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Major Dick Winters has died.

Major Richard Winters of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, US Army, passed away peacefully on 2 January 2011

He died in Pennsylvannia aged 92. He was a true leader and a hero. All who value the sacrifice and resolve of the generation who took on and defeated totalitarianism in the Second World War will mourn his passing. He is one of the finest representatives of that greatest generation. Most of us only knew him  through the magnificent TV mini-series "Band of Brothers" or the book of the same name on which it is based, which narrated the formation, training and actions of Easy Company in the 2nd World War.

But we know him from there as the leader who 'hung tough' in the toughest of circumstances and showed us the true meaning and value of courage, loyalty and resourcefulness. I acknowledge my unbounded admiration for this man and celebrate his life as a testament to the lasting value of taking responsibility, doing your duty and honouring your friends and family by your actions. These are the words of his by which I will remember him:
“Your reward for a good job done is that you get the next tough mission.”

Rest in peace soldier. You will not be forgotten.
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