Hey Guys,

I 've posted this link on the dutch site, but a member out of the USA wanted this also on the English site.
That's why i put it also here.
Follow the link, read and sign.
The man gonna have this medal.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Winters/petition.html

Thanks for signing.

Marc

This is for Major Winters to awarded the Medal of Honor...Found the wed site last night. It is posted on the 101st Division Wed Site.

I signed the petition

me too

Having read the book, seen the movie, I personally rushed to sign. Point being, Maj. Winters deserves this medal.
Aside from that I have the connection in that I served in the 1st Battalion of the 506th in Korea from 1995 to 1996. The unit is presently deployed to Iraq after 17 years of being the most forwardly deployed unit in the US Army. So the unit continues to serve with distiction(sorry for my rambling, but I am a little bias).
As a side note, for you fellow history /military buffs, here is the official 506th webpage:
http://www.currahee.hispeed.com

Sorry, but I disagree with the petition for a Medal of Honor.

I give Major Winters great credit, he is a great leader of men. However, I will put forth the argument that he was not the exception, but the norm for the soldiers and officers in the situations that he was in. There were many great leaders in WWII. MAJ Dick Winters did some great things, but the Medal of Honor is given for an exceptionally brave and significant event done by the individual soldier. The taking of the gun battery on D-day was a unit action, Dick Winters himself did not single handedly take the gun battery. For his actions on D-Day, MAJ Winters was awarded the Distinguished Cross. The Distinguished Cross is one medal just below the Medal of Honor, it is a very fitting award. Also, if it weren't for the book by Stephen Ambrose, the story of MAJ Winters and Easy Co would be just a footnote in history. There were lots of MAJ Winters and Easy Co's out there that have not had their story told. Personally, I don't think a petition is the way to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. It is not awarded for popularity.

Gino,

While I agree with you that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of instances where soldiers go above and beyonf the call of duty, the taking of those artillery pieces was entirely Maj. (then Capt.) Winter's planning, and was completely outside of the training doctrine of the time. Furthermore, that action saved the lives of perhaps hundreds of GIs coming ashore on the beaches that morning.

Furthermore, that attack is still taught at West Point to this day, as the textbook method for taking defended positions with covering fields of fire.

Yes, the MoH is not given out for popularity, but in this particular instance, the popularity of Easy 506th came well after the recommendation was made for Maj. Winters to to be upgraded to the MoH. The recommendation was set forth by Sgt. Guarnier and Lt. Lipton, and Sgt. Malarky as far back as 1992, before the book was published, and well before the movie was made.

I support the petition.

Jeff Herne

While I personally agree that Mr. Winters deserves any accolades that come his way I agree with Gino that a petetion is not the way it should happen. Having seen and read many interviews with Major Winters I haven't gotten the impression that he would want this recognition himself, and especially not in this manner.

Just my 2 cents,
Merry Christmas,
Mike

What little I know of Maj Winter is from a book and an HBO Series of the same title. I have no idea how close to reality he was portrayed. I would be uncomfortable nominating an award to someone that I know little about when the people actually there didn't give him the award.

I kind of see this both ways. While I agree that a petition is not the way to get someone nominated, let alone put pressure on the powers that be to award the MOH, I disagree with the point made that Winters did not single handedly take out the gun batteries to a certain extent. While he physically did not, his planning and split second thinking was necessary in the destruction of the batteries. Without it, who knows?

Not sure about the petition though. I will have to check it out and do some thinking. Who are we to decide though whether or not someone deserves a medal.

I've been reading this thread since it started and as combat vetern with a few shinny things myself. I think that while this is a flattering way to show support to Maj Winters it is not the correct method to secure an award. I've seen the movie but I have not read the book yet, the movie is a movie and not history. I think the people that were there are best suited to support or deny any recomendations for an award. There were 464 MOH awarded in WWII it is not an award to be taken lightly. I think that if the award was not recommended at the time then chances are slim that it will be awarded now. I wasn't there so I don't know if it is deserved or not it is not mine to say, support, deny or recommend the MOH. The petition while flattering is not nessesary IMHO.

Later
Dave

Who are we to say that Maj. Winter's deserves the Medal of Honour? We were not there neither do we have enough information concerning his exploits during the Second World War. Furthurmore, what is the Medal of Honour? It, like all other medals, is but a flimsy piece of metal and ribbon given to one man for the courage and dedication by so many others. I am not saying that Maj. Winters does not deserve the medal, but when you look at the scope of the Second World War and the vast number of soldiers who died defending what they believe in, who really doesn't deserve a Medal of Honour, Victoria Cross, Iron Cross, Gold Star and so on. I fully support Maj. Winters in this topic but I believe that all the support for this campaign has come about because of the Band of Brothers book and miniseries. In my eyes, Maj. Winters does not need a Medal of Honour, I think a simple thank you means much more. If I were in his place, it sure would to me.

I'm not going to tell anyone what to do, like I said I'm biased. But if you are thinking this is just some thing people decided to start because of the movie and book, you may want to do some reaserch on why this petition was kicked off.
The recommendation was put in after D-Day and according to one of the sites on this issue: "Despite being recommended by his regional commander, Colonel Robert Sink, to receive the Medal of Honor, Major General Maxwell Taylor placed an artificial limit of a single Medal of Honor for the Normandy Campaign. The Medal of Honor went to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole, who led a bayonet charge. "
So sign, don't sign all I ask is that you know the facts before you pass judgement on this matter.
I'm done rambling now......let's get back to modeling
http://www.house.gov/curtweldon/july17Band.html
http://forums.wildbillguarnere.com/index.php?showtopic=2648&st=0
http://www.majordickwinters.com/

Being it's Christmas Eve I will keep my reply short and to the point. I think we as modelers sometimes get caught-up in the machines of war and how they turned the tide one way or the other. But in fact it was people and their actions that won the battles, not machines. And from everything I could tell Major Winters was such a man. Not just to win battles, but to save lives and do so with honor. Did other deserve this medal? Certainly. That doesn't mean he doesn't though.

Merry Christmas (for those celebrating)!

Jim