ship which landed US Marines up the Pacific. My girlfriend once mentioned her time in the Solomons as a med student; Dad replied "I was at Guadalcanal too, but they were shooting at me".

[@terryalang7283]

I watched saving private Ryan once when it first came out, Spealburg made it so bloody realistic that i've not been able to watch it again.

[@zeus6793]

@@terryalang7283 Spielberg wanted it to truly show the American people the type of brutality that war is. And WW2 was particularly brutal, all over the world. Many of the vets of D-Day said that it was as close to what it was, except you didn't have bullets flying over your head.

[@terryalang7283]

@@zeus6793 I know exactly what it feels like!

[@davidgreen40]

My mother had a beau who was a B-17 co-pilot. Once they were in a car as passengers and there was a loud “thump” from driving over the expansion joints on the concrete roadway. The car was doing about 50 mph, and suddenly he broke into a cold sweat, and after a few minutes asked the driver to pull over and let him out. The driver did, and this brave man who flew a full tour and then some went into the grass on the roadside and began vomiting. Once he’d composed himself he explained the “thumps” from the expansion joint sounded like flak and cannon shells hitting his plane. As traumatic as that was, it was the gruesome death of the flight engineer/top turret gunner (killed by a 20mm cannon shell) that most affected him. They got back in the car, took surface streets, and nothing more was said by any one. These are the MEN who won the war in the air over Germany.

[@majestic._]

Got goosebumps reading this. Thank you for sharing

[@allencollins6031]

@@majestic._ same

[@LitoGeorge]

Amen. The men. Respect.

[@marybrown8905]

My Dad couldn’t go to Fourth of July fireworks.

[@OffGridInvestor]

My grandfather used to hate the blinds flapping in the wind of someone had the window open slightly. Sounded like machinegun fire if they were flapping pretty hard.

[@InfinitiG-gz7ic]

RIP Major Dick Winters. Not just a great American, but a great man.

[@williamyoung9401]

Thanks for defending Western civilization. The world would be a completely different place if soldiers like Major Winters hadn't stepped up to answer the Call. The Man in the High Castle, only for real...

[@Nmax]

RIP Major Winters. He was a great leader to gis his men and thanks to them we have our civilization today (saved from Nazi barbarity)

[@freebornjohn2687]

My father fought in WW2. When he was very weak and dying of cancer the doctors prescribed morphine to ease his pain. One day I was sitting with him and he was barely conscious and could hardly move - he suddenly started shouting at the top of his voice about being under fire and jumped out of bed and started crawling around on the floor. He shouted at me to get down - so I did. He wasn't in his bedroom he was back in the war with bullets flying past his head. For those few moments I had an inkling of what he went through. He died a few weeks later.

[@Melanrick]

😢

[@saturatedbrownie8048]

God bless you both.

[@danielmcgowan2279]

So sad the pain they carry. Soon we will see that pain with the way the world is headed. I love and am grateful for these men like your father.

[@freebornjohn2687]

@@Jarhead-ki7io Likewise for yours.

[@tombartram7384]

As if

[@BathSaltShaman]

I remember when you could run into WWII vets at the grocery store or anywhere in public and not bat an eye. Now they are all but completely gone. God bless them and every veteran of every era.

[@matth3708]

I wish the rest of the US public felt the same way! God bless the greatest country on the planet

[@PlateletRichGel]

Back in the 70's my mom hired an old guy to help remodel our house. He was an marine who had fought on Iwo Jima, and he bitterly cursed every Japanese car he saw coming down the street.

[@TuckFinn831]

At our cabin in Minnesota there was this old timer neighbor that was a tail gunner in a B 17 flying fortress.. I was young when he would tell stories.. but my God.. once I got older and actually learned of what it meant to be a tail gunner in a B 17, I would have talked his ear off! These interviews are precious.

[@charlesking5328]

The Greatest Generation . Not only the military but whoever contributed too , or helped in our war effort back then. Far cry from today. We go from United to Divided states of America.

[@roddydykes7053]

@@PlateletRichGelI never fully understood my dad’s side’s distaste towards the, in my mind, world’s best cars coming out of the 80s and 90s, until it occurred to me that they had fought against those very same people as enemies

[@tombranch2261]

Its heartbreaking when you listen to him, you can hear his voice falter at times, and you know there is a flood of emotions behind it, loss, trauma and pain that he had to carry his entire life, that was the true sacrifice of these men, it was not just blood and sweat and tears, it was that they carried the scars, both physical and emotional for the rest of their lives, all so that we didn't have to.

[@catinthehat906]

His description of a kid rattling a stick along a fence and then finding himself in the gutter without a conscious thought is a classic example of how our midbrain threat/arousal systems work. The amygdala makes this decision before you have a chance to process it the cortex -sounds like a machine gun I better drop down. That's why PTSD is so pervasive it becomes hardwired, a necessary system for survival which exists even in lower order animals.

[@joemirasolo5782]

Thank God for people like major Winters. If it was not for him and those like him God knows how different our world would be like today.

[@RichardStrong86]

Do you know in Lord of the Rings Frodo carries a burden from the ring for the rest of his life? That was Tolkien writing in his experiences from WW1, and the emotional burden from trench warfare that stayed with him for his entire life.

[@tired5]

*haven't had to*

[@MrHeavy466]

@@catinthehat906 Interesting, thank you.

[@michaelgrey7854]

My Great Grandad was in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 as part of the New Zealand Division. After going over the top he got shot just above the heart. He laid on the battlefield a whole day before being rescued. It was the mud that saved him. We still have the uniform with the bullet hole in it. God bless all that have served and do serve.

[@feonor26]

Insane he survived that with thoughts about infections etc and penicillin wasn't even invented yet.

[@PABeaulieu]

Hello from Québec, Canada. You could show us a picture of his uniform. That's a real piece of history!

[@Munnwort]

man that is a treasure you’ve got, holy

[@kelleychilton2524]

He was extremely lucky, quite a story. World War One was a meat grinder all its own. The New Zealand and Australian divisions especially suffered terrible casualties. Salute from the USA. 🙏

[@jacktattis]

@@kelleychilton2524 And just for general information Montgomery was shot through the lung in 1914 and was back in action from 1915 to 1918

[@sandraelsmaterialoblivion7201]

I was in the 101st ABN in 1994 - was selected with 12 other Soldiers to represent the division at a D Day Annivesary in DC. Not only did I sit and talk with Winters, but also, Babe Hefron and Gonorrhea. One of the most amazing and fortunate events for me.

[@cosmokramer179]

That must’ve been a privilege. I’m quite jealous

[@sandraelsmaterialoblivion7201]

@@cosmokramer179 My "reward", if you will, for winning the 101st Aviation Brigade Soldier of the month. Not an hour ago I was telling my wife about some of it. Nice name here, btw, enjoy your Festivus

[@sandraelsmaterialoblivion7201]

@@aragorn4370 Oh, I get it, your jealousy causes you to question anyone who does something you wish you could do. Dually noted

[@bobbalouie9941]

Major Winters, is, of course, what you meant to say, right?

[@realWARPIG]

@@sandraelsmaterialoblivion7201 I am both proud and jealous of you at the same time brother. I served in 1st Infantry Division in Germany and went to the division ceremonies at Omaha Beach as an honor guard member flag bearer. Deepest thing I have ever experienced.

[@reno145]

My uncle spent every night for 75 years after his discharge never having a restful night's sleep. He buried his 19 year old brother in Normandy. Love ya, Uncle Bud!

[@guns2317]

The thought that he, along with millions of other combat veterans, spent the rest of their long lives still adjusting to the horrors they went through makes my heart heavy. Truly these people were THE greatest generation. Our nation was blessed to have had them. May the memory of Major Winters, and his fellow warriors from all theaters, never fade with time.

[@martymcfly3986]

now, democrats and leftism want to throw all this into the garbage can

[@dukecraig2402]

I don't believe in that whole "Greatest generation" narrative. Here's some interesting statistics to think about; ⅔rds of US personnel in WW2 were drafted, ⅓rd volunteered. Now despite the image of the personnel who served in Vietnam being that of young men who were dragged over there by their hair kicking and screaming via their draft boards the fact is ⅔rds of them volunteered, ⅓rd were drafted, that's right, more men percentage wise had to be drafted into WW2 because after that initial wave of patriotism following Pearl Harbor the fact is after the bodies started coming home in body bags and the images of dead GI's started appearing in Life magazine and in the news reels the recruiter's office's were empty. Meanwhile during Vietnam despite the fact that the media bashed it and it was very graphically portrayed every single evening on the news percentage wise more volunteered to go over there than had in WW2. Now here's the real kicker, 100% of the troops that served the past 20 years in that mess in the middle east volunteered, not one single person was drafted, not a single one. Spend some time thinking about that, here's something else that adds to people easily perceiving the WW2 generation as being "Greater" than all the other one's; During and after WW2 Hollywood was onboard with backing the war, ever since WW2 the general narrative of all the war movies was to portray that war and the veterans who fought in it as "good", ie good war and honorable veterans, while with the Vietnam war just about every movie made shone it in a bad light, and pretty much throughout the 70's Vietnam veterans were portrayed in TV shows and a lot of movies as being the bad guy's, they were always the psycho bank robbers and other characters like that, even the TV show M*A*S*H although being set in the Korean War was a metaphor for Vietnam and everyone knew it at the time, the war was wrong, the leaders were portrayed as incompetent idiot's etc etc. That's one of the reasons that people are so surprised to find out that percentage wise more men volunteered for Vietnam than they did in WW2. Now don't get me wrong I'm in no way shape or form trying to bash the veterans of WW2, that's the generation that raised me and I've always thought the world of them, but because of the false images put forth by TV shows and movies it's easy for people to easily dismiss the patriotism shown by the Vietnam veterans via the numbers that volunteered for it. And I also think it does a great disservice to all the veterans of the war in the middle east the past 20 years for everyone to sit there the past 20 years as they've come home from that mess to hear the oh so common narrative of "WW2 was America's greatest generation/kids these days are worthless", especially when you consider that 100% of them volunteered. The theme of this video is about adjusting back to "normal" civilian life, when those men came back from WW2 they had not only victory parades but also a booming economy for 20 years afterwards that made it pretty easy to get married, start a family and buy a home and a car, that support and getting a stable job with decent pay and benefits is critical to adjusting back into civilian life, look at what the veterans coming home the past 20 years have had to deal with, watching all our job's being shipped overseas and the prospect of being able to have a stable job, which is key to having a "normal" life, go down the drain. I myself am a veteran of the Cold War, and the very people who were our sworn enemies, communists, are the one's who have my job, since I discharged from the military in 1986 our job's have all been shipped over to communist China, I'm still waiting for someone to explain that one to me. One final thing that people don't know about the comparison of WW2 veterans to the Vietnam veterans, and that's of drug abuse, the image has always been put forth that the men who came home from WW2 were squeaky clean and most of the men that came home from Vietnam were drug addicts, well here's another surprise for you, heroin abuse skyrocketed in the 50's from the men in WW2 that were abusing morphine during the war, here's a little known fact for you, at the beginning of the war each soldier carried his own morphine surratt's on him, what they found out throughout the war was that when there was an impending battle men would shoot themselves up with one for fear of getting tore up so badly in the battle that they wouldn't be able to administer one to themselves, once the military caught on to that they took the morphine surratt's away from the individual soldiers and only the medics carried them, but this still didn't stop men from scrounging them off of dead medics or the dead medics of the enemy forces, the opiate abuse that surged in the 50's from the war veterans was something people just didn't talk about, which is one of the reasons it's so little known but on the other had movies and TV shows concerning Vietnam veterans pushed the image of them being drug addicts probably beyond the actual amount that they actually were. The treatment of the Vietnam veterans by our society has always been a pet peeve of mine, I was a little kid when those guy's were coming home and even as a kid I knew the way they were being treated was wrong, it's one of the most shameful periods in our history if you ask me and no one wants to talk about it anymore but I can assure you from someone who was alive and watched it happen it was wrong and there was no excuse for it, this country still owes them an apology for the way they were treated back then. It's real easy to jump on bandwagons in life, the WW2 generation had their definitive victory with the surrender of Japan on the deck of the USS Missouri, but what a lot of people don't understand is that just by the nature of today's conflicts they can't expect an ending like that, no one's going to be standing on the deck of a battleship signing surrender papers, and just because a conflict doesn't end like that doesn't make the veterans of it any less "great" than the veterans of WW2.

[@The_Mimewar]

Agreed. My grandfather drove a munitions truck through France. Bridges exploded behind him. He gave up his life essentially so we may live.

[@printolive5512]

Amen to that !

[@connorthekid1]

@@dukecraig2402 An interesting article this Duke. Food for though.

[@gregbanks5624]

My grandfather who was a B-17 pilot was shot down over Germany towards the end of the war, bailed out at high altitude suffering frost bite, twisted his ankle upon landing, was put in front of a firing squad where it was halted at the last second, force marched 25 miles to Stalag13, and turned 21 while there until he was liberated. I read this in his Veterans medical evaluation recounting. My mom and uncle had no idea as he never mentioned any of it. Amazing, greatest, generation and so thankful for their sacrifices.

[@gailcarey3597]

My father was the pilot on Duration Plus Six that mushed out over the North Sea and landed intact. He lost all but 3 men to the ocean. He could hear them screaming to get out. He was at Stalag Luft 3, also. We thought the Nazi regime died with Hitler. The head of the snake wasn’t cut off. Antisemitism is worse now.

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

This man is why I hate it when commentators call sports stars “heros” for simply playing a sport they happen to love and be good at.

[@brianfergus839]

“heroes”

[@speedracer2336]

I hate it when football players say they are going to war before games.

[@JamesSmith-pc6bh]

I've always felt the same.

[@Finkardop]

They’re heroes in a difference sense. Some athletes come from really shitty situations or cities, over come those odds and make it to the big leagues. I forget the name of the movie, but a guy from Philly made it onto the Philadelphia Eagles just by open tryouts. Philly is known to be one of the roughest cities; especially these days. To some people in Philly, he’s a hero cause he essentially represents that cities culture; whereas Dick Winters is a hero for an entire generation - and even then he doesn’t view himself as a hero.

[@willmartin34]

Yes yes yes...some sports stars make me want to vomit. Because of the full on idol worship they get.... Jesus is lord....

[@FishtownRec]

Screw marvel superheroes this man a true American superhero who should be renowned by every citizen, man, woman, and child. God bless you Major Winters and thank you for your service!

[@jeffreychongsathien]

Marvel superheroes are a reflection of a devolving, broken society.

[@refugeeca]

@@jeffreychongsathien 100% my thoughts exactly.

[@thanosmaster-abel559]

It’s not even about that…. Adding on, Tony stark actually had a whole movie about overcoming his ptsd from the aliens.

[@BlueHorseStudios]

I agree 100% Damian Lewis portrayal of Major Winters in Band Of Brother was amazing, I can't think of another actor for that role

[@melanienagy6389]

You are so right.

[@andrewtaylor1671]

My goodness how could you not follow that man? He oozes leadership.

[@jasonhutter7534]

agreed. my best leaders in the military were a combination of modesty and an awesome skill set.

[@TarHeelsKenny]

He was the kind of commander we would have ran through a brick wall for.

[@Pow3llMorgan]

His men thought him soft in the beginning but it would only be within hours of him taking command of the company that they realized they had a leader in him, who would just maybe get them through the war unscathed.

[@spanishpropertyconsultants]

"And as you can see it's even difficult right here today". Respect.

[@dudekazoo]

It just speaks volumes to his bravery.

[@djo9941]

I was around 8 years old when I was walking down the street with one of my uncles. He had just come back from Viet Nam, where he was a Marine. There was a car backfire and he grabbed me, threw me to the sidewalk, covered me with his body, and started yelling commands. The fear I felt was huge to me, but I can't imagine what he went through.

[@Hazwaste63]

Until the day he passed at a ripe old age, Dad never spoke of his Korean combat experiences with any of his kids. He told Mom of only one incident, and never mentioned it again. He did love to tell us of his time in boot camp though, and of his adventures while a guard assigned to an admiral at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. We loved hearing the stories, no matter how many times he'd tell them. Everything that wonderful guy was, at his heart he was a U.S. Marine.

[@dangreene9846]

The same with my brother won't talk about Vietnam, but we will compare notes on basic. Good story about your Dad.

[@stevehicks8944]

It was the same with my dad(Korean War Marine combat vet). The only times Dad talked about what he experienced in Korea were in his nightmares. He hated fireworks, but would take us to see them every Fourth of July. While we were “oooohing” and “awwwwing” he would be sitting in the car, hands gripping the steering wheel until it looked like he would break it and sweat pouring down his face and arms. He spent too many days on the receiving end of North Korean and Chinese artillery. Dad lost one of his best friends in a Chinese artillery barrage. His friend was vaporized when a 150mm Chinese shell “air burst” about four feet above ground directly in front of him( Dad’s friend). All they found of him was one boondocker with his right foot and part of his right shin still in it. Dad didn’t tell me this story; one of his Marine buddies did years after Dad had passed away( way too young; he was 54).

[@milt6208]

I knew a guy who was to young to go to Korea but got through boot camp and got as far the troop transport before they got him and sent him home. He learned later his whole squad never came back. Bill never saw combat but suffered just the same.

[@beardedbjorn5520]

My Opa was a young kid in Holland during the war. He never talked all that much about what he experienced, because to him, every Dutch person had the same experiences. But out of all the plethora of grandchildren he had, he used to talk to me about it some times. I found out that the old dairy field next to his house in Amsterdam was used by the Germans as a V1 rocket launch site. Apparently he and his friends used to go and play hockey with the old fuel cells after the the Germans had finished. Some of the soldiers used to even watch them. The most memorable things he said was “even during war, kids can make the most fun out the simplest things”. I find it really interesting hearing about these things from different situations.

[@thunderbird1921]

@@milt6208 I recently read a testimony of a WAC in the Army Troop Movement division stationed in Japan during the Korean War. She said what made the war so devastating for her is that she would personally direct guys to their transport ship areas...and then see their names on the casualty lists time after time. She and her fellow staffers were among the last to ever see some of those young men alive, apart from their comrades and possibly Korean civilians.

[@17cmmittlererminenwerfer81]

I knew so many WW2 guys - Americans, Germans and Brits - they were our teachers, parents and bosses. Society was so rich with them for most of my life, it's hard to believe they're essentially all gone now. What I admire most about them is their wonderful attitude of getting on with life after the war, and not dwelling in, or on, the past. They quietly exchanged their uniforms for civilian clothes, got a job or went to college and then worked the next 40 years of their lives without bitterness or boastfulness. If you pointed out something heroic they'd done, they'd simply say "Oh I didn't do much - everyone did their bit", or if you talked about their suffering, they'd always brush it aside and say "Others had it worse". They were so understated about everything... true men in every sense of the word. The world is a much lesser place without them still among us.

[@toma.1670]

After I came home from Desert Storm, I was walking in a Mall with my older sister. My sister jokingly pointed out the I did not need to walk so close to the store fronts. Without thinking, I told her that it was unsafe to walk out in the open, snipers might shoot you. The double take and look of horror she gave me was shocking. QMC(SS) USN (Ret.)

[@Nathan_H1gg3rz]

we lost less than 100 Americans during that conflict. Perhaps you were overreacting.

[@toma.1670]

@@Nathan_H1gg3rz Considering I did not make it 101, maybe I did not over react. I came very close to getting killed, twice. A pair of A-10's kept that from happening.

[@xpat73]

My grandfather was an officer in the British 8th Army in North Africa. He was away for 5 years and did not get back until 1946. My mother said he went back to civilian life and never talked about the war. He died in 1973.

[@Squidgawddd96]

My mom told me her dad was in Germany , an once he came back from the war he wasn’t the same . My uncles told me stories where he’d snap on them for little shit like go move to pile of sand over there . They’d move it an he’d forget an yell at them for them moving it . Or how my grandpa shot at my uncle . My mom said when her brother died when they were kids her dad took his prizes from the war an buried it with him like his metals an Nazi flag he brought back

[@LanceRomanceF4E]

I’m an Iraqi Freedom vet standing on a golf course tee box when an old maintenance truck drove by and backfired. I hit the ground. My friends didn’t say anything because they knew. I was embarrassed and wanted to just go home, but my friends just said shake it off and let’s play, so I did. Best thing they could have said.

[@michaelbateman1611]

i love you man

[@redzonesportscards2021]

Thank you for your service.

[@jam4355]

I feel his pain. I spent 25 years in the Marines and was in Desert Shield/Storm, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and numerous deployments and other overseas assignments. It’s tiring trying to explain what you’ve been through to someone who hasn’t been through something similar.

[@jimmyoct87]

I hope the rest of your life is filled with peace and happiness, brother

[@JohnDoe-yq9rt]

All for the globalist American empire, shame on you cowards

[@sir2657]

Lol another American who thinks that was In war You are nothing like these ww2 vets

[@anthonysouthard5572]

@sir "american" what shit country are you from?

[@catcherinthesky4106]

@@sir2657 I concur - totally different agendas. US soldiers in ww2 actually fought evil. Since the 60's: they ARE the evil.

[@jackfersztFMR]

anybody here wonder why people like this man seemingly don't exist anymore? Losing touch with that generation is heart breaking. I once interviewed one of my grandfather's friends who served in the army. He was a medic and on DDay landed at point du hoc. Later he went to omaha to help clean the bodies off the beach. He started uncontrollably crying recalling this memory. I think he was 91 when i spoke with him. I was 13 maybe. We can't let their legacies die and their stories need to continue to be told.

[@WiredAnomaly]

My grandfather was a soldier sent over to South Korea in 49 or 50. He would tell me one story about how he went to another camp on the hope of getting a hot meal, only to come under fire by a Korean sniper. He and the other soldier he was with managed to evade this sniper and got to the camp only to get there and there to be no food. When it was time to go back he found out that the other soldier wouldn't be returning with him and he was made to travel back alone. The return trip he would have to evade the same sniper and it ended with him taking a short cut across a minefield to get back to his camp. Once the rank found out about this his Sergeant or commanding officer or what have you, wanted him to try to renavigate back across said mine field so they could cut through it. He refused and that's where the story always ended. He never talked much about the others he served with, and I would later find out from my father, that a few months later there position was overrun by the north Koreans and is platoon was wiped from about 30 down to 5 or 6 who made it out. He said he hid in a hole or bunker of some sort with a dead soldier for about half the night. When he regrouped with the other surviving members of his unit, a fellow soldier, who was probably a mixture of anger, frustration and grief, kicked a rifle with his foot. The gun went off, and a bullet entered his stomach and came out his neck. My grandfather never said whether he killed another person, and im not even too sure if he ever fired his weapon. Normally when asking about the war he would only go so far as to say, "I was just lucky... I was just lucky." He's never glorified the war, and the only time I can ever remember him yelling at me is when I was a boy and told him I wanted to join the army like him. And he told me that was the stupidest thing I could ever do. I showed him band of brothers a few years ago, and although he is a history buff, I didn't realize that I accidently just set him up to relive all his own ptsd. He'll be 91 this April, and I'm very proud of his sacrifice, even if he never was.

[@markjordan1765]

I hope he knows Jesus Christ as his savior.

[@devonhamilton8378]

@@markjordan1765 I bet his dead friends wish Jesus Christ was their saviors too

[@markjordan1765]

@@devonhamilton8378 Yep so true and sad.

[@devonhamilton8378]

@Barbarian in Long Beach No not at all lol. I stay locked and loaded ready for anything because Jesus isn't going to save my ass when shit hits the fan. Only I can save myself in this life

[@laszlozoltan5021]

@@devonhamilton8378 there is no "afterlife"- this is the one life you get- heaven or hell, luck o'the draw and what you can make of it

[@MM-vv8mt]

My dad served with First Army and saw and did a lot of things that he kept bottled up, and unfortunately drank a lot to cope with his PTSD. After my brother came back from Viet Nam, my dad would go hang out at my brother's apartment and they'd drink beer and talk through their issues together, one old soldier to another.

[@TheGeonam]

I was wounded VN 1969 after serving as an infantry soldier for nine months. I had some problems afterwards and I know that I didn't go through what Major Winters did. I got into a dispute with some kid that was just plan disrespectful to everyone in the store. I lost it and pushed this kid out of my way very aggressively. He called the cops because he was under 18 years old, and I was arrested for disorderly conduct. I got a good lawyer and went to court. I got off on 90 court supervision. The kid and I think father were there without a lawyer and never got to say a word. That was about 40 years ago, and it taught me a good lesson that when I feel that monster inside of me starting to anger, I just go the other way. I'm 80 years old today.

[@mattg8431]

My grandfather who was born in 1895 fought in the WWI, he was Polish, drafted by the Austrian army (that part of Poland was annexed by Austrian empire back then), he fought on the Italian front. He got injured, bullet went through his lungs and he developed tuberculosis after the war. I was 10 when he died (1975), but I remember him constantly talking about the war, how he was sitting in the trenches, bullets flying over his head. That was his #1 topic. I wish he lived longer, so I could ask him some questions. RIP

[@lchampag]

I am a 30 year veteran, my earliest years were in Vietnam, later the Persian Gulf, and although my combat experience were not as up close and personal as Major Winters, I saw more than enough to understand the reluctance to want to share these emotional experiences. But it helped me understand why my dad never wanted to share his WWII experiences fighting with Patton in France and Germany. This past year I visited Normandy. These guys were heroes.

[@stuartrutman4885]

My grandfather survived the Russian Revolution. Lots of horror stories of mass murders in his town and hiding out in the swamps until they could escape and make their way to Canada. When WW2 started my uncle was going to join the army. My grandfather made him join as a radio technician installing radios in the planes before they were flown to Europe. He said their was no way he'd survived a revolution to let his kid die in the Europe he escaped.

[@Hyun989]

Russian revolution brutul as they come.

[@A-classic-smithy]

My great grand father escaped Russia just before the revolution, on my other side of the family they were tailors for the Austro-Hungarian royal family. The only thing certain in life is nothing is certain 😂

[@roddydykes7053]

Smart. That’s probably why there’s been so many skilled tradesmen coming out of Eastern Europe

[@beerinoculum]

this man is one of the most extraordinary human beings to ever exist. RIP Maj. Winters, thank you Sir

[@theblytonian3906]

Suggest you read the full story about when an older more mature and wiser Winters had had enough of the BS after being called up again during the Korean War, eventually taking the ' 'inglorious option' offered to resign his commission. "War is a Racket" to quote Smedley Butler, and that Winters now knew it. Stop glorifying war and those who participate in it to naive and vulnerable young men.

[@kevinprzy4539]

@@theblytonian3906 he never glorified war you simpleton he's glorifying the man that went to war.

[@theblytonian3906]

@@kevinprzy4539 You really should stop guzzling the Kool-Aid. I recommend starting on the red pill immediately. Thrice daily in your case. Perhaps there's hope?

[@kevinprzy4539]

@@theblytonian3906 That entire paragraph was cringey af you might want to try the cyanide pill

[@theblytonian3906]

@@kevinprzy4539 As surmised. No hope. o.O

[@MrNiceGuy2323]

After watching the Band of Brothers series, I see these men as almost super human in their toughness. I'd be glad to be half the man they were. Heroes every one.

[@Nathan_H1gg3rz]

they arent super human. they are just human you are working from the assumption that you are also human when you are actually a sub type

[@MrNiceGuy2323]

@@Nathan_H1gg3rz your mama was a sub type.

[@sw417]

My Grandfather was one of the senior artillery officers for Patton. He didn't talk too much voluntarily, but as most kids are, I had to ask questions as I was fascinated by that time period. Of the few memories he told, the two that always stood out were, "we had an exchange with German's one night and it was close". Can't imagine how to define "close" with heavy and medium artillery. Another was when he , other officers and Patton went to a meeting in one of the towns. They parked the jeep in an alley way, dismounted and were some close distance and the jeep blew up. The driver parked on a mine.

[@stevefowler2112]

This is the best and most thoughtful answer to how a heavy combat vet adjusts to being home. It is a slow and evolving process and I still think about it or have "flashbacks" almost daily or at least weekly. The key is for me was in my mind to categorize what is most important to you and how you process your emotions in life to ensure you are happy and comfortable with your life. I call it having a life plan. I spent 23 months in Vietnam with two Marine Infantry units (3/1/Bravo and 2/7/Alpha) and then after making Recon, with 2nd Recon Battalion. When I mustered out in '71 in Pendelton in Cali, I bought a new Boss 351 Mustang and drove it cross country back to my hometown in Cocoa Beach Florida...took me almost two months. I did some camping and mostly stayed in hotels and did lots of sightseeing and I also stopped in every honky tonk bar and diner I saw and drank a lot of brown whiskey and chased skirts all the way home. The cross-country drive all by myself was just what I needed. When I got home I was welcomed as a hero by my parents and younger brother and older sister and all my friends that were still around town. That made me feel good but also guilty for coming home alive and in one piece. I think what really "saved" me and got me pointed in the right direction was I had very high SAT scores in H.S. and I was already accepted to Florida Technological University College of Engineering (now University of Central Florida, College of Engineering) and was in their 2nd Engineering class starting in August '72. I enrolled early to take some remedial/refresher math courses to get me ready for the engineering/math core coursework to come. The engineering coursework was quite rigorous and demanded all of the brain power and concentration I was capable of. That really forced me to push my Marine and Vietnam combat experiences out for several years and it really wasn't until I was in my late 30's that it started coming back prominent in my mind. I'm now an old married with 2 grown kids with grandchildren retired Aerospace/Computer Engineer who is about to be 72 and I am mostly focused on staying fit and healthy but I now also, as my mortality approaches, think more and more about the Marines and Corpsmen that I saw die and the hell I was in on several occasions and why/how I came home without a nick or cut from combat (I did get a nasty skin infection from something in the fauna that opened me up once near my discharge date that got me sent home about 45 days early). I suspect when I am near my last breath my thoughts will be about my children and my wife and my Marines.

[@neilreynolds3858]

The effects on our health usually started about the time we turned 50 and now it seems like we have to mentally process what happened. The news does not make it easier.

[@paulmcewen]

A very good book to read is ( The Mark Of The Lion ) the story of Captain Charles Hazlett Upham from New Zealand and the only Combat soldier to win 2 Victoria crosses during WW2. Like Winters he led from the front and his men would have followed him through hell.

[@neilreynolds3858]

@@paulmcewen 2 VCs? Now there was somebody with angels watching over them.

[@neilreynolds3858]

@@paulmcewen The man did love his hand grenades, didn't he?

[@wandaarnt234]

Thank You for your Service Sir a grateful Mother and Grandmother from Pennsylvania 🎚🙏🇺🇸🇮🇱

[@ChuckMcC]

Was honored to meet Mr Winters. Nothing but deep respect for this Man...

[@MichaelHeal99]

One day while working in retail i had the opportunity to listen to a Korean War veteran. For about five minutes he told me about experiences being in the cold so much that he would receive perminant nerve damage in his hands. He told me an account of a mission briefing where they were informed about a likely one way mission, not expecting to survive, when the next day they were informed the mission was canceled because the war was over. Veterans will always have my respect.

[@notyou6950]

I've met a veteran that was a navy signal man and took part in six amphibious landings including the Normandy. He had similar experiences. Walking down a street was a challenge for him. He did not know it for decades after the war was over that he was experiencing PTSD. The mental damage was still with him when I met him a few years ago when he was 93 year old.

[@billb89]

I find it nearly impossible for civilians to understand what we experienced in a combat zone. They can’t smell it, physically or emotionally feel what it was like. This interview really hits home and I didn’t go through a tenth of what he did.

[@jdjshzhhhsushhszjp8969]

fr combat is one thing but parachuting into europe on d day with tracer rounds everywhere and planes going down and knowing that if you make it to the ground there are germans waiting to kill you everywhere

[@billb89]

@@jdjshzhhhsushhszjp8969 Agreed, just making it to the ground alive was a miracle. Then surviving the enemy until the end of the war. Maj Winters and many of the men around him were amazing human beings.

[@Mcgregor854]

My father spent 1943 to 1945 driving Higgins boats full of Marines to most of the landings in the Pacific. At 17yrs. old he had 2 crewmen with him and on many occasions had the boat shot out from under him. He served in Korea and Vietnam in combat but for some reason WWII was the hardest for him to discuss. It was after my tours in Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan that he opened up to me. He had 3 Purple Hearts and I had 1. When I pinned my daughters butter bars on her, we both told her we had enough of those in the family.

[@XelaJN]

Imagine the horrors they went through, the friends they lost. Those friends will always be young men in their minds that never aged.

[@larryrunnels1190]

My dad , who was in the Battle of the Bulge, talked about walking down the street in Tishomingo, Oklahoma and diving down next to a building when a plane flew over and how people on the sidewalk laughed. It was just a natural survival thing for him.

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

Those people that laughed deserve to go to hell. If it weren't for men like your dad, we would be speaking Japanese/German.

[@jimhoffmann]

I’m grateful for your father’s service. He protected my freedom, and that of my progeny. In 1985, I visited Bastogne, Belgium. What an honor to be free and walk around in an area where your brave dad and his comrades fought a savage enemy. I hope you get to go there.

[@PL-rf4hy]

I like that he seems to really trust this interviewer and that the interviewer is tasteful, engaged, attentive and respectful. Maj. Winters deserved that.

[@ollyhunt8262]

The Greatest Generation. As a Brit, I thank God for these American warriors. WW2 most definitely would of been different out come with out them. 🇬🇧🇺🇸

[@defaultytuser]

I watched Band of Brothers and during the real life outtakes of the last episode I didn't believe it was humanly possible to be as humble as Dick Winters was. Since KZbin rose and more interviews with him became available, I realized he's *actually like that* . You guys over in USA got to be proud of men like these. They truly were the greatest generation and shall never be forgotten.

[@jasonmiles158]

I did not experience 1/10 of what this man went through so the healing was quicker ; but, watching this reminds me of a a time I was waiting for a bus shortly after returning from a deployment to Bosnia…a car backfired and I hit the deck to the laughter of those around me . That was after a 6 month tour as a “peacekeeper”. Imagine years, fighting every day. So much respect for every veteran.

[@debbieritter7605]

My father was in New Guinea during WW II. I remember a time when he was raking leaves on the front lawn and my brother threw a cherry bomb in the street. My dad hit the deck. We walked over to him and he was shaking. This was 6 or 7 years after he was discharged. He had PTSD bigtime. I never really knew him.

[@redmustangredmustang]

The worst part is that the survival instincts took over. Especially when fighting the Japanese and knowing that they never gave up and you to kill pretty much all of them or they would still keep fighting.

[@jangler007]

This country, especially shouldn’t let such a hero, a veteran go through this silent torture. I first saw my grandfather cry (except for when his wife died) when he finally opened up about his experiences in the pacific theater. He used to tell us , as kids, of his adventures and even whimsical stories of his time in the Army, but when he finally told us of the friends he lost and the tragedies and yes, horrors he saw his own men commit, he bled out decades of emotion. These heroes have battle scars for life. He never had anyone for him to reach out , at least it wasn’t encouraged back then. Support groups like Wounded Warriors. Support the troops by not sending them to needless wars- war for profit, as General Eisenhower spoke of. Thank you to this generation and the brave men and women who followed!

[@neilreynolds3858]

Ike was right at the time but what we have now are wars for the glory of guys sitting in soft chairs in offices in the White House or DC or Kabul or Baghdad or Saigon. Ike was a soldier - these guys are management wannabes who are looking for a career boost and trying to be seen as badasses. If you think that sounds a lot like Silicon Valley, you're right. There's a story that during the fighting on Sicily, some soldiers were walking down a road and came across a jeep with a driver smoking a cigarette who looked disgusted and no passenger. Ike's COS, Walter Bedell Smith, was cowering in a ditch because a German plane came over. He was a good staff officer but he was no warrior. I'm frightened to think how many in the Pentagon right now are like him - those people have far less than the respect that's due to common soldiers.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

My dad was an English teenager who walked through burning Manchester in 1941. He had PTSD just from that, and being bombed a few times. He's 95.

[@user-ch6xi7rh8k]

I am so grateful that these interviews were done. Oh my, how we could use the character and leadership of these men again right now in our country...

[@bri13wvu1]

Our country still has a lot of people like this! They may not be on the news or in social media, but we still have them

[@ww2remembered983]

They are all going or gone and guess who's back....the fascists led by Donnie and his fellow traitors.

[@ffwilver77]

My late Dad fought in the ETO during WWII and was captured in the Battle of the Bulge. Like most he never talked about it. But he did share stories with me. He would tell me that many times when he fell asleep he would dream of being in the war again, flashbacks as vivid as when they happened. At his funeral, the minister talked of Dad's war experiences through the stories he shared with me. Afterwards my mom said, "I never knew that about your Dad. He never talked about it."

[@redmustangredmustang]

The worst part is for those who served they kept those painful memories, 50, 60,even up to 70 years and if they were able to open up about their experience you counted yourself lucky especially if you were able to record it.

[@seanbooth1278]

Wow to see him fighting his tears at then end like that after all those years. Can you imagine the personal suffering he had to go through in his life. I am so happy that the men of easy company got the recognition they deserved and there experiences got shared with the public. I can’t help think it must have brought back both very sad and very happy memories putting the HBO series together.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

@ sean booth - Re: "Wow to see him fighting his tears at then end like that after all those years. Can you imagine the personal suffering he had to go through in his life." All of the typical person's life, he is inculcated with the values of his society, that violence is wrong, killing is wrong, but come wartime, all of that gets turned up-side down. That heretofore kind and compassionate man has to become a machine of killing, of wartime, of violence and death. If he survives to return home, he must shed the warrior's mantle and become again the person he was before, if indeed he can do that. It is a lot to ask of a man, any man, to undergo those transformations and retain something of his humanity, but Major Winters proved that it could be done. And even then, as strong as he was, the war changed him forever.

[@juliefeasal8878]

My grandfather fought in France and told no one about what he went through over there. My dad and I watch as many of these WW2 vet interviews as we can to try to understand what he went through. God bless these men that fought and came home bearing these horrible mental scars. Thank you, Sir, for your service! Thank you for doing what many couldn't do!

[@jackhammer0925]

The ending. “You’re not bragging, you’re just sharing a memory” I still can’t talk to my family or civilians about my time in. I feel I have a little story or memory for every conversation we are having, but think it comes off as bragging or “look at the cool stuff I’ve done”. So, I just keep everything to myself. Respect Mr. Winters

[@_marcobaez]

@@ditto0011 🤣🤣

[@brocktoon8]

I'd love to hear those stories.

[@chrisfusco1108]

I had the honor to see his statue outside of Normandy. On the side of the road in an open field, peaceful.

[@raymulligan2105]

me too

[@paulklee5790]

I would like to see that.... rest in well deserved peace Maj. Winters.

[@MrSmokincodz]

he was a great man.

[@troy9477]

There is a statue of him? That is great to hear. There darn well should be.

[@Page-Hendryx]

Dick Winters obviously was there, but he's essentially a Hollywood creation.

[@T8ERS]

As a Canadian man born in the mid 50's, I can relate to what Dick is saying here. My dad's two older brothers enlisted and were sent to Europe and upon return they would never, all their lives, discuss what they did or what they saw over there during WWII. My father could not pass the physical due to an accident as a youth causing a ruptured disc in his spine and a ruptured eardrum. Which plagued him his whole life. He felt it was a curse not to join his brothers, I felt it was a blessing. He did not suffer from PTSD as so many veterans did. Bless them all.

[@brianforster9726]

My dad was the same, he had a ruptured eardrum and couldn't go, and was ridiculed for it. It always seemed to me though, that after all he knew and seen about the war after the fact, he would have still wanted to go.

[@DeadEndGoose]

Respectfully, worst possible scenario they could have all been killed, and your family would have been ruined. Really is a good thing just in case, but im sure the guilt was awful...

[@reno145]

I paid a visit to the grave site of Major Winters. It is a splendid site overlooking the valley. He did finally find his peace.

[@stevehicks8944]

He deserved it. God knows all the men we have sent to war deserve peace once they return home.

[@Plissken68]

Where is it located?

[@reno145]

@@Plissken68 Bergstrasse Cemetery in Ephrata, PA.

[@ernestpaul2484]

It is sad and ironic that men of his caliber and all those that have been in armed conflict, it is only when they leave this life, they find the peace they fought for.

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

It was God honoring the promise Winters made to him, that if he survived the war, he’d find a quiet place to live out his life.

[@treebuck]

My dad shared very little with me about his WWII combat experiences, and I completely understand why. He died suddenly at age 60 and maybe if he had lived into his 70's we could have talked some about it. But he did say one thing I'll never forget. I had a student deferment from Viet Nam but flunked out of college. He asked me what I was going to do. Said probably just get a job. He said "No. I went thru combat and you're not going to. Reapply to school." So I did.

[@MrDJS444]

My grandfather was an Infantry Corporal in WW2. Until he was in the hospital dying of cancer at age 82, he never talked about any of the horrors he experienced. But just a few weeks before his death, he shared with my Dad and me one of his most terrible memories. He and another soldier were scouting behind the German lines and came across a farmhouse. They approached and checked it very carefully and found it to be empty, so they continued on. A few hours later they were returning to their unit with their report and came up to the same house. It looked exactly the same and had no signs of activity, so given the short passage of time since they had last checked it they assumed it was still empty and entered it a bit less carefully. To their surprise, three German soldiers were now inside and immediately came at them. After a few minutes of hand to hand combat in that house, my Grandfather was injured but not mortally and was the only one still alive. He no doubt experienced many other horrific things during his combat service, but that one haunted him the most.

[@neilreynolds3858]

Yeah, that would do it. I knew a guy who was one of the Chosin Few. One morning, he was the only one still alive in his section after the Chinese overran their position. He would wake up in the middle of the night and think he was still killing Chinese.

[@javicoca]

In this particular case there's the surprise to go from thinking you are safe to having three men try to kill you, and the fighting for your life with your bare hands. I can only imagine the horror of how this man ended up being the only one alive in that house because I watched a solider recount how he killed an enemy cracking his head with a stone. Horrifying.

[@lgarcia67]

I have PTSD from a trauma I suffered as a 6-year-old kid. Although the events are different, the symptoms are the same: flash backs, nightmares, difficulty concentrating, unreasonable fears, temper explosions, depression after, isolation, alcohol in my case. It took 48 years, and my kids telling me how much I scared them with my nightmares, for me to finally get help. It is really hard to talk about it. Once you do though, it feels like a great relief. You realize then how much this mental desease has robbed you of happiness, time and even financially. Some cannot even cope and end up killing themselves. So, as hard as it can be, if you are suffering from PTSD, get help. Don’t wait your whole life to do it. It will not go away on its own.

[@ericfleming5522]

My mom told me that for a few years after the war, whenever a car would backfire in the street, her father (also a European Theater veteran) would dive to the floor. Didn't matter if he was asleep--he'd end up sheltering away from the windows without even waking up. So that story about the kid running the stick along the slats of a picket fence sounds very familiar....

[@jakobpind]

Thank you for your service Mr. winters. I respect and honor those men who fought for the freedom of Europe, and the world. I’m from Denmark. In 1992 I was visiting Normandy with my family. I was 6 years old, and I was lucky to get to sit on the lap of a French ww2 veteran, who spoke to us. We will never understand truly what you went through, but we are so grateful for what you and the rest of the allied forces did for the coming generations. May you all Rest In Peace.

[@hectordelvalle4428]

My little brother never discuss his military service in Vietnam as a lance corporal in the Marines. But I saw what it did to him, it changed him. He was not the same when he came back. Hearing this and seeing Major Withers tried to explain brought me to tears. Though me and my brother do share some ideology. I wouldn't be able to understand what he went through. I miss my brother.

[@hectordelvalle4428]

Major Winters.

[@rickchollett]

My uncle fought on Okinawa in WWII. He very rarely ever talked about it. He did say that bad things happen in war and you have to get over them and move on with life. He got back to Kansas and farmed for the next 60 years. He passed away this past May. RIP Uncle Raymond.

[@JesseLeav]

When you're on the brink of tears from the memories and you will still smile for the one listening sake. Inner strength all day every day.

[@scottnelson1097]

People can listen to these stories all day. Unless they have actually been there they can never fully understand what its really like.

[@Yodumeee]

Yeah pretty much the same for all stories you hear. So what

[@Kameleonic]

@@Yodumeee Was kind of thinking the same. What's the point of that comment?! As if we didn't know...

[@user-sk1jj6zg5w]

That is quite a story of PTSD and incredibly vivid, as well as an amazing admission that he was still deeply impacted by his war experiences after 60 years.

[@TXRBL]

My dad was in the Pacific for 36 months, no leave no liberty. He suffered until the day he died. I have PTSD from The Corps and TBI. I stay inside as much as I can.

[@braeduin]

One thing I've heard a few veterans mention when they talked about adjusting back to civilian life was how they struggled with doing regular jobs, particularly office or administrative jobs. Their boss would say something like "The client needs the invoice by 4.00pm today" and the veteran would be like "Why do they NEED the invoice? What's going to happen to them when they don't get the invoice at 4.00pm? Do their lives depend on it? They'll just be inconvenienced, so no, they don't need the 'F~ing' invoice by 4.00pm"

[@victorhopper6774]

funny, i never had that problem and no real vet that i know of did. completing the mission is drilled into a vet from day one. only civilians get overtime pay.

[@neilreynolds3858]

@@victorhopper6774 Okay, you've met one now. Yes, I'm a real Vietnam Veteran and can prove it and I was never able to work in an office with people who thought that paperwork or a telephone call was the most important thing in the world. Completing the mission meant coming out alive where we were.

[@victorhopper6774]

@@neilreynolds3858 sure neil everyday was like that. you think paper work was not important in nam? don't act like a idiot every single thing you used was ordered by paperwork. you were even ordered there by paperwork just like me. there was like 4 million of us and we are not any more special then anyone fucked up in any war.

[@neilreynolds3858]

@@victorhopper6774 I'm not saying anything about paperwork in Vietnam, Victor. I was talking about my reaction to office jobs afterwards. You can have any reaction to paperwork you want at any time in your life - this is mine. I'm also terrible at taking orders or filing mail or filling out forms. My mind runs away and hides somewhere sunny with a nice breeze. There's one online form that I should have done back in August but it reminds me of paperwork and offices and that's like being in the grip of death to me. I managed to leave no paper trail except a driver's license, car reg, bank account, and property tax bill for 30 years and that was fine with me. All of those led to a PO box and that led to a fictitious address so good luck finding me from that. I was not going to let the government be able to find me ever again.

[@victorhopper6774]

@@neilreynolds3858 ok

[@joeporter4616]

As someone who is living with PTSD, it's kind of sad to know you'll never fully recover.

[@arcdestriumph586]

When a friend dies.. it's up to you how much time you spend in personal grief vs. celebrating the life they lived and all the good things they did. I've found that translates in many emotional context. Celebration of good things and engagement in good things..tempers loss, mistakes, regret. .. an important tool in the toolkit. I celebrate the bravery and service you and your friends engaged in... God Bless.

[@tlee1827]

your alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it sucks at times but the alternative is nothing.......... it somewhat softens over time but the pain lingers, be regimented, work out daily to take the edge off every morning 5 to 7 helps me, don't sleep well so a steady regiment where i can help manage the hectic crap of life in our society, blown up, mortared everyday for 3 months, dead (vaporized roommate), honduras, iraq all kinds of crap. talk to another vet, i open up way more and realize we are the lucky ones in so many ways i've seen places and things that most will never see, i've seen american heroes in action......these are F'd up times but so are any and all other times the only constant in this life is change------try to embrace it it's liberating in a way. army 98G, 95B and 97E

[@stevehicks8944]

Joe Porter, my dad never did. Back in the early 1980s, PTSD was thought of as a Vietnam War phenomenon; little did the VA understand that a large portion of ALL combat vets had PTSD.

[@1985cjjeeper]

If you could fully recover you wouldn't be human Joe.

[@mattybhoy6522]

You will never recover fully, but you become stronger till the burden becomes lighter, and is manageable. You then become very resillient to a lot of crap that many cant cope with

[@72mossy]

My dad served as an Irish UN peacekeeper in the Congo in 61, he would tell some stories but not all, he went to a missionary with his unit one day and everyone men women and children had been slaughtered there by rebels out there, he was choked up over it and they had to fight on several occasions. Apparently he used to scream in his sleep. You can see the pain in Major Winters face, what great men they were.

[@charleshendrix232]

My Father was relating a story of his war experience to some people in a garage, a gas station, in New Jersey one day. A guy listening thought he was bragging, or didn’t quite appreciate the effort. He said something to the effect that my Father sounded like he thought he had won the war on his own. From that day forward, and for the rest of his life, he would only talk to me about his war memories. Nobody else. I listened. He never sounded like he was bragging. Just matter of fact. Sad, that someone would say that. It hurt him deeply.

[@Brotherken1234]

I know. I know. No matter how humble or matter-of-fact you tell story, there's always going to be at least one jealous, insecure ignoramus who's going to try and throw cold water on you. 👍

[@neilreynolds3858]

What I don't understand is why there are 12 pretend Vietnam veterans for every real one. The one thing that you don't want to be in life is a combat veteran. There's no good news in that story no matter how they spin it. We've been forcibly ejected from normal life forever. I'm glad your dad could talk to you.

[@amph4474]

That jerk was an incredibly insecure person.

[@thelastjohnwayne]

I thank God that people interviewed Major Winters so that we can have these videos recorded of this incredible man.

[@mustardtiger5080]

men like this were and are the glue that holds western civilization together . sorely missed and not forgotten...

[@Greg-xi8yx]

They’re in short supply.

[@Kevy24]

I can attest to what Major Winters is talking about. My grandfather was a WW2 veteran. I only found out about him at a later age. After he passed away I spoke to my dad and aunt about grandpa never talked about the war. My dad said that grandpa went through some very hard things over there including killing. He was never proud about this and he was very withdrawn after the war. My aunt said he rarely spoke if ever about it to anyone even his own wife. War really messes people up.

[@detroitsurvivor4989]

Another reason veterans don't talk to people is because when someone asks you about your experience and you tell them, they will never look at you the same. When you can actually see the shift in someone eyes as you talk to them.... idk, I'm sure it's some kind of empathy but it feels like they now and forever look at you like damaged goods.

[@Brian_yeah_that_brian_Strang]

I believe you as someone who has asked and we’re like thanks for your service sir. I don’t know and can’t comprehend. I do appreciate it thoroughly.

[@RivetGardener]

Yes absolutely. It is palpable. Nowadays it seems like "Thanks for your service" is a generalized statement that has to be said, and comes across as trite, except from few sincere people.

[@DougThacker]

Yes..this is very true...

[@kysersose3924]

@@RivetGardener As a Vet... Whenever people find out... or if I mention in passing... my role in the military more often than not I also hear "Thank you for your service." It does seem at times to be somewhat of a generalized statement and yes perhaps on a few occasions it may have seem somewhat "trite." However, I always take into consideration that regardless of how it may have come have across... it is a fellow American expressing... to some degree... their gratitude. Gratitude not necessarily to me as an individual... but to me as a representative of all of our Nations military members. True... many of them cannot comprehend the experiences and sacrifices of our Warriors... But I am always appreciative of the comment. And I always reply back "Thank you... It was an my honor to serve".

[@zwojack7285]

Not to mention questions like "What is the worst you saw/expierenced". Vets must love being reminded of the most horrible moments of their lives..

[@thejtd21]

Major Winters is one of if not the greatest leader this country has ever had and will have. True American Legend.

[@WahidSpeenGhazi]

He is from Hershey, PA. He came and spoke at my High School at Cedar Crest in 2006. I asked if he thought that people today appreciate what he did over there. He just nodded his head.

[@airraverstaz]

In which direction?

[@PantsofVance]

I fear much has changed since 2006.

[@williampatience9524]

Very few men are of his caliber or have his integrity. Officer and a gentleman. An enlisted man by the name of Desmond Doss is another example of bravery above the call of duty. I am proud to have served in the same branch of service as they did. Go Army!

[@tinfoilsombrero1439]

My grandfathers never uttered a word about their time in the Pacific. All that knowledge and history lost to fractured emotions.

[@shooter7a]

ALL war is horrible, but what the men in the Pacific endured was on a different level. The environment. The oppressive heat. The nature of the enemy. The endless grind of that combat. Just awful.

[@jeffho1727]

He says it, how to describe the undescribable?? It takes a special talent to come close to describing it and a special person to go there. You don't have to describe it to someone who was there, just remember the crap and the guys you lost...

[@travisjohnson6676]

Same with my grandfather in WW2 in Europe

[@arcdestriumph586]

The Pacific was the toughest fighting any American has likely seen. 75% and higher casualty rates were common on beach assaults. Difficult to feel you'd won much when 3/4 of your group got wounded or killed. Godspeed Pacific Marines and US Forces.

[@AN5WER321]

My mom would ask her grandfather about his time in the Pacific when she was younger. He eventually agreed to share some memories but his only condition was that he’d only tell her one time and never again.

[@sandrasmith8365]

I think about my father in law. He landed in Normandy and turned 21 on the beach. He seldom spoke of it but when he did, you listened.

[@darbyheavey406]

My Dad was a very soft spoken WWII Veteran- he rarely lost his temper and smiled often. The only time I really saw him lose his mind was when a group of teen boys were teasing a survivor of the Bataan Death March who lived on our street. He tore into them with real ferocity- he went back to his Sgt. mode instantly. Our neighbor was a vet with sever PTSD.

[@matiasbolig9040]

You need to talk about it... Im not even an american, but the love I feel for these men is unbelievable. For all of them whether they served in Europe, The Pacific or Vietnam.

[@nintendofan1921]

My great grandfather was a machine gunner in the South Pacific, he won many medals and accolades but my grandfather told me his dad never talked about the war, wouldn’t talk about the war and only ever told him a single story about it, but that story has now been told to me so the story of what he did and went through will still live on

[@missulu]

When I got out of the Army, the entire process from Germany to civilian life was 48hours, including flight time. Zero combat, nothing too extreme, and it still took awhile to get my crap together! God bless men like these that have given EVERYTHING for our freedoms! I hope they aren't looking from heaven to see what has become of America...

[@mito88]

nonsense

[@AristonSparta]

I’m sure they are, cheering us on, knowing we’ll make it right.

[@dotconnector1418]

My dad fought across Europe and was on the line at The Bulge. He also did 2 tours in Korea. He never talked about the horror of war that he had been through. If he had I might have been able to understand him better as a kid. The fog of war PTSD is something that civilians will never understand. It took me into my 40’s before I could reconcile being a kid and his anger. I wish I could talk with him now. I miss him so much. I won’t forget you In The Living Years. Always 🇺🇸💪🏻💪🏿💪💪🏽

[@arcdestriumph586]

Dick Winters.. Stood Tall regardless of what he faced. Thank you Dick.

[@NoOdL3z18]

It's incredible that we can hear these stories from the voices of those who were there and I'm glad these were recorded. PTS is no joke, I watched my grandfather have flashbacks while he was receiving treatment for lung cancer. Knowing he wasn't going to recover, he finally opened up about WW2 after 67 years of silence because he wanted to clear his conscience. Up until that point, none of us, not even his wife, had any idea what absolute hell he went through while fighting the Japanese. I'm eternally grateful for what these men did for us.

[@dickgenitalia1506]

That was a totally different war. Completely different experience than the European theater. It’s important to recognize that.

[@victorhopper6774]

@@dickgenitalia1506 yea it was hotter

[@TheMalfean]

It isn't. I jump every time I hear a blown tire or someone dropping a book, or an engine backfire.

[@kiwihermit5080]

Rest in Peace Major Winters. You and your band of brothers have finally earned a well earned rest after everything you all have been through.

[@ahgeez943]

I just recently listened to Dan Carlin's podcast on the war in the pacific. Had I experienced even a fraction of what those Marines and sailors had to go through fighting the Japanese, I don't think I could have ever spoken to anyone about it ever again. When they finally open up, the things these men describe seem so surreal, as if they are straight out of Dante's Inferno, out of the worst of horror films, things we could sit for hours and trying to think up, of the most disgusting, perverted state of man one could ever dream up and it still doesn't really compare to their actual experience in real life. This was a group of tough mother fuckers and they should command an incredible amount of respect.

[@neilreynolds3858]

I had one friend who was a squadron commander in the South Pacific who flew fighter escort for his bombers. He got a 20mm unexploded shell in his lower abdomen around Rabaul and flew back to Darwin and landed and they came out to get him out of the plane and when he told them what had happened, they ran like hell and evacuated that end of the air strip until bomb disposal showed up. Then they had to find a doctor who would volunteer to pull the thing out and sew him back up. I saw the scar and it was the worst case of meatball surgery I've ever seen. He recovered and went back to being the CO flying cover for his bombers. I don't know if that was even the worst thing that happened to him. Did he look like Schwarzenegger? No he was a skinny little guy who kind of reminded me of a tortoise the first time I met him. Real men don't look like movie heroes.

[@dougbeus1190]

My grandpa served in WW2 and one day after he had returned home a crop duster flew over the house, he panicked and jumped out the closest window he could find. His job in the war was to man a .50 cal machine gun on the back of a supply train, protecting it from enemy bombing raids. This crop duster reminded him of those days, man I miss you Grandpa. You were such a great influence in my life and I am grateful you made it home so you could have a family of your own, which includes your son, my dad, I look forward to seeing you again!

[@richardgithens1960]

Thank goodness Dick Winters shared his memories so that future generations may remember and learn from these men.

[@billkeefe9118]

War is not fought by countries but by men. Men that carry the pain and burden of their experiences for the remainder of their lives. This MAN, and I capitalized the word, was a block of granite for those that he served with and commanded. And as you heard, even granite has its cracks.

[@jasonmarquez5776]

"That's the way all wars should end. In an agreement with no blood on it." R.I.P. Major Winters

[@johnmoorhousedecorated-nam899]

I went from a search and destroy mission going through the bush on top of a Tank 8/4/68 to Brooklyn N.Y. 8/10/68 ... should of had a cycle down week at least at a military base back in the U.S.

[@koolaidria4801]

God bless you Nam vets. 🇺🇸

[@JK-br1mu]

Should be a required part of every deployment, even if they let you see your family first when you get back........gotta go decompress at the local base and sit through some meetings with fellow soldiers, etc.

[@kevinm.8682]

Agreed. At least during world War II they had to wait on troop ships, and while they were waiting for the week-long voyage they had a few weeks to readjust. With Vietnam you went from the bush to the block within about 24 hours.

[@EugeneClaudeVanDamme]

Major. Dick Winters is one the most amazing men in this world despite of his passing. He is a man that I remember as a kid watching Band of Brothers at the age 11 when my dad bought the mini-series I use to watch this all the time not just because of the war scene but when you watch the interviews watch and listen what they have to say and then you see the full picture. But watching that 1 hour interview with most of the 101st airborne paratroops all I got to say is that they do not make these kind of men anymore, I personally wish I could be like this man. If I had the opportunity to even talk to these men or have them teach me something as far as life lessons anything it would mean more then the world to me to be like these kind of men where nowadays. I would love to be a part of these kind of men the brotherhood if I could ever have the opportunity. Major. Dick Winters is the man that I idolize.

[@dalebender3380]

They do make men like this. They just don't talk about what they went through. They ARE out there.

[@USNveteran]

My father in law joined the Navy on 12/8/41 at 16 years of age. Saw naval combat in both the Atlantic & Pacific theaters. Never talked about any of it except the fund stories (bathtub gin, etc) according to my mother in law. He finally started to open up to me around 1995 when he realized that I too was a Navy vet. I feel fortunate to have heard both his stories and my brother's father in law (USMC WWII) first hand. They made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and I will never forget them. RIP Brownie & Norm we miss you. FLY NAVY!!!

[@mikelong9638]

You can see why he was a natural leader, a very intelligent and thoughtful man.