Major Dick Winters did a interview a few years after Band of Brothers aired, which you can watch on YouTube. The interviewer (a Republican politician in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, John D. Payne) asked him what he would say to young people about the importance of serving the military. Rather than try to recruit children, as I suspect Payne wanted him to do, Major Winters instead said this:
"Basically I have one message to all, they're all the same: Hang tough. And I mean by saying 'hanging tough': do your best every day. Whether it's in school or at your job or wherever you are. Do your best every day. You don't have to know all the answers. No way. Don't expect that of yourself. Just do your best, satisfy yourself, so at the end of the day you can look in the mirror after you've brushed your teeth, and say honestly to yourself, 'Today I did my best.' And if you do that, you're being honest, and everything is gonna be okay."
Casey Cannon
2023-02-10 21:16:40 +0000 UTC
I did exactly the same thing, joining with three shows left. I would recommend The Wire. I think it is the greatest TV show of all time. So glad you felt the tears were worth it. ; )
Paul Slavich
2023-02-10 18:57:00 +0000 UTC
Literally got a sub for the last three episodes because I couldn't wait to see your reactions! :) Really glad you enjoyed BoB. Its on the top of my all-time favorite TV Shows. I don't know if you all would enjoy going through The Pacific, that show is far more brutal, with less happy endings. Either way, happy that you both got to experience BoB!
Para Digm
2023-02-10 03:19:36 +0000 UTC
Great reaction. Thank you for reacting to this series. Although I understand how emotionally draining it has been for the both of you, I sincerely hope you react to The Pacific one day. In my opinion, it's even better than Band of Brothers.
Have a wonderful day.
Zeiss
2023-02-10 01:00:06 +0000 UTC
Any thought of watching The Pacific? Same creators, concept that follows men in the Pacific part of the war. Not right away of course, these things are best spaced out but sometime in the future I hope you'll give it a watch. Like BoB it's a great watch, and something I haven't seen since.
Teddy S
2023-02-09 21:34:09 +0000 UTC
Ah this episode never fails to make me cry. Hope you guys react to the documentary.
Ten
2023-02-09 03:22:26 +0000 UTC
No, We Stand Alone Together has nothing to do with how the show was made at all. It's a documentary about the real men of Easy Company, not the TV show. It's pretty much the 11th and best episode of the show. It's just not the same without it. If you're not reacting to it, well, that sucks.
Chillin'withSpiders
2023-02-08 22:21:31 +0000 UTC
I joined you crying in this one 😭 the ending is so perfect ❤
Tom
2023-02-08 19:34:06 +0000 UTC
Considering this is historically accurate, no, none of the gripes you mentioned are in this. Anything that portrays WWII like you described is not something historically accurate or worth watching. There is plenty of content out there aligned with BoB and that is the war content people should be consuming.
Dante
2023-02-08 17:33:55 +0000 UTC
I very much agree with how you put it Malus.
Melkor
2023-02-08 16:34:37 +0000 UTC
Cry giggling is the best crying...or giggling :)
Pete
2023-02-08 14:40:49 +0000 UTC
Harry Welsh married Kitty, started a family, and then he met the Elric brothers...
Orr Malus
2023-02-08 14:10:34 +0000 UTC
And so it comes to an end, figuratively and literally. Thanks for finishing this show - it's been great revisiting the show after many years with your commentary and reactions. It was a hard watch but the catharsis of this final episode is unmatched, I cried a bunch. I think this show should be required viewing for everyone at least one time, even moreso the further away we get from the 20th century. I particularly love the scene with the German officer (?) talking to his men and it being translated, I feel like it reinforces the point that the vast majority of people who fought in the war are not "evil", they're just normal people born in different places, drafted or pressured into volunteering, and every side has its own great leaders like Winters and "bands of brothers".
[edit] just watched the discussion and you literally say the same thing lmao my bad
Kara
2023-02-08 13:33:02 +0000 UTC
I don't know about it being the most historically accurate show (there's no such thing as objective ex post facto history) but here's what sets BoB apart from the rest: it's like a highly dramatized documentary based on witness accounts, doesn't follow a typical narration pattern but is instead a series of key moments from the lives of the witnesses, very little typical WW2 propaganda, very little politics.
Orr Malus
2023-02-08 12:55:56 +0000 UTC
Phyrric victory*
When I try and edit comments on my phone it never works and nothing changes specifically on Patreon.
Melkor
2023-02-08 12:37:33 +0000 UTC
You know your history. If Downfall happened the Allies would basically end up with a Phyfe ich victory at best, sure they would win but the losses would be so high the campaign and victory would not be worth it in terms of losses.
I wonder if that would give the Japanese a chance of getting a conditional surrender. I doubt it because they still have no hope of winning just making the Allies suffer.
Melkor
2023-02-08 12:35:40 +0000 UTC
You two did great with this show and it was amazing to see your reactions. I just finished your reaction series of Full Metal Alchemist yesterday, and with this reaction this morning you can bet that there were alot of tears 🤣
Cameron
2023-02-08 11:53:54 +0000 UTC
Thanks, Melkor - this is good to hear.
Dustywood
2023-02-08 11:02:48 +0000 UTC
To be fair, they legitimately didn't know if they were going to go to the Pacific. Now we know that the Japanese were basically "done" by the middle of 1945 but they still refused to surrender. Operation Downfall was still very much a possibility and if it had come to pass, millions upon millions, more of troops would have been needed for a two-pronged invasion of the Japanese islands which would have completely dwarfed D-Day in 1944. It would have been a absolute disaster in terms of death on both sides (seriously...the Japanese had plans for using civilians as suicide bombers and they were teaching children to charge with bamboo spears). The US minted so many purple hearts for the invasion of the Japanese islands that they're still being given out today. As bad as the Pacific War got in its latter stages, with the fire bombing campaign and so many casualties in Iwo Jima and Okinawa (Allied, Japanese, civilian)... The lack of a Japanese surrender still had everyone on edge because the war could have easily stretched into 1946. The ethics of the atomic bomb aside (and that is a legitimate conversation to have)... Thank God Operation Downfall never came to pass. For everyone's sake.
Caomhan84
2023-02-08 10:24:35 +0000 UTC
Maj. Dick Winters on Adjusting to Civilian Life after WWII (Band of Brothers) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wxfmqFw6GM
[Wiggle]
2023-02-08 09:01:38 +0000 UTC
In 1941, Nixon enlisted in the Army at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and completed Basic Training at Camp Croft, South Carolina. He then attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning. While there, he met Richard Winters. He joined the Paratroopers early on along with Winters, and was assigned to Easy Company, 2nd Battalion,
[Wiggle]
2023-02-08 08:56:05 +0000 UTC
As a history buff I can confirm I’d say this is the most historically accurate history show out there I’d say.
It isn’t Hollywood garbage it’s one of the few instances this can portray ww2 from an American perspective with actual respect to actual history. And it isn’t portrayed as good or evil. This specific episode itself shows nuances in how German officers aren’t automatically evil.
Melkor
2023-02-08 07:31:19 +0000 UTC
@The History Bluffs, is this series actually worth checking out? I usually avoid any war based series / films because of the incredible amounts of Historic inaccuracies / the glorification of unrealistic events. Pretty keen to hear the perspective of someone else that's quite well versed in the History of this era opinion - I have this natural dislike bias towards anything that pumps up the American military in WW2 and has the enemies making "dumb decisions" / or dying in great losses verses little causalities on the American side etc. How accurately is this show portrayed or is it full of inconsistencies / "good vs evil" montras? Or the type of show to put history knowledge away / just enjoy the content? Curious if I should watch it.
Dustywood
2023-02-08 07:07:26 +0000 UTC
I believe the lake in the episode is Lake Zell in Zell am See, Austria.
Tom Evans
2023-02-08 04:57:30 +0000 UTC
I know you said you would watch the doc on your own time. I would really be interested in watching a reaction to it. To answer your question, it's basically interviewing the real veterans. All those interviews that you see before each episode comes from that documentary.
GV
2023-02-08 04:26:27 +0000 UTC
Please consider Firefly on one of your polls.
ODIS
2023-02-08 02:22:48 +0000 UTC
I don't think there's a time where I could watch Winters deliver the final line and have it not get me, I think I could watch it 50 years from now and it still would.
Jay Craig
2023-02-08 02:16:40 +0000 UTC
@Dante, thanks!, yeah, i just checked. i'll watch something for a while and if they upload it before i go to bed great, but i'll probably just end up watching tomorrow.
sand_fl
2023-02-08 00:35:34 +0000 UTC
So happy to hear TLOU is next! They are going to love it
Dante
2023-02-08 00:33:01 +0000 UTC
Usually, Tuesday is Mr. Robot but sometimes it comes on Wednesday
Dante
2023-02-08 00:32:34 +0000 UTC
i just finished watching the full and my eyes and head hurt from crying. i will never in my life rewatch this but i was a great show. i'm also happy i watched it but god, it took years of my life.
i assume there's no other reaction today right? i'm a bit lost with the schedule these days.
sand_fl
2023-02-08 00:22:12 +0000 UTC
I know this wasn't an easy show to react to, so I appreciate y'all for getting through it!
Jordan Malloy
2023-02-08 00:13:40 +0000 UTC
Yay! Looking forward to watch you ruin yourselves emotionally and then discuss it afterwards. This was a great series :)