General Dwight Eisenhower talks to troops of the 101st Airborne Division (Note the Screaming Eagle Patch) on June 5th 1944 prior to their jump into Normandy.

The 101st, and the 82nd, parachuted behind the beaches early on June 6th just prior to the D-Day landings in an effort to block enemy reinforcement of the beaches.

D-Day casualties for the airborne divisions were calculated in August 1944 as 1,240 for the 101st Airborne Division and 1,259 for the 82nd Airborne. Of those, the 101st suffered 182 killed, 557 wounded, and 501 missing. For the 82nd, the total was 156 killed, 347 wounded, and 756 missing.

The French constructed a museum at Saint Mere Eglise to honor their liberators.






Richard Winters of New Holland Pennsylvania commanded Easy Company, of the 101. In addition to fighting in France, the 101st became legends for their heroic defense of Bastogne during the battle of the Bulge. 
When a nervous private told Winters, We're surrounded", Winters calmly replied, "We're paratroopers son. We're supposed to be surrounded".

Winters died in Hershey, PA in 2011, at age 92.

On May 16, 2009, Franklin and Marshall College conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters upon Winters.

Despite the many accolades he had received, Winters remained humble about his service. During the interview segment of the miniseries Band of Brothers, Winters quoted a passage from a letter he received from Sergeant Mike Ranney, "I cherish the memories of a question my grandson asked me the other day when he said, 'Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?' Grandpa said 'No...but I served in a company of heroes'."

 

Last edited by Goose (6/05/2016 7:17 am)