Synopses & Reviews
On the hellish battlefields of World War II Europe, Major Dick Winters led his Easy Companyand#151;the now-legendary Band of Brothersand#151;from the confusion and chaos of the D-Day invasion to the final capture of Hitlerand#8217;s Eagleand#8217;s Nest.
But Wintersand#8217;s story didnand#8217;t end there. It was only the beginning.
He was a quiet, reluctant hero whose modesty and strength drew the admiration of not only his men, but millions worldwide. Now comes the story of Dick Winters in his last years as witnessed and experienced by his good friend, Cole C. Kingseed.
Kingseed shares the formative experiences that made Winters such an effective leader. He addresses Wintersand#8217;s experiences and leadership during the war, his intense, unbreakable devotion to his men, his search for peace both without and within after the war, and how fame forced him to make adjustments to an international audience of well-wishers and admirers, even as he attempted to leave a lasting legacy before joining his fallen comrades. Following Wintersand#8217;s death on January 2, 2011, the outpouring of grief and adulation for one of this nationand#8217;s preeminent leaders of character, courage, and competence shows just how much of an impact Dick Winters left on the world.
This is a story of leadership, fame, and friendship, and the journey of one manand#8217;s struggle to find the peace that he promised himself if he survived World War II.
Review
"There is a saying that 'Great leaders are born not made.' Such a man is Dick Winters... A beautifully written book about a truly great leader. This riveting read clearly reflects Dick Winters's solid character, great integrity, and unerring judgment in critical battlefield situations." —
Lieutenant General Harold G. Moore, co-author of
We Were Soldiers Once...And Young "Its modesty, its candor, and its insights into the nature of front-line leadership and the fears and behaviors of men in combat make this memoir a classic ranking with Charles MacDonald's Company Commander." —Dennis Showalter, author of Patton and Rommel
"Dick Winters epitomizes the finest attributes of American citizen-soldiers….a poignant, riveting story with timeless application to the study of leadership in war." —Colonel Lance Betros, Chairman, Department of History, U.S. Military Academy, editor of West Point: Two Centuries and Beyond
"Winters's leadership inspired his soldiers to fight courageously under the most difficult and challenging conditions of battle. [An] extraordinary memoir." —H.R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, The Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam
Review
and#8220;These are the trueand#8212;and terrifyingand#8212;stories of combat Marines struggling against a fanatical enemy on the far-flung islands of the Pacific. A powerful new book.and#8221;and#8212;Dale Dye, military advisor for Band of Brothers and The Pacific
and#8220;A fantastic, deeply moving collection of stories told by the men who were actually there.and#8221;and#8212;Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Liberator
and#8220;Imagine a last conversation with your father or grandfather who fought in WWII, only this time he tells you the stories he always held back. Thatand#8217;s Voices of the Pacific.and#8221;and#8212;Larry Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of Biggest Brother
and#8220;Like a Higgins landing craft, Voices of the Pacific rumbles to our literary shores without pretense to deliver first-person accounts of war with the same gut-level realism as the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan.and#8221;and#8212;Bob Welch, author of Resolve
and#8220;An impressive array of personal stories from the nightmarish fights on islands such as Guadalcanal, Peleliu, and Iwo Jima, all delivered in a simple, poignant narrative that readers will adore.and#8221;and#8212;Ian Gardner, author of Tonight We Die As Men
and#8220;Our nation owes a great debt to a small few, such as the Marines inand#160;Voices of the Pacific. They not only saved a nation. They saved the world.and#8221;and#8212;Colin D. Heaton, coauthor ofand#160;Noble Warrior and#8220;Readingand#160;Voices of the Pacificand#160;is like listening in on a conversation between war buddies at a reunionand#8212;honest, unsanitized, and deeply humbling.and#8221;and#8212;Justin Taylan, historian, founder ofand#160;Pacific Wrecks
Review
and#8220;Colonel Cole Kingseed has captured the essence of a great military leader as only a soldier-historian can. Dick Winters was an extraordinary combat leader, and Kingseedand#8217;s extended conversations with him tell us why. Winters possessed a unique and powerful combination of humility, integrity, courage, compassion, resilience, and determination to win.and#8221;and#8212;Major General H. R. McMaster, USA, Commanding General, Fort Benning, Georgia and author of
Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam
and#8220;Band of Brothersand#8217;s Major Dick Winters is arguably the most recognizable American hero to contemporary America in large measure because of Colonel Cole Kingseedand#8217;s scholarship. Conversations with Major Dick Winters takes the Dick Winters story to a new level and makes his legacy even more powerful, more personal, and more compelling to a whole new generation.and#8221;and#8212;Colonel (Ret.) Kevin Farrell, USA, former chief of military history, U.S. Military Academy at West Point and author of The Military and the Monarchy
and#8220;Based on a personal relationship fostered and nurtured through years of conversations and directed reflection, Conversations with Major Dick Winters should be mandatory reading not just for military leaders but by anyone who wants to improve their leadership style by learning from a and#8216;masterand#8217; . . . Colonel Kingseedand#8217;s unparalleled personal relationship with Winters permits the rest of us to eavesdrop as a remarkable soldier recounts his understated leadership journey through war and peace.and#8221;and#8212;Brigadier General (Ret.) Frank H. Akers Jr. USA, president and CEO, Oak Ridge Strategies Group, Inc.
and#8220;Are leaders born or made? The perceptions and the insights of Band of Brothersand#8217;s Major Dick Winters show that in a democracy, true leaders are cultivated. In the tradition of Lord Moranand#8217;s The Anatomy of Courage, this is an anatomy of leadership, of courage, of discipline, and above all, of self-knowledge.and#8221;and#8212;Dennis Showalter, author of Patton and Rommel: Men of War in the Twentieth Century and Hitlerand#8217;s Panzers: The Lightning Attacks That Revolutionized Warfare
Synopsis
"Tells the tales left untold by Stephen Ambrose, whose Band of Brothers was the inspiration for the HBO miniseries....laced with Winters's soldierly exaltations of pride in his comrades' bravery."--Publishers Weekly They were called Easy Company--but their mission was never easy. Immortalized as the Band of Brothers, they suffered 150% casualties while liberating Europe--an unparalleled record of bravery under fire. Winner of the Distinguished Service Cross, Dick Winters was their legendary commander. This is his story--told in his own words for the first time.
On D-Day, Winters assumed leadership of the Band of Brothers when its commander was killed and led them through the Battle of the Bulge and into Germany--by which time each member had been wounded. Based on Winters's wartime diary, Beyond Band of Brothers also includes his comrades' untold stories. Virtually none of this material appeared in Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers. Neither a protest against nor a glamorization of war, this is a moving memoir by the man who earned the love and respect of the men of Easy Company--and who is a hero to new generations worldwide.
Includes photos
Synopsis
They were called Easy Company—but their mission was never easy. Immortalized as the Band of Brothers, they suffered 150% casualties while liberating Europe—an unparalleled record of bravery under fire. Dick Winters was their commander—"the best combat leader in World War II" to his men. This is his story—told in his own words for the first time.
On D-Day, Dick Winters parachuted into France and assumed leadership of the Band of Brothers when their commander was killed. He led them through the Battle of the Bulge and into Germany, by which time each member had been wounded. They liberated an S.S. death camp from the horrors of the Holocaust and captured Berchtesgaden, Hitler's alpine retreat. After briefly serving during the Korean War, Winters was a highly successful businessman. Made famous by Stephen Ambrose's book Band of Brothers—and the subsequent award-winning HBO miniseries—he is the object of worldwide adulation.
Beyond Band of Brothers is Winters's memoir—based on his wartime diary—but it also includes his comrades' untold stories. Virtually all this material is being released for the first time. Only Winters was present from the activation of Easy Company until the war's end. Winner of the Distinguished Service Cross, only he could pen this moving tribute to the human spirit.
Synopsis
These are the stories from fifteen WWII Marines, compiled by Adam Makos and Marcus Brotherton but left unfiltered and in the words of the Marines who were there. Unflinching, brutal, and relentless, Voices of the Pacific will leave a reader gasping for air and dumbstruck in awe of the old heroes who won the Pacific war with bare hands, bayonets, and guts.
The book presents accounts of heroism and honor as told by World War II veterans Sid Phillips, R.V. Burgin, and Chuck Tatumand#151;whose exploits were featured in the HBO mini-series The Pacificand#151;and their Marine buddies from the legendary 1st Marine Division.
These Marines trace the action from the Pearl Harbor attack and intense boot camp training through battles with the Japanese on Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa, to their return home after V-J Day. With unflinching honesty, these men reveal harrowing accounts of combat with an implacable enemy, the friendships and camaraderie they foundand#151;and lostand#151;and the aftermath of the warand#8217;s impact on their lives.
With unprecedented access to the veterans, never-before-seen photographs, and unpublished memoirs, Makos and Brotherton have forged Voices of the Pacific into an incredible historic record of American bravery and sacrifice. and#160;and#160;
Synopsis
Chronicling the United States Marine Corpsand#8217; actions in the Pacific Theater of Operations, Voices of the Pacific presents the true stories of heroism and honor as told by such World War II veterans as Sid Phillips, R.V. Burgin, and Chuck Tatumand#151;whose exploits were featured in the HBO mini-series, The Pacificand#151;and their Marine buddies from the legendary 1st Marine Division.
Following fifteen Marines from the Pearl Harbor attack and intense boot camp training through battles with the Japanese on Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa, to their return home after V-J Day, Adam Makos and Marcus Brotherton have compiled an oral history of the Pacific War in the words of the men who fought on the front lines. With unflinching honesty, these Marines reveal harrowing accounts of combat with an implacable enemy, the friendships and camaraderie they foundand#151;and lostand#151;and the aftermath of the warand#8217;s impact on their lives.
With unprecedented access to the veterans, never-before-seen photographs, and unpublished memoirs, Makos and Brotherton have forged Voices of the Pacific into an incredible historic record of American bravery and sacrifice.
Synopsis
Now in paperback! The New York Times bestseller and war memoir from the commander of the legendary Band of Brothers??now with a new preface from Dick Winters. They were called Easy Company?but their mission was never easy. Immortalized as the Band of Brothers, they suffered 150% casualties while liberating Europe?an unparalleled record of bravery under fire. Winner of the Distinguished Service Cross, Dick Winters was their legendary commander. This is his story?told in his own words for the first time.
On D-Day, Winters assumed leadership of the Band of Brothers when its commander was killed and led them through the Battle of the Bulge and into Germany?by which time each member had been wounded. Based on Winters?s wartime diary, Beyond Band of Brothers also includes his comrades? untold stories. This is a moving memoir by the man who earned the love and respect of Easy Company?and who is a hero to new generations worldwide.
Synopsis
These are the stories from fifteen WWII Marines, compiled by Adam Makos and Marcus Brotherton but left unfiltered and in the words of the Marines who were there. Unflinching, brutal, and relentless, Voices of the Pacific will leave a reader gasping for air and dumbstruck in awe of the old heroes who won the Pacific war with bare hands, bayonets, and guts.
The book presents accounts of heroism and honor as told by World War II veterans Sid Phillips, R.V. Burgin, and Chuck Tatumand#151;whose exploits were featured in the HBO mini-series The Pacificand#151;and their Marine buddies from the legendary 1st Marine Division.
These Marines trace the action from the Pearl Harbor attack and intense boot camp training through battles with the Japanese on Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa, to their return home after V-J Day. With unflinching honesty, these men reveal harrowing accounts of combat with an implacable enemy, the friendships and camaraderie they foundand#151;and lostand#151;and the aftermath of the warand#8217;s impact on their lives.
With unprecedented access to the veterans, never-before-seen photographs, and unpublished memoirs, Makos and Brotherton have forged Voices of the Pacific into an incredible historic record of American bravery and sacrifice.
and#160;
About the Author
Major Dick Winters was born near Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1918. A graduate of Franklin and Marshall College in 1941, he was one of the initial officers assigned to Easy Company of the 101st Airborne. Winters jumped into France on D-Day and commanded the unit now known as the Band of Brothers. Promoted to Captain and then battalion commander, he led his men through the Battle of the Bulge and captured Berchtesgaden, Hitler's Bavarian retreat. Released from military service in November 1945, he returned briefly to active duty during the Korean War, then spent his life on a small Pennsylvania farm and was a highly successful businessman. Now eighty-six years old, Winters is popular on the lecture circuit and has found the peace and quiet he promised himself as he lay down to catch some sleep on June 6, 1944—D-Day.
Cole C. Kingseed is a thirty-year Army veteran who served in a variety of command and staff positions. He earned his M.A. in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College and his Ph.D. in history from Ohio State. He taught at West Point, where he served as chief of military history for four years. Kingseed is the author of thirty-seven articles on corporate and military leadership and such books as Eisenhower and the Suez Crisis of 1956 and Old Glory Stories: Combat Leadership in World War II. He is president of his own leadership consulting firm, The Brecourt Leadership Experience, Inc., whose clients, to name a few, include General Electric, FreddieMac, International Paper, and Bayer Corporation.