By MONICA VON DOBENECK, The Patriot-News
Curt Schilling, former pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox, said today that he became the spokesman for a proposed monument to World War II hero Dick Winters because of his great respect for the Hershey man.
He said he has watched the HBO mini-series “Band of Brothers,” based on the experiences of Winters and other members of his Easy Company, at least 30 times. “World War II and the history of that generation has always been a passion of mine,” he said.
Schilling, who said he grew up “an Army brat,” owns a small publishing company called Multi-Man Publishing that focuses on World War II. “Major Winters is the second man I ever held in such idolization after my father,” he said. “He lived in a time and place when honor and integrity and the flag meant more than today.”
Documentary filmmaker Tim Gray is proposing the monument to leadership to be built by sculptor Stephen Spears near the shores of Normandy where Winters led his men on D-Day. Gray will also film an accompanying documentary to be narrated by Schilling.
Winters, who lives in Derry Twp., was a first lieutenant with E Company, 506th regiment of the 101st Airborne Division when he and his men parachuted behind enemy lines on June 6, 1944, to take on a German artillery position firing on Utah Beach. They also fought in the Battle of the Bulge, the liberation of Dachau and Hitler’s Eagles Nest.
Armed Forces Radio Interview 5-26-2010
I had the honor of appearing on the United States Armed Forces Radio Network today to discuss the Richard Winters Leadership project. Armed Forces Radio continues to reach our troops throughout the world providing them with news from home and the front lines. Armed Forces Radio was an especially important resource to soldiers, sailors and airmen during World War II.
To listen to today’s interview simply click the link at the top of this story. Of course, the interview started before I thought it did, thus my relaxed tone!
Kingston, RI May 25, 2010- Tim Gray Media’s Navy Heroes of Normandy documentary film, chronicling the building and dedication of the first United States Navy monument in Normandy, France, took home two Emmy Awards Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.
Tim Gray won an Emmy for Outstanding Documentary Program Writing, his second Emmy in that category. Gray also won an Emmy for documentary writing for D-Day+62 Years: Rhode Island Veterans Return to Normandy in 2007.
Navy Heroes of Normandy Director of Photography, Jim Karpeichik-President of Ocean State Video in Cranston, RI-took home an Emmy for Outstanding Videography for a Documentary Program. Karpeichik also won in that same category in 2007 for D-Day+62 Years.
Navy Heroes of Normandy was also nominated for a third Emmy in the category of Outstanding Historical or Cultural Program.
Tim Gray Media, www.timgraymedia.com, is a full-service video production company founded in 2005. In addition to HD documentary films, TGM also produces corporate videos and web based video files. “It’s an honor to be continually recognized by your peers for the work you produce,” said Tim Gray, President of TGM.
Gray’s two documentary films on WWII are currently airing nationally on PBS stations around the country and internationally. “It’s an honor to share these amazing stories with so many people. We are losing 1,000 WWII vets a day, 30,000 a month. Soon all we will have are these films,” Gray said.
(Lebanon Daily News - Brad Rhen) Staff Writer
IONA - Jordan Brown has never met Dick Winters.
But the 11-year-old South Lebanon Elementary School student is mounting a campaign to raise $100,000 toward a monument dedicated to the famed World War II veteran and other leaders that is planned to be built in France.
After reading a recent newspaper story about the effort to establish a monument near where Winters parachuted into France on D-Day, Brown decided he wanted to help raise money for it. Brown, who helped organize a fundraiser to send money to earthquake-ravaged Haiti in February, eventually settled on selling bracelets.
“Originally, we were going to try to do ‘Band of Brothers,’ but it was copyrighted, but we still liked the idea of a band,” Brown said.
The bracelets are similar to the yellow Live Strong bracelets developed by Lance Armstrong to raise money for cancer research. At the suggestion of Winters’ close friend, Lebanon architect Bob Hoffman, the bracelets are olive green, similar to the color of Army uniforms in World War II, and say “Hang Tough,” a phrase Winters would say to his men during the war.
Brown, a fourth-grader at South Lebanon, is hoping to get some of his fellow students involved in the project.
His mother, Yasmin Brown, said she the project is a great idea.
“I just thought it was a wonderful thing to do,” she said. “It’s something that’s child-driven, and I think that there’s something very heart-warming about the fact that these men, no doubt, when they went to battle, they were going to battle to fight for their kids’ and their grandkids’ futures, and here you have these grandchildren now coming back and wanting to say thank you.” Whether or not her son is able to raise all of the $100,000, Yasmin Brown said the project is “a win.”
“Hopefully they can raise the $100,000, but regardless, the children that get involved, they’re going to raise some amount of money toward the monument and documentary, but they’re going to learn about organization, teamwork, giving back to the community and saying thanks,” she said.So far the family has had 1,000 bracelets made and have ordered 2,000 more. They are asking for a $1 donation for each bracelet.
On Friday, Hoffman met up with the Browns at Jordan’s school. In exchange for a few bracelets, Hoffman gave Brown an autographed picture of Winters and a small autographed statue of Winters.
“I think it’s great because it forms a bridge to a younger generation,” Hoffman said of the project. “And it will help to make them aware of the continuity of sacrifice in this country, which is something we really don’t think about too often.”
Hoffman said the statue he gave Brown was a prized possession, but he did not hesitate to give it.
“We’re caretakers of physical possessions,” he said. “We’re just caretakers for a while, and I thought it would be nice to pass that on to somebody else to be the caretaker. Since this whole effort is to get a statue of Dick, I thought it would be nice for Jordan to have one at home that he could use for inspiration.”
Documentary filmmaker Tim Gray of Rhode Island is trying to raise $400,000 for the project, which will also include a documentary that will air on a national cable channel.
The statue will be located in Saint Marie-du-Mont, Normandy - the objective of Winters’ unit on D-Day. Sculptor Stephen Spears of Alabama will design the statue, and although it will depict Winters, it will also honor all Army officers who led soldiers into combat on D-Day, Gray said.
Gray said he was very impressed when he heard about Brown’s project.”The first thing my wife said is, ‘That’s a mini you,’” Gray said. “I think I took that as a compliment. This is an 11-year-old kid who already has a track record for doing things for people. Honestly, it restores your faith in young people.”
Gray said he put information about Brown’s bracelet campaign on his Facebook page, and he has already received inquiries about the bracelets from several people, including some in Europe.
“They recognize what ‘Hang Tough’ means on several different levels,” Gray said. “I’m very happy to have him as a part of our team.”
Winters, a Lancaster native, assumed command of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, shortly after parachuting into France in the early morning hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Following D-Day, Easy Company fought across Europe, participating in Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and eventually capturing Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” in Berchtesgaden, Germany.
Easy Company’s story was made famous by the book “Band of Brothers” by Stephen E. Ambrose and the 10-part HBO miniseries of the same name. The series, which was produced by Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks, won two Emmy awards in 2002, including best miniseries.
After the war, Winters lived for many years on a farm near Fredericksburg, where he built a house by hand. He now lives in Hershey.
The Browns will march in both the Annville and Lebanon Memorial Day parades and have received permission to set up a table near the ceremonies following each parade where they will be selling the bracelets.
Anyone who is interested in purchasing a bracelet or contributing to the campaign should email info@hangtough6644.org.
bradrhen@ldnews.com; 272-5611, ext. 145
America in World War II’s online national newspaper is featuring a link to recent press coverage of TGM’s Richard Winters Leadership project. We thank Jim Kushlan, editor & publisher at the magazine for the mention and recognition of this important undertaking.
