musings about the actor and the characters he brings to life
On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-guarded French coastline to fight the Nazis on the beaches of Normandy. Today, on the 81st anniversary of D-day, we are revisiting Band of Brothers Episode 2 “Day of Days” in honor and memory of all men and women who contributed to the victory in WWII. We are eternally grateful. Continue reading “On the 81st Anniversary of D-Day: Band of Brothers Episode 2 “Day of Days””
When Damian attended the ceremonies for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day on Utah Beach back in 2014, he met the WWII veteran Jim “Pee Wee” Martin. A member of the 101st Airborne Division, Martin got his nickname because he was the lightest man in his regiment. He parachuted into Normandy on D-Day and was also a part of the ill-fated “Operation Market Garden” and the Ardenne Forest Offensive aka “Battle of the Bulge” during the WWII. He was 93 years old on the 70th Anniversary of D-Day but this did not hold him back from parachuting into Normandy to re-live that day all over again! And he did it again, in Holland this time, on the 75th anniversary of Operation Market Garden. He was 98. Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to D-Day’s 70th
Anniversary on Utah Beach: In Memory of Jim “Pee Wee” Martin”
Band of Brothers opens at Upottery Airfield on June 4, 1944, as the Easy Company paratroopers make their final preparations for their highly-awaited Normandy jump. The men of Easy Company are clearly disappointed when the commanding officer, 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III, shows up to announce that the jump has been delayed due to bad weather.
Easy Company, listen up! Gather up around me. Move it up, come on, gentlemen, let’s go! Now, the Channel coast is socked in with rain and fog, high winds on the drop zone. No jump tonight. The invasion has been postponed. We’re on a 24 hour stand down.
As the men grumble about the delay, we meet 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters and 2nd Lieutenant Lewis Nixon. The two men talk about their time together as they expect further announcements. Towards the end of the first episode, there is an exchange about the weather between the two. Continue reading “War and Weather: A First Look at Damian Lewis’ New WWII Movie “Pressure””
Today is Memorial Day – a day of remembrance honoring all men and women that died in active military service. And it gives us a great opportunity to salute all war heroes, and in particular Major Dick Winters and Easy Company.
I know a thing or two about war. My day job is to study and understand war. I have written academic articles on war, I have taught on war… and even though I can write about war for pages and talk about it for hours as a scholar, the human cost of war is still incomprehensible to me.
Let me take a moment and look at my own family. My maternal grandmother never knew her father because he was a soldier in WWI in the Eastern Front in Turkey, and he literally froze because of the cold as he fought against the Russians. My paternal grandmother never knew her father, either; because he was also a soldier in WWI and was killed by a shrapnel in Gallipoli as he fought against the Anzacs. Continue reading “Let’s Salute Major Winters – the Rank and the Man – on Memorial Day”
Band of Brothers opens at Upottery Airfield on June 4, 1944, as the Easy Company paratroopers make their final preparations for their highly-awaited Normandy jump. The men of Easy Company are clearly disappointed when the commanding officer, 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III, shows up to announce that the jump has been delayed due to bad weather.
Easy Company, listen up! Gather up around me. Move it up, come on, gentlemen, let’s go! Now, the Channel coast is socked in with rain and fog, high winds on the drop zone. No jump tonight. The invasion has been postponed. We’re on a 24 hour stand down.
As the men grumble about the delay, we meet 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters and 2nd Lieutenant Lewis Nixon. The two men talk about their time together as they expect further announcements. Towards the end of the first episode, there is an exchange about the weather between the two. Continue reading “War and Weather: A First Look at Damian Lewis’ New WWII Movie “Pressure””