Richard Winters

Never, ever give up regardless of the adversity. If you are a leader, a fellow who other fellows look to, you have to keep going. How will you know if you have succeeded? True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. The key to successful leadership is to earn respect- not because of rank or position, but because you are a leader of character.

Richard Davis Winters (January 21, 1918 – January 2, 2011), usually known simply as Dick Winters, was an officer of the United States Army and a decorated war veteran. He is best known for having commanded Easy Company of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Division, during World War II. He was eventually promoted to major and put in command of the 2nd Battalion.

As a first lieutenant, Winters parachuted into Normandy in the early hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944, and later fought across France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and eventually Germany.

Properly led and treated right, your lowest-ranking soldier is capable of extraordinary acts of valor. Ribbons, medals, and accolades, then, are poor substitutes to the ability to look yourself in the mirror every night and know that you did your best.

It is the confidence, pride, and character that make the World War II generation stand out in any crowd. I'm proud to have been a small part of it. I certainly harbor no regrets. And not a day goes by that I don't think of the men I served with who never had the opportunity to enjoy a world of peace.

War brings out the worst and the best in people. Wars do not make men great, but they do bring out the greatness in good men. War is romantic only to those who are far away from the sounds and turmoil of battle.

Quotes

Appendix: Dick Winters on Leadership (2005)

NOTE: This appendix covers Winters' thoughts on leadership, as quoted by Larry Alexander, Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers (2005), New York: NAL Caliber, May 2005 first edition hardcover, p. 282-285.

• The qualities you are looking for in a leader include: Does the individual have the respect of the men? How do you get the respect of the men? By living with them, being part of it, being able to understand what they are going through and not to separate yourself from them. You have to know your men. You have to gain their confidence. And the way to gain the confidence of anybody, whether it's in war or civilian life or whatever, you must be honest. Be honest, be fair and be consistent. You can't be honest and fair one day, and the next give people the short end of the stick. Once you can achieve that, you will be a leader.
  • p. 283

• Sometimes leadership is a matter of adjusting to the individual, and you do this every day. You don't have to have just one way of treating people; you adjust yourself to who you are talking to. I might talk to one person one way, someone else another. Ambrose had spent a good deal of time thinking about leaders and leadership. He had it about right. If you have character, that means the guy you are dealing with can trust you. So when you get into combat, and you get into a situation such as we were in along the dike in Holland, when I gave the orders, "Ready, aim," and this cook who had been in the unit only a short time but was experiencing his first combat action interrupted and said, "Don't talk so loud!" nobody else there was thinking about anything except what he had been told to do. They trust in you, have faith in you and they obey right now, no questions asked.
  • p. 283

• In Sobel's case it was in training, in Speirs' case it was in combat. It is impossible to imagine what would have been the result if we had been led into battle by Sobel. He had driven the men to the point of mutiny, and, more important, he had lost their respect. If he had been in command, more men would have died in battle. Speirs had the men's respect. He had my respect. We both knew he would get the job done.
  • p. 284-285

• You maintain close relationships with your men, but not friendship. You have mutual respect for one another, but yet you have to hold yourself aloof, to a degree. If you are too friendly, it works in a negative way when you need to discipline your men. You can have your men's respect and friendship, but there is a point where you have to rise above this relationship and make sure they are following the orders that are in effect for everybody. In leading groups effectively, you have to rise above camaraderie. You have to be fair to everyone. Everyone must know that they are treated fairly.
  • p. 284

Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters (2006)

Written with COL Cole C. Kingseed. All quotes are from the 2006 first edition hardcover, published by Berkley Caliber in New York, NY.

• Despite this deplorable situation of landing in enemy territory without a rifle, I still wasn't scared. Don't ask me why. Fear paralyzes the mind but I needed to be able to think clearly, especially when men's lives were at stake. Though I had been apprehensive whether or not I would measure up, the long months of training now kicked in. Before jumping, I'd though of cutting the top of my chute off and using the silk as a raincoat, both protection against the cold and for camouflage. But now, the only thing on my mind was to get the hell away from those machine guns and that town. Just as I started off, trench knife in hand, another paratrooper landed close by. I helped cut him free from his chute, then grabbed one of his grenades, and said, "let's go search for my equipment." He was hesitant of taking the lead even with his tommy gun, so I said, "Follow me!"
  • p. 81

• Even though Easy Company was still widely scattered, the small portion that fought at Brecourt had demonstrated the remarkable ability of the airborne trooper to fight, albeit outnumbered, and win. This sort of combat typified the independent action that characterized the American airborne divisions that jumped in Normandy. Once the battle began, discipline and training overcame our individual and collective fears.
  • p. 89

• Never, ever give up regardless of the adversity. If you are a leader, a fellow who other fellows look to, you have to keep going. How will you know if you have succeeded? True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. The key to successful leadership is to earn respect- not because of rank or position, but because you are a leader of character. In the military, the president of the United States may nominate you as a commissioned officer, but he cannot command for you the loyalty and confidence of your soldiers. Those you must earn by giving loyalty to your soldiers and providing for their welfare. Properly led and treated right, your lowest-ranking soldier is capable of extraordinary acts of valor. Ribbons, medals, and accolades, then, are poor substitutes to the ability to look yourself in the mirror every night and know that you did your best.
  • p. 290

• I was extremely blessed to have been the commander of Easy Company. No single individual "deserved" the privilege of leading such a remarkable group of warriors into battle. And to this day, I am humbled by that experience.
  • p. 291

• The shadows are lengthening for those of us who fought in World War II. In the twilight of our lives, our thoughts return to happier days, when we struggled together not as individuals, but as a team- a team that willingly sacrificed itself to protect its members. Sixty years after our final victory, these men remain different. Not one man walks around wearing his wings or medals on his chest to stand out. It is what each man carries in his chest that makes him different. It is the confidence, pride, and character that make the World War II generation stand out in any crowd. I'm proud to have been a small part of it. I certainly harbor no regrets. And not a day goes by that I don't think of the men I served with who never had the opportunity to enjoy a world of peace.
  • p. 291

• I wish to convey a final thought- and I hope it doesn't sound out of place- but I would like to share something as I look back on the war. War brings out the worst and the best in people. Wars do not make men great, but they do bring out the greatness in good men. War is romantic only to those who are far away from the sounds and turmoil of battle. For those of us who served in Easy Company and for those who served their country in other theaters, we came back as better men and women as the result of being in combat, and most would do it again if called upon. But each of us hoped that if we had learned anything from the experience, it is that war is unreal and we earnestly hoped that it would never happen again.
  • p. 292

• 1. Strive to be a leader of character, competence, and courage.
  2. Lead from the front. Say, "Follow me!" and then lead the way.
  3. Stay in top physical shape- physical stamina is the root of mental toughness.
  4. Develop your team. If you know your people, are fair in setting realistic goals and expectations, and lead by example, you will develop teamwork.
  5. Delegate responsibility to your subordinates and let them do their jobs. You can't do a good job if you don't have a chance to use your imagination or your creativity.
  6. Anticipate problems and prepare to overcome obstacles. Don't wait until you get to the top of the ridge and then make up your mind.
  7. Remain humble. Don't worry about who receives the credit. Never let power or authority go to your head.
  8. Take a moment of self-reflection. Look at yourself in the mirror every night and ask yourself if you did your best.
  9. True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. The key to a successful leader is to earn respect- not because of rank or position, but because you are a leader of character.
  10. Hang Tough!- Never, ever give up.
  • Leadership at the Point of the Bayonet: Ten Principles for Success, p. 293

Quotes about Winters

Alphabetized by author or source

The deeds of Major Richard D. Winters, and a million men like him who served their country during World War II, will be remembered long into the future. ~ Larry Alexander

The night was still and Donnie said in a calm voice, "I don't know you, but the fact they've asked you to portray this man means you have my respect already." And in that moment I knew. I knew what Dick Winters meant to people. He was a hero, an icon. ~ Damian Lewis

• Dick Winters is an American success story; a humble man, coming as he did from humble beginnings. Like many of his generation, he went off to war, did his duty in the service of his country, and was one of the lucky ones to come home relatively unscathed. Back in the States, he got a job, found a wonderful woman to share his life, raised two fine children and ran a successful business. By a quirk of fate, he rose to national prominence and on one fine, glittering evening, received a standing ovation from the biggest names in Hollywood at the 2002 Emmy Awards.
  This book, written out of respect and admiration, is a tribute to Major Richard D. Winters, an exceptional leader, a good man, and my friend.
  • Larry Alexander, Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers (2005), New York: NAL Caliber, May 2005 first edition hardcover, p. xiii

• Winters was never so glad to see the Statue of Liberty as he was on November 20, 1945, the day the Wooster Victory slipped past her into New York harbor. He stood and watched Lady Liberty pass the port side of the ship and heaved a sigh. Damn, but he loved the sight of that woman, all 450,000 pounds of her.
  • Larry Alexander, Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers (2005), New York: NAL Caliber, May 2005 first edition hardcover, p. 216

• Now eighty-seven and in frail health, Winters is hoping at to at last put public focus behind him. Wanting his private life back, he told this author he very much hopes to recapture the peace and quiet he promised himself in Normandy, and lost- albeit, to some degree, voluntarily- amid the hubbub that followed the release of the miniseries. These days, Winters can mostly be found in his home, answering his mail as best he can, and safeguarding the history and memory of the men in Easy Company. It's a task he takes "very seriously." Likewise, his men still revere him and stay in frequent contact.
  So do his friends. Every January 21, on Winters' birthday, a package arrives from Tom Hanks. Inside, carefully packed, are four half gallons of ice cream, the one treat Winters missed most during his time in combat. Winters also gets gifts from people he has never met, including an annual box of candy from a dentist and fellow F&M College graduate living in California. This same man also sends him a crate of oranges each year at Christmas. All of that, plus the piles of mail from all over the world, is proof positive that the deeds of Major Richard D. Winters, and a million men like him who served their country during World War II, will be remembered long into the future.
  • Larry Alexander, Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers (2005), New York: NAL Caliber, May 2005 first edition hardcover, p. 280-281

• On October 13, 2002, noted historian and Dick Winters' friend, Stephen Ambrose, died of lung cancer in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He was sixty-six years old. Above the front door of his Hershey home, Winters has mounted a brass plaque that is simply engraved "Steve Ambrose slept here." Looking at the piles of fan mail in Ethel's downstairs office, the light blinking on his phone's answering machine and the Band of Brothers books that arrive in the mail with requests for autographs, and with the memor of his night at the Emmys still fresh in his mind, a gleam comes to the veteran's eyes. Glancing up at the plaque, he said to this author, "It took a few years for all this to happen, but by gosh it happened. And it all started right here."
  • Larry Alexander, Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers (2005), New York: NAL Caliber, May 2005 first edition hardcover, p. 281

• I had the honor of meeting Major Richard Winters. Dick Winters is a World War II veteran. There's an HBO miniseries called Band of Brother. He led the platoon in World War II. I told him when I got off the airplane, it was an honor to meet him. It's such a fine example that he and others have set for those brave souls who now wear our nation's uniform. Major Winters, I'm glad you're here. I also want to thank the other members of our military who joined us today as well. Thank you all for coming.
  • George W. Bush, in an address at the Hershey Convention Center in Pennsylvania on 19 April 2004. As quoted by Larry Alexander, Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers (2005), New York: NAL Caliber, May 2005 first edition hardcover, p. 279

• Easy Company had a reputation- because of our captains, Herbert Sobel and Dick Winters- as the toughest and best. Since the Army lacked manpower, we were always sent in to take up the slack. As trained as we were, as good as we were, it was chaos, death was all around, you knew any minute could be your last. We froze, we starved, we were covered in filth, we were exhausted, we lost good kids every day, we saw things people don't see in ten lifetimes. When we thought we were beaten down as far as we could go, we were kept on the front lines. I never expected to survive a day, let alone the whole war. We lost a lot of men, but we inflicted more casualties on the Germans than they inflicted on us. In Bastogne, they had three times the men and three times the firepower. I have no idea how we done it. I still can't believe we won the war.
  • William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, Brothers in Battle: Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story (2007) by William Guarnere and Edward Heffron with Robyn Post. New York: Berkley Caliber, p. xix-xx

• Winters gave the order to go. Lieutenant Welsh ran out with a few men from 1st Platoon behind him, and all hell broke loose. The Germans opened up on us with an MG-42 straight up the road. Everybody froze in the ditch. We were pinned down by machine-gun fire. If you lifted your head it would get blown off. Winters didn't care, he wanted everyone to move out, he wanted us right behind Welsh. He was yelling "Go! Go! Go!" but no one budged. He ran into the middle of the road, bullets flying by his head, running from one side of the road to the other and back, screaming and yelling like a lunatic, trying to get us to move out. Everybody was looking at each other saying "Is he friggin' nuts? He thinks we're going to get up?!" I never saw Winters that mad in my life. I think we figured Winters was going to get himself killed, so we better get the hell up. We ran right through the machine-gun fire, and I think Welsh took out the main gun with a grenade.
  • William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, Brothers in Battle: Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story (2007) by William Guarnere and Edward Heffron with Robyn Post. New York: Berkley Caliber, p. 74

• I remember him as if it were yesterday. The old soldier emerged from the elevator in the hotel lobby at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, dapperly attired in a dark blazer with the crest of the 101st Airborne Division on his pocket. His neatly cropped gray hair reflected a military man far younger than his current seventy-nine-plus years. I am not sure what I had expected to see. At the time of our initial encounter, most veterans of World War II were in their late seventies or early eighties. Most veterans who visited West Point to share their reminiscences with the cadets walked with the aid of canes or walkers. In Winters's case, there was a noticeable spring in his step that belied his age.
  This shy, quiet gentleman who introduced himself simply as "Dick Winters" immediately made an indelible impression on me. From the beginning, I was "Cole," he was "Dick." Never once for the next thirteen years did we ever address each other by rank or surname. Over dinner Dick and I discussed a myriad of topics, all associated with his wartime experience and his thoughts on leadership in war. Why were some commanders more effective than others in inspiring their men? How did you identify the best soldiers in your company? Had he relieved any commander in combat? To what did he attribute his success in Easy Company? Were his leadership principles applicable to the civilian and the corporate worlds? Minutes evolved into hours as we discussed leadership under a number of circumstances. Before we finished dinner, I had already decided that I would include Dick Winters in the book I was writing about combat leadership in World War II. To my great satisfaction, he invited me to spend a few days on his farm outside Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania. By the time that the evening was over, I had received the best primer on leadership than I had obtained in twenty-five years of commissioned service.
  • Cole C. Kingseed, Conversations With Major Dick Winters: Life Lessons From the Commander of the Band of Brothers (2014), New York: Dutton Caliber, paperback, p. xv-xvi

• I last visited Dick Winters on October 30, 2010. Three weeks earlier, I had grasped his hand and told him how much he meant to me and that he was my dearest friend. He looked at me and directed me to "hang in there." Now, at the end of October, Dick was definitely approaching his final days. He did not look very well, and I suspected he did not have much time remaining. Ethel, too, tired easily, but her spirits were high. When Mary and I entered the house, I wondered if it would be our final visit. Dick laughed when we reminisced about the first time he had met Mary and demanded, "Tell me about yourself!" I reminded Dick that to Mary's eternal consterntation, he would always remain my best friend and Mary merely my best female friend. He just smiled with that familiar twinkle in his eye.
  While Mary and Ethel conversed, I took the opportunity to speak to Dick in muffled tones. I think we both realized that the end was approaching, but he refused to concede defeat. "I'm comfortable where I am now. I realize my time is short, but I am at peace," Dick said. I couldn't help but think that his mind was already over the next hill, where his wartime comrades were standing at attention, awaiting their commander's arrival.
  We mostly spoke about the beauty of the autumn leaves, the birds, and the flowers outside his window. As I rose to leave, I leaned over and whispered, "Dick, the country was blessed to have had you in its hour of need. I will always cherish our time together. I love you as my brother." These were my final words to Major Dick Winters. "Don't ever change that," he responded with a tear in his eye.
  • Cole C. Kingseed, Conversations With Major Dick Winters: Life Lessons From the Commander of the Band of Brothers (2014), New York: Dutton Caliber, paperback, p. 228-229

• "Who's playing Winters? Who's playing Winters?"
  This whisper was caught on the wind and ricocheted off the barrack walls at Longmoor Camp. It was March 2000. Myself and forty-nine other men were at boot camp, in training for what was to become one of the most successful TV series of all time, Band of Brothers. It followed Easy Company of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division from the jump into Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944, until VE-Day, almost a year later. This band of brothers had had a leader, a man whose skills as a soldier were second to noen, a hero to his men and to subsequent generations, and the boys in the barracks that day we all first met were keen to know who was going to play him. Well, it was me.
  Every young actor wanted to be in Band of Brothers. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks were producing for HBO and it quickly became the project that everyone had to be "seen" for. But it wasn't just the high profile of the producers that excited everyone. It was the story- a true story about real people and the extraordinarily heroic things they did in the Second World War. And we'd been asked to tell it.
  I remember, as I arrived at Longmoor Camp for training that first day, I still wasn't fully aware of the enormity of what I was being asked to do. Everyone had been telling me, "You're the guy. He's the main guy." But I hadn't seen all the scripts (they weren't all written yet), and was equally being told it was an ensemble piece. It was. But Winters was its spine.
  • Damian Lewis, Preface to Biggest Brother (2005) by Larry Alexander, p. xv

• The second thing that shook me was a conversation I had with Donnie Wahlberg, who was playing Sergeant Carwood Lipton, a man also decorated for his bravery. We'd been yelled at and driven relentlessly on our first day's training out in the field. No concessions were made to us being actors; in fact, the opposite was true, and we were exhausted. It was nighttime, a few minutes before lights out, and I found myself and Donnie in the first moment of peace we'd had since arriving, leaning out of the top-floor windows of our barracks, facing each other across the concrete of the parade ground, discussing our fears and anxieties about doing these men justice in the nine long months ahead of us. The night was still and Donnie said in a calm voice, "I don't know you, but the fact they've asked you to portray this man means you have my respect already." And in that moment I knew. I knew what Dick Winters meant to people. He was a hero, an icon.
  • Damian Lewis, Preface to Biggest Brother (2005) by Larry Alexander, p. xvi

• Dick kept diaries in the war. He wrote letters home. He had several folders of memories. And I had them all for research. But I had never met him. At boot camp I called him for the first time, and through a series of phone calls I set about slowly trying to earn his trust. What emerged as I got to know him as not a man given to late nights in bars, reminiscing, not given to romanticizing his past glories. He was a man whose recollections were analytical, pragmatically ordered, not emotional, a man who was much happier answering questions on technical maneuvers or what boot he wore his knife on (the left by the way), than what he felt, as he found himself isolated from his men, staring at a whole company of Germans, on top of that dyke in Holland, for example. "I was always just concentrating on getting the job done," would be his typical reply. It dawned on me what a happy coincidence it was that I had felt slightly removed from the "hype" at the bgeinning of the job, a little detached. For it was precisely this ability to distance himself from any hysteria and to remain calm and lucid in moments of danger that made Dick Winters a natural leader of men. But not only that. Once I had his trust, I found a warmth, a wickedly dry sense of humor and a willingness to listen that is not often found in men in power.
  • Damian Lewis, Preface to Biggest Brother (2005) by Larry Alexander, p. xvi

• After the series had been filmed I went and visited Dick and Ethel at home in Hershey, Pennsylvania. We chatted and joked as he showed some of his mementos and walked me around their beautiful farm (another major achievement in his life). He treated me like a son and told me that he thought I'd done a pretty good job portraying him, although he was unsure at first! I thought, yup, that's him. Authoritative, nurturing and honest all at once. I felt immensely proud that I'd had the opportunity to portray this man, a decorated war hero whose story I'd been entrusted with. It had needed a precision and an unfailing commitment to the truth. It's what Dick always demanded, of himself and others.
  • Damian Lewis, Preface to Biggest Brother (2005) by Larry Alexander, p. xvi

Award Citations

• The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Richard D. Winters (ASN: 0-1286582), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Company E, 2d Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in action against enemy forces on 6 June 1944, in France. First Lieutenant Winters with seven enlisted men, advanced through intense enemy automatic weapons fire, putting out of action two guns of the battery of four 88-mm. that were shelling the beachhead. Unswerving in his determination to complete his self-appointed and extremely hazardous task, First Lieutenant Winters and his group withdrew for reinforcements. He returned with tank support and the remaining two guns were put out of action, resulting in decreased opposition to our forces landing on the beachhead. First Lieutenant Winters' heroic and determined leadership exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 101st Airborne Division, and the United States Army.
  • Citation for Winters' Distinguished Service Cross; Headquarters, First U.S. Army, General Orders No. 31 (July 1, 1944)