[theme music playing]
[Winters] It was more than three years
Since Lewis Nixon and I decided to join the paratroops.
And more than a year since we'd first gone to war,
not knowing what would happen to us,
how long we'd be fighting,
where we'd end up.
I certainly didn't expect to find myself
in a place like this.
[Nixon] I thought it might be you.
Morning.
Yeah, I heard reports about a redheaded Eskimo.
Thought I'd check it out.
Come to join me for a morning swim?
[laughs]
Yeah.
You know me so well.
Here, that's from Zielinski.
Oh, great.
What is that?
I ran into the regimental photographer.
He said he had all these photographs of the 506
going all the way back to Toccoa.
I traded them for a couple of Lugers.
That's a bargain.
[chuckles]
What do you think you'll do after this?
I'll get some breakfast.
No, after after.
Well, it's funny you should mention it,
'cause I had a meeting with Colonel Sink.
-Really? -Yeah.
Yeah, discussed the possibility of staying.
In the Army?
Yeah. Yeah, as a career.
What did you say?
I said I'd think about it.
What do you think about New Jersey?
New Jersey?
There's a company in Nixon, New Jersey.
-It's called Nixon Nitration Works. -Sounds picturesque.
Yeah, well, oddly enough I know the owners.
Probably gonna expect me to make something of myself.
I thought maybe I'd drag you with me.
Are you offering me a job?
We'll see how you do in your interview
but, you know, a man of your qualifications,
I think we'd probably scrape something up
commensurate with your current salary level.
Yeah, I'll think about it.
I, uh… I really appreciate it.
Yeah, just think about it.
Yeah.
[dog tags jingle]
[Winters] Job offers.
Hard to fathom.
And the war wasn't even over.
I was still getting used to hot showers and morning swims.
We'd entered Bavaria in early May
with the hopes of capturing Berchtesgaden.
This famous town high in the Alps
was the Nazi Party's symbolic home,
and the heads of the Third Reich had houses there.
Although Hitler was dead,
he had apparently ordered the SS to make it their last stand
from which to mount a guerrilla resistance
against the Allied advance.
The first step was blocking the roads.
[birds squawking]
When are we expecting the engineers to arrive?
-Half an hour ago. -We're stuck here until they do, Nix.
Well, if you're the SS, you're not gonna let us waltz into Hitler's house.
Probably throw a few rocks at us yourself.
If you're looking for someone to find another way up that mountain,
-Easy Company is ready and willing. -Duly noted.
I already recommended you to Colonel Sink.
Terrific. Let's find out where Hitler lived.
Ron, we're not sure what's up there.
The Colonel doesn't want us taking any unnecessary risks.
So the French are gonna beat us to the Eagle's Nest?
[Sink] Gents, I just had a conversation with General Leclerc.
He told me he was first into Paris
and, by God, he wanted to be first into Berchtesgaden.
I told him I understood his point.
Now, you fire up 2nd Battalion
and outflank that French son of a bitch.
Yes, sir.
[jeep starts]
I want Easy Company in the lead. Have the men assemble
-down on the autobahn. -Yes, sir.
Eerie.
There's not even any natives.
That's 'cause this is the one town
you can't deny being a true Nazi.
What do you mean?
[Nixon] Well, you have to be to live here.
We need to find someplace we can put the Colonel.
How about right there?
No, no.
Wow.
[silverware clatters]
[door closes]
[Welsh] Kitty would love this.
How many brides get a wedding present from Hitler?
-[laughing] -[silverware clattering]
You want to take half?
I can't carry all this.
And whoever comes in here after us is gonna take
whatever isn't nailed down.
-Well, wouldn't want that to happen. -[laughs]
-Guys-- -Don't even think about it.
Major Winters. Sir.
-Moore. -Permission to climb the mountain, sir?
-The Eagle's Nest? -What is this?
Wait one minute.
Harry, have F Company put a double guard on the hotel.
Set up roadblocks on the west side of town.
I want battalion HQ to seal off the north side and prepare for prisoners.
-Sergeant Grant. -and Harry--
Nobody gets hurt. Not now.
[banner rustles]
And Easy?
Easy'll head up the mountain
through the Obersalzberg
and take the Eagle's Nest.
-Hi-ho, Silver! -[whooping]
[Winters] The Eagle's Nest was a surprise birthday present
for Hitler built with Nazi Party money.
A mountaintop stone retreat 8,000 feet up
accessible by a gold-plated elevator.
It was one of the crown jewels of his empire…
And the man was afraid of heights.
[door opens, closes]
[metal clatters]
-[cork pops loudly] -[liquid splashing]
Here's to him.
[door opens]
[door closes]
-[Welsh laughing] -[Nixon] no, God damn it. Listen.
Hitler, Hitler… No.
-Hitler, Himmler, Goering-- -[Welsh] And Goebbels.
[men shouting]
Hey, Adolf! Love your Eagle's Nest.
I hope you don't mind. We made ourselves at home.
Love what you've done with the place here.
Hey, have a drink. Come on.
Just so we can say we saw you do it.
Listen up.
From Corps, it just came in.
"Effective immediately, all troops stand fast on present positions."
-Standing fast. -What does that mean?
[men laugh]
-Do you want to hear it? -Mm. Uh-huh.
Are you ready for it? Listen up.
The German Army surrendered.
I've got a present for you. Come on.
-Is it… -Yeah.
-[men laugh] -[jeep revving]
-[Nixon] what is this place? -[Winters] Hermann Goering's house.
We discovered it yesterday,
had it on double guard ever since.
-I can vouch for that, sir. -Oh, anxious to get off duty, O'Keefe?
No, there's just so much to see and do, sir.
[lock clacks]
[Winters] 10,000 bottles of the world's finest
liquor, wine and champagne
helped Easy Company mark the day
the war in Europe came to an end.
[Winters] It's all yours.
Take what you want and have each company take a truckload.
We're heading for Austria in the morning.
Don't feel you have to leave anything for whoever comes next.
-Austria, sir? -Happy V-E Day.
-Yeah. -[chuckles]
V-E Day?
Victory in Europe.
Happy V-E Day.
[Winters] Instead of an aggressive combat unit,
we became an occupation force.
-[whispers] Wow. -And no one wanted to leave Berchtesgaden
until they saw Austria.
So do you reckon they'll make us run up those or ski down them?
[women shouting greetings]
[soldier] Hey, how are you?
Do you need a hand there?
Hey! Oh, hi. Hi.
He loves you.
[soldiers shouting]
The war is over!
We'll be comfortable here.
I wonder what will happen to us,
to people like you and me,
when there are finally no more wars to occupy us.
Have all your men collect the weapons.
Deposit them at the church,
at the school and at the airfield.
We will.
[gun rattling]
Please accept this as my formal surrender, Major.
It is better than to lay it on the desk of a clerk.
You may keep your sidearm, Colonel.
[announcer] Heroic dead of our combined Army and Marine Corps
mark the grim battlefield of Okinawa,
where one of the bloodiest invasions of the war is being fought.
Thousands of Yanks have been wounded…
Look sharp.
…to drive a fanatical foe from this final base.
Along the Jap's southern defense line the Yanks progress slowly,
facing one of the fiercest artillery barrages of the war.
Each small advance is gained by sheer grit
in the face of withering fire from a suicidal enemy
being slowly hammered back into the hills.
The going is brutal and our casualties are high,
but Okinawa is the next big step towards victory over Japan,
a victory that can only be won by work,
war bonds and heroic sacrifice.
[men chattering]
So when are we going?
We don't have a date yet.
Would you tell the men right away?
Some of them will have enough points to go home instead.
Not many, if their only medal's a Purple Heart.
I think most of us here will have enough.
And each of us will have to decide what to do.
I don't know how long we're waiting here for orders,
but I want those veterans who are staying
and all new replacements ready to fight.
That means rifle ranges.
That means daily close-order drills. That means troop reviews.
But above all it means physical training.
Get your NCOs on it.
They're gonna love you.
[birds chirping]
What are you crouching down for, Perco?
You think the deer's gonna shoot back?
Leave me alone.
How about y'all just shut up,
let Shifty kill some dinner?
Oh, what's the matter, Bull?
Are you tired of eating dried-up spuds three times a day?
You know what? I've got an idea.
Why don't we just shoot Bull here,
feed the company for a week?
[wood snaps]
Oh, God damn it, Shifty.
You let 'em get away.
Army ought to be glad to be rid of you.
I wish, you know?
It seems they want me to stay around awhile.
-Are you serious? -How many points you need?
-Fifteen. -Fifteen?
Jesus Christ. I thought I had it bad.
[sighs] No Purple Hearts, never was injured.
-[Moore] Company! -[soldiers] Platoon!
Atten-hut!
Right shoulder, ho!
Order, ho!
At ease.
General Taylor is aware
that many veterans, including Normandy veterans,
still do not have the 85 points required to be discharged.
On this, the anniversary of D-Day,
he has authorized a lottery
to send one man home in each company,
effective immediately.
For Easy Company, the winner is…
[whispers] Come on, come on, come on, come on.
…serial number
13066266,
Sergeant Darrell C. Powers.
-[cheering, whistling] -Shifty.
That's how it's done, Shifty.
Congratulations, Shifty.
Sergeant Grant will see to it
that 2nd Platoon takes over at the crossroads checkpoint
beginning tonight at 2200 hours.
-[softly] So much for our anniversary. -[softly] No shit.
General Taylor has also announced
that the 101st Airborne Division
will definitely be redeployed to the Pacific.
So, beginning tomorrow
at 0600 hours,
we will begin training to go to war.
[knocks on door]
-Come in. -[door opens, closes]
I don't mean to interrupt you, sir.
I just wanted to, uh, say goodbye.
You know, you was…
You was, uh…
Well, it's been a long time.
-You got everything you need? -Yes, sir.
I gathered up my loot, pistols mainly.
Paperwork's all done.
I even got my back pay in my pocket.
Back… back home in Virginia,
well…
I just don't rightly know how I'm gonna explain all this.
You see, I… I…
I… I seen…
I seen…
You were a hell of a fine soldier, Shifty.
There's nothing more to explain.
Thank you, sir.
[Winters] Two days later, Shifty Powers was
on a truck headed for the rear and a boat home.
Unfortunately, the truck was hit head-on
by a drunken corporal from another regiment.
-[door opens, closes] -Shifty had a broken pelvis,
a broken arm and a bad concussion.
He survived but had to spend
the next few months in a series of hospitals.
I wish I could say that he was our only casualty in Austria.
I've made up my mind, Nix.
I've got the points. I'm going back to Kitty.
Harry, do you really think that Kitty hasn't run off with some 4F by now?
-[both laugh] -Son of a bitch.
-That's not even funny. -[Winters] Harry, ignore him.
How am I supposed to tell her I had the chance
to come home to her finally.
But decided not to so I could go jump on Tokyo?
All right, so don't tell her.
Besides, she's waited for you for three years, right?
We'll be to Tokyo and back in two years, three tops.
It'll probably be over before you even get there.
You know, the reality is you're gonna sit here
in Austria for six months, waiting to go,
and I'm going to be back in Wilkes-Barre making babies.
-You didn't tell him? -No, I couldn't get him to shut up.
What? Tell me what?
Guts and glory here applied for a transfer.
-What? -The 13th Airborne are
heading out for the Pacific right away.
If I'm going, I want to get it over with.
Are you in on this, too?
I can't let him go by himself. He doesn't know where it is.
You're leaving the men?
They don't need me anymore.
[exhales]
-Wounded in Normandy? -[typing]
Yes, sir, in the leg. It was a minor flesh wound.
Company E lost 24 men, killed there.
Yes, sir.
Seventeen of those were in my company commander's plane.
It went down on D-Day.
So you were given command of the company on D-Day?
-That's right. -[typing grows louder]
-[guns firing] -[bullets zinging]
[distorted] Fall back to your original positions!
Everyone else maintain your pace of fire!
[typing]
[man] In Holland they, uh…
They bumped you to battalion XO?
Yes, sir.
[exhales] The bastards took your company away.
[phone ringing]
[gunshot]
I fired my last shots there.
Of the whole damn war?
Yes, sir.
You got through Bastogne without having to fire your weapon?
That is correct, sir.
And you were on the line the whole time?
Yes, sir.
I can't imagine a tougher test for a leader,
having to sit through a siege like that
under those conditions.
We got through it.
[distorted] Find some cover! Find some cover!
-[shouting] -[explosions]
Come on, Find some cover!
[officer] So why do you want to transfer?
-I'm sorry, sir? -I said why do you want to leave your men?
Oh, it's not that, sir.
It's just that if the war is still on in the Pacific,
and I could do some good over there.
Looking to have your own division someday?
No, sir.
Not gonna make a career of the Army?
No. Ye…
I… Well, I don't know, sir.
Because if you think you need more combat experience
to get stars on your helmet,
let me tell you something, son…
You've done enough.
[clock chiming]
Thank you, sir. That's not my objective.
Major, I took this meeting out of respect for your achievements
and for the 101st.
If they do go to the Pacific eventually,
you should be running one of the battalions.
Thank you, sir.
Frankly, I think your men have earned the right to keep you around.
Yes, sir.
Thank you, sir.
[rooster crows]
[Winters] So I would stay in Austria for the time being
waiting for orders and trying to watch over
soldiers who had no enemy to fight.
-Lieb, I fucking hate this. -Oh, Jesus Christ.
They fingered him. He was in the fucking room, Web.
One of those polacks that was at the slave camps
This is where the guy lives.
-Which camp? -Whatever camp.
I'm under direct orders and I'm happy to follow it.
[gun cocks]
Is this a personal thing, Joe?
-What? -Is this personal to you?
No, it's a goddamn order.
Does Major Winters know about this?
-It doesn't matter here. -Oh, the fuck it doesn't.
What if this guy is just a soldier?
What if he's an officer with no ties to the SS?
-What if he's innocent? -You know what?
What if he's a Nazi commandant of a fucking slave camp?
Which one? Which camp? You don't have any proof!
Were you at Landsberg?
You know I was.
You think he's a soldier like you and me?
A fucking innocent German officer?
Where the hell have you been for the past three years?
[speaking German]
What?
-[man shouting] -[Liebgott] Shut up.
[Liebgott speaking German]
No? Come here, old man.
-[speaking German] -[chair rattles]
-[Liebgott] Don't fucking lie to me. -[man speaking]
See what you did to my fucking people?
-Nein. Nein. -All right, that's it.
[both shouting]
[dishes rattling]
[sighs]
He's guilty.
-Liebgott says so. -He probably is.
[gunshot]
-[footsteps running] -[door bangs]
[clicks]
Goddamn son of a bitch. Shoot him.
-Shoot him! -No.
[gunshot]
Officers don't run.
The war's over. Anybody would run.
[Winters] Summer in this alpine paradise
should have been a welcome relief,
especially now that we were at peace with the Germans.
Everyone just wanted to go home.
France. France was the best.
-Really? -Yeah.
Five years. I think I was in every country,
but France was the best.
Italy would be second for me.
Russia is not desirable.
Ukraine… It was okay.
So, uh, when do you get out?
My unit is discharged.
We leave when my captain gets transferred.
It is the end of my second war.
-Jesus. -I'm going home now to Mannheim.
I'll take this one. [speaking German]
Okay.
Hey, Webster! My relief.
Don't salute the Germans.
Oh, come on. I sort of get a kick out of it.
Anyway, I've got me a new enemy…
The Japs. Seventy-five points.
How about you? You're a Toccoa guy, right?
-How many have you got? -Wouldn't you like to know.
Discharged, huh?
-Mm. -Go ahead, take off.
-It's my turn. -Okay, see you back at the farm.
-Eighty-one. -Huh?
I have 81 points.
[laughs] Well, it's just not good enough.
[horn tooting]
Let's see about getting you a ride.
Hey. Hey, where are they going?
Munich. München… Munich.
Want to go to Munich?
[both speak German]
[couple speaking German]
Get in.
Too bad.
-Turn the wheel! -[tires screech]
-[crashes] -Oh, Jesus.
It's Private Janovec.
He was dead when they brought him in.
Seventy-five points.
-What? -He was ten points short.
[Winters] The enemy had surrendered,
but somehow men were still dying.
Young men who wanted to be home with their families by now,
who had served with distinction since before Normandy,
were stuck here because they didn't have the points.
What they did have plenty of were weapons, alcohol,
and too much time on their hands.
Honest. When all of a sudden from out of nowhere,
a guy jumps out of the hedgerow onto this guy's chest,
shoves a trench knife up against his throat
and screams, "Whose side are you on?"
-I don't get it. -It's D-Day.
-Right. -The 2nd Platoon's own Bill Guarnere,
old gonorrhea himself,
just landed in Normandy and wound up, I don't know what.
"Whose side are you on?" what a fucking character.
What happened to him?
Got his leg blown off in Bastogne.
Wait here.
Are you okay, mac? Do you need some help?
[man laughing]
They wouldn't give me any gas.
Krauts.
I tried to explain.
This fucking limey wouldn't listen.
I think he was a major.
Private, we've got a problem here.
Do you have any gas?
Why don't you give me your weapon?
Well, I guess I'll just use his jeep.
I don't think he's gonna be needing it.
Hold on a second, all right?
-Jesus! -[jeep starts]
Sarge! Sergeant Grant!
Sarge!
-Jesus. -What?
-He's not gonna make it. -You can't operate on him?
Not me. You'd need a brain surgeon.
And even if you had one, I don't think there's any hope.
You find the shooter. I want him alive.
-Come on, help me. -What are you doing?
We're gonna go find a brain surgeon.
Hey, Lieb. He wants a noncom guarding each roadblock
with at least two men watching every road out of town.
Bull, Malark, you each take a squad
and one of these witnesses on a house-to-house search.
Can we shoot this bastard on sight?
Try and take him alive.
-Where's Grant now? -They took him to a Kraut hospital
to see if they could drum up any good doctors.
-[pounds] -[dog barking]
-[gun taps] -Open up.
-Come with me. -Why?
Get in the jeep.
-Where are we going? -To the hospital. Get in.
If you're going to shoot me, shoot me.
If you're not, put the gun away.
Get in the jeep now.
-What happened to him? -He was shot in the head.
A half hour ago.
-Come on. -If you want him to live, you'll help me,
first by putting that away.
Come on, let's go.
Let me drive. We'll get there faster.
-[thudding] -[man grunting]
[Liebgott] Come on, get him up.
-[men yell] -Jesus.
Again… What a hand.
-[loud thud] -[man] Oh!
I wonder who's taking a bigger beating, me or him.
You wanna play a different game.
No, the same game, just shuffle them up good, huh?
-[loud thud] -[Liebgott] That's it.
[cards slam]
-Are you all right? -Yeah, I'm all right.
You want to go in there and join in?
[man] Come on, get him up!
-I should go in there and stop this. -[man 2] Like that? Yeah!
Floyd, let's just play cards, all right?
-Where is he? -How's Grant?
-Where is he? -Is he okay?
-[shouts] Where is he? -[men yelling]
[coughing]
-Is this him? -[man wheezes]
That's him.
Replacement, I Company.
Where's the weapon?
What weapon?
When you talk to an officer, you say "sir."
[man coughing]
-[gun cocks] -[breathing heavily]
Have the MPs take care of this piece of shit.
-Grant's dead? -No.
The Kraut surgeon says he's gonna make it.
Hey, tough guy, on your feet. Come on, move.
-Move. -Come on, get up.
I'm guessing they were Hitler's photo albums, sir.
Sure had a lot of pictures of him in it.
So you looked at 'em but you didn't take 'em?
-That's right, sir. -I don't believe you!
[soldiers chanting]
I'll be watching you. You're dismissed.
You'd better not be lying to me.
-What? -Sir, if it's not going
to put you in too much of a bind,
I'd like to resign as company 1st sergeant.
If I had my choice, I miss being back amongst the men.
I'd be happy to go to staff sergeant,
whichever platoon you want to put me in.
Well, I guess you've earned your right to demote yourself.
Thank you, sir.
You want to take over Sergeant Grant's platoon?
That would do fine, sir.
All right, then report to Lieutenant Peacock.
Let me know if he gives you any trouble.
Oh, sir, you make your decision yet?
Yeah, I did.
[door closes]
-[men chattering] -So what else is on your mind?
I know Easy Company is gonna need
a commanding officer postwar,
somebody to hold their hand, keep them from killing each other.
It'd better be somebody who knows what they're doing.
[Winters] Yup, I couldn't agree more.
I mean, it's absolutely irresponsible
to leave them in the hands of the wrong person.
They're too much of a valuable resource to the military.
So you've decided to stay in the Army?
Yes, I'm going to stay with the men.
Well, I'm glad to hear it.
[Winters] So some of us would stay by choice,
but others were stuck here
unless we could find excuses to send them away.
So it's an Airborne exhibition.
They have one of every Allied combat plane they've used in the war.
Uh-huh. I mean yes, sir.
You'll be like a technical advisor
and make sure they get everything right.
I understand, sir.
I'm sorry it's not more of a hospitable location.
[laughs] No, sir. Paris is just fine.
And if… if you need me to go and someone has to be there…
Yeah, we do. We absolutely do.
Your driver will drop you off at a hotel of your choice.
And I don't think we'll see you back here anytime soon.
I won't let you down, sir.
Carwood, yes.
Um, I wanted to say… [clears throat]
as you probably know,
the Army… When they give a man
a battlefield commission and make him an officer,
they usually don't let him stay with the same company.
Yes, sir. I… I figured this was coming.
Yeah. They're afraid the men won't show him
the proper degree of respect as they would another officer.
That's a good theory, sir.
It's an idiotic theory, especially in your case.
Nevertheless, they've given me
the choice as to where to reassign you,
and I thought battalion headquarters might be a good place.
I can think of few better, sir.
Good. Good.
Right now down at the airfield
there is a German general who is a little PO'ed
about having to surrender to Private Babe Heffron from South Philly.
He thinks it's beneath his stature.
-Understandable, sir. -Yeah.
I thought 2nd Lieutenant Carwood Lipton
from West Virginia could soothe his ruffled feathers.
No problem, sir.
Major, is this the type of job I can expect from now on?
Yeah. Yeah,
when we're not sunning ourselves by the lake.
Lieutenant.
[men chattering]
[heels click]
With your permission, I would like to address my men briefly.
That would be fine, General.
-Captain Sobel. -Major Winters.
Captain Sobel.
We salute the rank, not the man.
[speaking German]
Liebgott?
Men, it's been a long war. It's been a tough war.
You've fought bravely,
proudly for your country.
[General speaks German]
You are a special group.
You've found in one another a bond…
[General speaking German]
…that exists only in combat
among brothers…
[General speaks German]
…who've shared foxholes,
held each other in dire moments…
[General speaking German]
…who've seen death and suffered together.
I am proud to have served with each and every one of you.
You deserve long and happy lives in peace.
Towel. Towel. Towel, towel, towel.
Take a look at these two kids.
What the hell happened to them?
New Jersey, huh?
Yeah.
Think about it.
Yeah, I am.
Are you awake yet?
Awake?
Time to go to bed.
[men shouting]
Come on!
-You're out! -Come on, Jimmy!
[men chattering]
All right, we've got one down!
Come on, Peewee. Let's get Webster.
Come on, Peewee, let's get him.
[Winters] Buck Compton came back to see the company
to let us know he was all right.
He became a prosecutor in Los Angeles.
He convicted Sirhan Sirhan
in the murder of Robert Kennedy
and was later appointed to the California Court of Appeals.
David Webster became a writer for
The Saturday Evening Post and Wall Street Journal
and later wrote a book about sharks.
In 1961 he went out on the ocean alone
and was never seen again.
[men] Go, go, go, go, go!
Johnny Martin would return to his job at the railroad
and then start his own construction company.
He splits his time between Arizona
-and a place in Montana. -[men shouting]
George Luz became a handyman in Providence, Rhode Island.
As a testament to his character,
1,600 people attended his funeral
in 1998.
Doc Roe died in Louisiana
in 1998.
He'd been a construction contractor.
Frank Perconte returned to Chicago
and worked a postal route as a mailman.
Joe Liebgott returned to San Francisco
and drove his cab.
Bull Randleman was one of the best soldiers I ever had.
He went into the earth-moving business in Arkansas.
He's still there.
[men cheer]
Alton Moore returned to Wyoming with a unique souvenir…
Hitler's personal photo albums.
He was killed in a car accident in 1958.
Floyd Talbert we all lost touch with in civilian life
until he showed up at a reunion just before his death in 1981.
How we lived our lives after the war
was as varied as each man.
Carwood Lipton became a glass-making executive
in charge of factories all over the world.
He has a nice life in North Carolina.
Harry Welsh… He married Kitty Grogan
and became an administrator for the Wilkes-Barre,
-Pennsylvania, school system. -Go, go, go!
Ronald Speirs stayed in the Army,
served in Korea
and in 1958 returned to Germany as governor of Spandau Prison.
He retired a lieutenant-colonel.
[men cheer]
-[soldier] All right, Webster. -Easy Company!
School circle!
[Winters] For Easy Company, it was D-Day plus 434.
A fast man would've had it, Perco.
-Listen up. -We've got some news.
This morning President Truman received
the unconditional surrender from the Japanese.
The war is over.
[Winters] Regardless of points, medals or wounds,
each man in the 101st Airborne would be going home.
Each of us would be forever connected by our shared experience,
And each would have to rejoin the world as best he could.
-[men cheering] -[man] Play ball!
[Winters] Lewis Nixon had some tough times after the war.
He was divorced a couple of times.
Then in 1956 he married a woman named Grace
and everything came together for him.
He spent the rest of his life with her, traveling the world.
My friend Lew died in 1995.
I took up his job offer
and was a personnel manager at the Nixon Nitration Works
until I was called back into service
in 1950 to train officers and rangers.
I chose not to go to Korea.
I'd had enough of war.
I stayed around Hershey, Pennsylvania,
finally finding a little farm,
a little peaceful corner of the world,
where I still live today.
There is not a day that goes by
that I do not think of the men I served with
who never got to enjoy the world without war.
It's a very unusual feeling,
it's a very unusual happening
and it's a very unusual bonding.
We knew that we could depend on each other.
And so we were a close-knit group.
Just brave. So brave it was unbelievable.
And I don't know anybody that I admire more
than Bill Guarnere
and Joe Toye.
They were very special.
I'm just one part of the big war, that's all,
one little part.
And I'm proud to be a part of it.
Sometimes it makes me cry.
The real men, the real heroes
are the fellas that are still buried over there
and those that had come home to be buried.
It seemed like you figured…
You thought that you could do just about anything.
After the war was over and you came back out…
Well, you lost a lot of that.
Or at least I did. I lost all that confidence.
We was hoping to stay alive, that's all, you know.
[Lipton] Henry V was talking to his men.
He said "From this day
to the ending of the world,
we in it shall be remembered,
we lucky few,
we band of brothers.
For he who today
sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother."
Do you remember
the letter that Mike Ranney wrote me?
You do?
Do you remember how he ended it?
"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.'"
[theme music playing] any of heroes.'"