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“One day, I took out a photo of Easy Company and a black felt pen. Starting in the front row, left to right, and going upward in rows, I looked at every man in that photograph—117. For some reason, I marked “KIA” on the chests of those who’d been killed in action and “SWA” on the chests of those who’d been seriously wounded in action. There were thirty-five KIAs. And sixty-one SWAs. That left fewer than two dozen of us with clean chests. And, for that matter, clean consciences because of survivor’s guilt. Which is why I’d look at that picture and feel the tears coming on nearly every time.”

“You have to understand that it took me nearly forty years before I could look at our 1942 company picture and not break into tears, particularly if it was December or January.”

-Donald Malarkey, Easy Company Soldier

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Happy boys. Free boys.

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“In many ways, Winters’ new assistant platoon leader was the proverbial spoiled rich kid who never had to do a day’s work in his life. Worse Nixon suffered from an alcohol habit that would cause him numerous problems throughout his military and personal life. Everything about Nixon was in stark contrast to Winters. Where Nixon drank to excess, Winters was a teetotaler. Where Winters was a stickler for getting things done on time and in good order, Nixon tended to goof off. Yet the two got along famously. Their friendship and devotion were beyond question, and while Winters in some ways considered Nixon the most unreliable man he had ever met, he also knew he could always count on Nixon when there was an important job to be done. Not that Nixon always did that job himself. He was good at delegating responsibilities, and an expert at retaining and passing along critical information. Winters’ biggest gripe with Nixon was that he loved to argue, and when they’d get into a heated discussion, Winters would simply let him spout off. Within weeks of arriving at Toccoa, however, Nixon would transfer to battalion staff to be replaced by Second Lieutenant Harry F. Welsh. Despite that move, Nixon could generally be found by Winters’ side throughout the war”

—

Biggest Brother: The Life Of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led The Band of Brothers [Larry Alexander]

(via searchingforacircuitbreaker)

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you know i had to

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From a personal standpoint, I would have been devastated had Nixon been killed. As a leader you do not stop and calculate your losses during combat. You cannot stop a fight and ask yourself how many casualties you have sustained. You calculate losses only when the fight is over. Ever since the second week of the invasion, casualties had been my greatest concern. Victory could be eventually ours, but the casualties that had to be paid were the price that hurt. In that regard Nixon seemed a special case.

-Richard Winters in Beyond Band of Brothers

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“During my time at OCS one of the officer candidates caught my attention. Lewis Nixon was the son of privilege and wealth. Born September 30, 1918, Nixon was the grandson of the last man to design a battleship as an individual. Educated at Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “Nix” was far more educated than most of the members of the class. A world traveler, he returned to the family-run Nixon Nitration Works, a converted industry that manufactured cellulose nitrate to be used in tubing for pens, pencils, sheets for playing cards, and covers for eyeglass frames. Nixon entered military service at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and completed basic training at Camp Croft. Nixon was a hard drinker, a free spirit who enjoyed the wild life and partied with the best of them. On the surface no two individuals were more diametrically opposed in temperament than Nixon and I. I was a confirmed teetotaler and never swore. I preferred a quiet evening in the barracks to the nightlife of Columbus, Georgia, or neighboring Phenix City, Alabama. Despite the differences in lifestyle, I sensed we shared mutual feelings and ways of looking at life. I could understand him and help him understand me, as well as understand himself. Our friendship evolved naturally, and he soon became my closest friend. Lewis Nixon was the finest combat officer with whom I served under fire. He was utterly dependable and totally fearless.” 

-BEYOND BAND OF BROTHERS, The War Memoirs of major Dick Winters

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the real men, the real heroes are the fellows that are still buried over there and those who’d come home to be buried

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Band of Brothers - Part 10 - Points

“…from this day to the ending of the world we and it shall be remembered. We lucky few, we band of brothers…”

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Band of Brothers - Part 5 - Crossroads

“Well, Don, I was at home in Tonawanda, but then Hitler started this whole thing, so now I’m here.”

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 “One time I was in a training session in Aldbourne on munitions and demolition being taught by Lewis Nixon. Some of the guys were not paying proper attention, talking, yacking it up a little, which annoyed Nixon. So he nonchalantly grabbed a ¼ stick of TNT, right in plain sight, attached a fuse, lit it, and threw it into the middle of the crowd. The fuse was plenty long enough to allow someone to safely grab it and throw it clear with plenty of time to spare”

- Ed “Doc” Pepping, Easy Company Medic

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i never knew what soothing was until i saw these two walking in sync all the time

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“He was openly friendly, genuinely interested in us and our physical training. He was almost shy - he wouldn’t say ‘shit’ if he stepped in it. He was an officer who got the men to perform because he expected nothing but the best, and ‘you liked him so much you just hated to let him down’. He was, and is, all but worshiped by the men of E Company.”

Band of Brothers, Stephen E. Ambrose

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where y’all sitting

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band of brothers: favorite moments 2/-

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“I turned my focus from battlefields and inquired about his relationship with Captain Lewis Nixon. “You seem to have been polar opposites. You didn’t drink, nor did you swear. Nixon did both and in huge quantities. He would have been the last man whom I think you would have befriended. What was the foundation of your friendship with Nixon?” Dick’s eyes shone as he recalled his old friend. “It is hard to explain. I had first met Nix when we were at Fort Benning, Georgia, in officer candidate school. Later we served as platoon leaders under Sobel’s command. A special bond always exists among the platoon commanders in any military company, particularly when they perceive their own commander as ‘the enemy.’ I stayed in Easy Company, but Nix was transferred to higher headquarters. He drank too much, but he was also very conscientious. He was conscientious in his own way, on a man-to-man basis, and he always looked at what would best benefit the battalion. His contribution cannot truly be measured. There is no question in my mind that Nixon was the best combat soldier in 2nd Battalion. By the time we jumped into Holland, I was so lonely that I needed someone in whom I could confide my inner thoughts. That someone was Nix. Whenever the bullets began to fly, I could turn and there stood Nix. He always walked on my left side, one or two steps behind me. This was his token of respect for me as a commander.“ Dick continued, “I also had the opportunity to observe how he handled himself under fire. The best way to illustrate this was in Holland when we encountered a German roadblock. As the 2nd Battalion peeled off to the left, Easy Company was placed on the extreme left flank, crossing a flat field in broad daylight. About two hundred yards before we encountered the roadblock, we came under intense machine gun fire. The Germans stopped us dead in our tracks. Nixon and I hit the ground simultaneously. When he did, he took off his helmet and saw that a bullet had pierced it. Nixon had a smile on his face. Here’s a guy who came under enemy fire and laughed about it. Of course that night, Nix got roaring drunk. In hindsight, Nix probably needed me as much as I needed him. He was undoubtedly the coolest man under fire whom I ever encountered in combat.””

— Conversations with Major Dick Winters

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Band of Brothers Characters as Gifs, Part Two:

Bill Guarnere:

Buck Compton:

John Martin:

Don Malarky:

Shifty Powers:

Roy Cobb:

Floyd Talbert:

Babe Heffron:

Eugene Roe:

Norman Dike: