Ronald Speirs: Badass Paratrooper or War Criminal?
Dick Winters recounts calling Speirs and asking permission to use the controversial story about him in the book Band of Brothers. Read the story by clicking here at Beaches of Normandy
Another soldier who was mischaracterized by whatever dood wrote the Band of Brothers screenplay was Albert Blythe, who did not die of wounds. He survived the war, fought in Korea and died in 1967, still on active duty.
Spiers was a fucking bad ass of epic proportions, and as a young Para, (mid 80's) we were able to hear stories at Benning, from the men who were actually there, (many were still alive and loved to talk to us, cherries and tell stories) jumped that night and fought like hell. Troops were killed on both sides, legally or not..
My father in law was a Marine on Iwo, survived a week before being blown to shit by an air burst mortor round, wiped out his squad, he was barely alive. Evac, Purple Heart, the rest is history.
The Marines quit taking prisoners as the Japs would detonate a grenade, so they either used flamethrowers, then grenades, then rifles, or they just shot prisoners, period.
No official order given, but......
To his dieing day, he hated japs for what they did to his mates....
I worked with a fellow who had been a prisoner of the Japanese for few months in 1945. I don’t have a lot of the details but the fingers on both hands were smashed by a Japanese rifle butt. He couldn’t make a fist. He headed up the maintenance department of an insurance company Home Office. There was not a single Japanese tool or supply in that department.
If the Band of Brothers is of interest to you I suggest a tour with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours. They do the best B of B tours. Get Chris Anderson as your tour guide, he KNEW many of the Men from the Band and talk numerous times with Maj Winters. He will take you to places no one else can. And no he was not a War Criminal. Later Spiers served as the Warden of Spandau Prison.
Whenever I see someone burning a US flag , I realize that we now have a generation that has never been taught and has no idea of the sacrifice that so many men made for their freedom. We are failing our children when we allow them to disparage our flag and our military. I pray for our country every day.
Now a days the greatest generation is vilified and forgotten, some day future generations will be as strong....only because they they were forced to be.
ps...we all are gonna be war criminals/terrorists/felons by fiat, so the sooner one accepts that fate, Spiers, consider yourself dead, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DFReW8KMuA as we cant determine what opfor is gonna do or label us, they already have, so own the moniker and play by The Squad Rules...I suggest folks read, The Squad and Fry the Brain for fun, educational, and historical information that one may see in the future....
Another soldier who was mischaracterized by whatever dood wrote the Band of Brothers screenplay was Albert Blythe, who did not die of wounds. He survived the war, fought in Korea and died in 1967, still on active duty.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Blithe
I can only comment after I get that plank out of my eye.
ReplyDeleteHistory is written by the victors; real history is remembered by the survivors.
ReplyDeleteOften between those "Histories" is the facts of the matter.
War brings out the worst and the best in men.
Breaker Morant was a soldier that did what was needed. Rule 303 SIR, Rule 303!
Now there is a great movie.
DeleteWar Hero.
ReplyDeleteWar is hell, and people don't always play by the rules but by God we were there to win. Not sure you can say that about any conflict since.
Spiers was a fucking bad ass of epic proportions, and as a young Para, (mid 80's) we were able to hear stories at Benning, from the men who were actually there, (many were still alive and loved to talk to us, cherries and tell stories) jumped that night and fought like hell. Troops were killed on both sides, legally or not..
ReplyDeleteMy father in law was a Marine on Iwo, survived a week before being blown to shit by an air burst mortor round, wiped out his squad, he was barely alive. Evac, Purple Heart, the rest is history.
The Marines quit taking prisoners as the Japs would detonate a grenade, so they either used flamethrowers, then grenades, then rifles, or they just shot prisoners, period.
No official order given, but......
To his dieing day, he hated japs for what they did to his mates....
I knew a man who was on Iwo, he never again had a full nights' sleep.
DeleteThe only thing worse than war is second guessing a war.
I worked with a fellow who had been a prisoner of the Japanese for few months in 1945. I don’t have a lot of the details but the fingers on both hands were smashed by a Japanese rifle butt. He couldn’t make a fist. He headed up the maintenance department of an insurance company Home Office. There was not a single Japanese tool or supply in that department.
DeleteIf the Band of Brothers is of interest to you I suggest a tour with Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours. They do the best B of B tours. Get Chris Anderson as your tour guide, he KNEW many of the Men from the Band and talk numerous times with Maj Winters. He will take you to places no one else can.
ReplyDeleteAnd no he was not a War Criminal. Later Spiers served as the Warden of Spandau Prison.
When Dick Winters calls you a natural killer that is a high compliment.
ReplyDeleteSpiers was badass kind of guy that America will need in the coming days. Whether the POW's be Mexican or Chinese, no quarter can be given.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I see someone burning a US flag , I realize that we now have a generation that has never been taught and has no idea of the sacrifice that so many men made for their freedom. We are failing our children when we allow them to disparage our flag and our military. I pray for our country every day.
ReplyDeleteThat's why history repeats, many of us understand the horrors of war somewhat, the youngins don't it's foreign to them.
DeleteNow a days the greatest generation is vilified and forgotten, some day future generations will be as strong....only because they they were forced to be.
ReplyDeleteWhene
ReplyDeleteps...we all are gonna be war criminals/terrorists/felons by fiat, so the sooner one accepts that fate, Spiers, consider yourself dead, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DFReW8KMuA as we cant determine what opfor is gonna do or label us, they already have, so own the moniker and play by The Squad Rules...I suggest folks read, The Squad and Fry the Brain for fun, educational, and historical information that one may see in the future....
ReplyDelete"Want a cigarette?".... I'd share a fightin hole with the man, anytime anywhere.
ReplyDeleteTo win wars you need lots of Spiers. Not today's pussies.
ReplyDeleteThat talk Spiers had with Blythe in the foxhole was one of the best scenes of that entire series.
ReplyDeleteI guess they hadn't figured out how to air drop a POW camp yet
ReplyDelete