Fort Campbell, KY – Two Fort Campbell Soldiers will represent the 506th Infantry Regiment and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at a memorial ceremony honoring the late Richard “Dick” Winters, March 19th, in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Major Dick Winters, United States Army Veteran. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Sgt. Maj. Herman W. Clemens, Ret.)
Major Bradd A. Schultz, rear detachment commander, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Currahee) and Capt. Timothy Hastings, a former Easy Company platoon leader, will attend the service on-behalf of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the 506th Infantry Regiment, which are currently deployed to Afghanistan.
Richard Winters
[1]Major Dick Winters, United States Army Veteran, is seen in this Dec. 1945 photo. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Sgt. Maj. Herman W. Clemens, Ret.)
Major Dick Winters, United States Army Veteran, who led Currahee Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division during the invasion of Normandy, Operation Market Garden and the siege of Bastogne, died January 2nd, 2011 of Parkinson’s disease at age 92.
Winters received the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism on D-Day, along with accolades in the book, “Band of Brothers.” He also recieved the Congressional Medal of Honor.
The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States.
“It’s an honor to be able to attend this service on behalf of the 506th Infantry Regiment and the 101st Airborne Division,” said Schultz. “Major Winters was the epitome of Army values and a natural leader of men in training and in combat. His legacy, and that of those Soldiers that went before us, will always remain part of what it means to be a Currahee,” he said. “His courage, leadership and wisdom have inspired over three generations of Screaming Eagles and his actions on behalf of this great unit will never fade.”
More information on Major Dick Winters can be found on his website at: www.majordickwinters.com [2] .