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Major Richard D. "Dick" Winters (January 21, 1918 – January 2, 2011) was an officer of the United States Army and a decorated war veteran. He is best known for commanding Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, during World War II, eventually being promoted to major rising to command of the entire 2nd Battalion.
As first lieutenant, Winters parachuted into Normandy in the early hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944, and fought across France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and eventually Germany. Following the German surrender, he left the 506th and was then stationed in Fra
Major Richard D. "Dick" Winters (January 21, 1918 – January 2, 2011) was an officer of the United States Army and a decorated war veteran. He is best known for commanding Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, during World War II, eventually being promoted to major rising to command of the entire 2nd Battalion.
As first lieutenant, Winters parachuted into Normandy in the early hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944, and fought across France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and eventually Germany. Following the German surrender, he left the 506th and was then stationed in France, where senior officers were needed to oversee the return home. In 1951, during the Korean War, Winters was recalled to the U.S. Army from the inactive list and briefly served as a regimental planning and training officer on staff at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Winters was issued orders for deployment and was preparing to depart for Korea, but instead left the Army under a provision that allowed officers who had served in World War II but had been inactive since to resign their commission.
Winters was discharged from the Army and returned to civilian life, working first in New Jersey and later in Pennsylvania, where he set up his own company selling chocolate byproducts from The Hershey Company to producers of animal feed. He was a regular guest lecturer at the United States Military Academy at West Point until his retirement in 1997. He was the last surviving Easy Company commander.
Winters was featured in a number of books and was portrayed by English actor Damian Lewis in the 2001 HBO mini-series Band of Brothers.
* Combat Infantryman Badge
* Parachutist Badge with 2 jump stars
* Distinguished Service Cross
* Bronze Star Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster
* Purple Heart
* Presidential Unit Citation with one Oak leaf cluster
* National Defense Service Medal
* Croix de guerre with palm
* French Liberation Medal
* War Cross (Belgium) with palm
* Belgian World War II Service Medal
* American Defense Service Medal
* European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 Service Stars and Arrowhead Device
* Army of Occupation Medal
* World War II Victory Medal
* Orange Lanyard of the Royal Netherlands Army
* Medal of the city of Eindhoven
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