The Band of Brothers II
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By TOM NEWTON DUNN
Defence Editor
in the Kuwaiti desert
THE US Army’s Band Of Brothers — immortalised in Steven Spielberg’s TV drama series — has reformed to tackle its most dangerous mission since 1945.
Easy Company of the 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, won glory with an astonishing combat record during World War Two.
Now a new group of elite soldiers is set to keep alive the traditions of Easy Company by taking on bloodthirsty insurgents in Iraq.
The Sun was the first newspaper to meet the modern Band Of Brothers as they trained deep in the Kuwaiti desert.
The GIs were proud to tell how they are spurred on by the extraordinary deeds of their famous forefathers.
During the battle for Europe against Hitler, the 506th — and Easy Company — was at the forefront of almost every major US attack.
It distinguished itself as a lead element in the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944.
Later that year it parachuted into action for the Battle of Arnhem.
Heroes of the 1940s ... the old Easy Company as portrayed on TV
Heroes of the 1940s ... the old Easy Company
as portrayed on TV
Then it resisted fierce German counter-attacks in France, suffering terrible casualties.
Finally the 506th advanced through Germany. Ageing vets of 60 years ago, many now in their 80s and 90s, have given the new Easy Company their old regimental flag to take into the war zone.
The unit’s senior NCO, First Sergeant Johnny Rosario, 35, from Brooklyn, New York, said: “It has given us a lot of pride to carry such a great military name.
“Easy Company fought a hell of a lot of battles, but they always came out on top. Now it’s our turn, we’re determined not to let our predecessors down. We’re a really close bunch of guys — just like in the TV show. But we’ll be even closer once we’ve spilt blood together, as the saying goes.”
The first Easy Company was disbanded in 1945. The unit was reactivated for the Korean War and Vietnam, then axed again in 1974.
Traditions from 60 years ago are carefully maintained.
They still greet officers with the cry: “Curahee!” That is the Native American name for a gruelling mountain run on which the unit trained.
Men still wear the paratroop shoulder flash that gave them the nickname “Screaming Eagles”.
In seven daysÂ’ time they head north across the Iraqi border to spend the next year in BaghdadÂ’s notorious south western suburbs, where attacks on coalition troops happen almost daily.
In World War Two, Easy Company suffered a shocking 80 per cent casualty rate — one thing the modern-day unit does NOT want to copy.
Sgt Rosario — pictured at the Jeep wheel surrounded by his men — said: “I want to bring all my men home — that’s the best wish any NCO could have in a combat zone.”
TodayÂ’s Easy Company even contains characters very like the heroes of the Hollywood version of their history.
The respected and fatherly figure of Sgt Rosario brings to mind the fictional sergeant played by British-born actor Dexter Fletcher.
They also have their version of TV man-mountain Bull — in 6ft 5ins wrestler Private 1st Class Tyler Shaffer, 20, seen on the far left of the top picture.
And there is the company joker, Specialist Joseph McClelland, 22, of Indiana. First Lieutenant Wesley Pierce — seated alongside Sgt Rosario — is the modern equivalent of Lt Richard Winters in Band of Brothers, played by Briton Damian Lewis.
Lt Pierce, 24, from Texas, is determined he and his men will be a credit to the old Easy Company.
He said: “Saddam was just as much a menace to the world as Hitler was.
“We’re going to be helping rebuild Iraq, just like the 506th did for shattered Germany after the Nazis were pushed out in 1945.
“That’s just as important as war fighting.”
© 2005 News Group Newspapers Ltd. -
Interesting
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curaheee!!
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Screaming Eagles fly again.
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We Stand Alone...
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we are paratrooper... we are suppose to be surrounded
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Lieutenant Compton, you stay here and get things organized, I gotta go and get help ~Lt Dike~
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Nuts! ~General McAuliffe~
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Major Winters.
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haha knn.. leads by example sia..Originally posted by charlemagne:Lieutenant Compton, you stay here and get things organized, I gotta go and get help ~Lt Dike~ -
A true-born natural leader. Really respect that man.Originally posted by LazerLordz:Major Winters.
Imagine the well-organized sneak attack on the big guns shooting at Omaha.
And another one in Carentan -
Felt like giving him a punch when he frozen in the fieldOriginally posted by I-like-flings(m):haha knn.. leads by example sia.. during the charge on the small town. Forgotten the name of that town. Was it Foy? -
cant blame him.. some ppl just freeze under pressure.....saw it so many time when i am on course..no one will know if he will freeze or not during a real war.... talk is cheap...Originally posted by charlemagne:Felt like giving him a punch when he frozen in the field during the charge on the small town. Forgotten the name of that town. Was it Foy? -
Yeah, it's true also.Originally posted by I-like-flings(m):cant blame him.. some ppl just freeze under pressure.....saw it so many time when i am on course..no one will know if he will freeze or not during a real war.... talk is cheap...
Remember there was this show on World War 1, can't really remember the title, but it's something related to the Front Line or something like that. The corporal who was so gung-ho in training actually freeze in the field too. -
Originally posted by charlemagne:Yeah, it's true also.
Remember there was this show on World War 1, can't really remember the title, but it's something related to the Front Line or something like that. The corporal who was so gung-ho in training actually freeze in the field too. -
then if im right the uncensored version got a soldiers having sex with a naked woman in the 2nd last part
TV one removed liao -
I think there are talks of part 2 of this series. But this time they follow another unit fighting the Pacific front.
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Episode 9 if I'm not wrong. The bald guy, I can't really remember his name though but he was killed in an accident in the end. Sad! War has already ended, and still there are deaths.Originally posted by ceecookie:then if im right the uncensored version got a soldiers having sex with a naked woman in the 2nd last part
TV one removed liao -
I like this guy, Lieutenant Frost or something. There was a scene he offered the troopers cigrattes,and they declined his offer, as they said once he was capturing Nazi troops, but as they were surrendering, he offered them cigrattes, before machine-gunning them all to death with his Tommy gun. Friggin scary....
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spiersOriginally posted by SpecOps87:I like this guy, Lieutenant Frost or something. There was a scene he offered the troopers cigrattes,and they declined his offer, as they said once he was capturing Nazi troops, but as they were surrendering, he offered them cigrattes, before machine-gunning them all to death with his Tommy gun. Friggin scary.... -
Essentially Iraq is a civil war, like Vietnam. And just like in Vietnam, the US is pitting firepower against willpower. Firepower didn't do it for Vietnam, wonder how it'll fare in Iraq?
History has repeatedly shown that the US has no clues about how to end civil wars, even those that it started. This fact is obvious to even the casual observer but sadly, not obvious to the Americans themselves.
I think this "revival of Easy Company" just shows how desperate the situation in Iraq is becoming.
Next they're gonna revive the Dirty Dozens.