WE STAND ALONE TOGETHER: THE MEN OF EASY COMPANY (TV)
Summary
A documentary about the soldiers of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division -- the World War II volunteer parachute regiment. The program consists primarily of monologues from Easy Company veterans. Photographs and film footage illustrate the stories that are told; the narrative is guided by intertitles. The following veterans provide commentary in the program: Herbert J. Suerth, Jr.; C. Carwood Lipton; Richard Winters; J.B. Stokes; Shifty Powers; Bill Wingett; Rod Strohl; Robert "Popeye" Wynn; Paul "Buck" Rogers; William "Wild Bill" Guarnere; Rod Bain; Robert L. Strayer; Bill Maynard; Lester A. Hashey; Tony Garcia; Forrest Guth; Roy E. Pickel; Earl "One Lung" McClung; Joseph Lesniewski; James "Moe" Alley; Edward "Babe" Heffron; John W. Martin; Denver "Bull" Randelman; Don King; Henry C. Zimmerman; Don Malarkey; Norman Neitzke; Patrick O'Keefe; and Ed Tipper. First, Lipton and others describe how they became interested in being paratroopers. Other veterans discuss the pride they felt being part of the regiment and explain the difficult training that prevented many men from joining the regiment. The veterans recall memories of their first jump and what it was like. In September 1943, after training for fifteen months, the Company boarded a ship for England. The veterans describe the Company's military action chronologically, beginning with D-Day, June 6, 1944, when 13,400 paratroopers lead the Allied Invasion. The men describe what happened that day. Their recollections feature stories of lost supplies, imperfect landings, and their destruction of a covert German unit at Brecourt Manor. Easy Company's losses after thirty-three days in Normandy are recounted; Hashey and McClung talk about the "replacements" that were brought in to replenish the Company's lost personnel. Next, Operation Market-Garden and the liberation of the Dutch are described, as is the Battle of the Bulge. Guarnere and Heffron visit the Woods of Foy in Bastogne and share their memories. The men describe their recollections of the misery in Bastogne, including the freezing cold weather, the constant artillery fire, and the injuries and losses that were sustained. One veteran explains, "When a man was wounded, we felt glad for them ... he had a ticket to get out of there, and maybe a ticket to go home." On March 15, 1945, after these campaigns, Easy Company was cited for "gallantry in action" by General Dwight D. Eisenhower in Mourmelon, France. Next, the veterans describe their taking of Hitler's retreat, "Berchtesgaden." They share their thoughts and feelings regarding the German surrender, including the realization that the enemy troops were men not so unlike themselves. The Easy Company veterans are seen at their annual reunion, and some men describe the unique intimacy they feel with each other. Several of the veterans' family members reflect on this bond and on the pride among the men of Easy Company. The program concludes with a rolling list of the Easy Company soldiers who were killed in action.
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: November 11, 2001 Sunday 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:09:15
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:67911
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: World War II, 1939-1945; United States - Regimental histories; 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division; Easy Company
- SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 2001
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Tom Hanks … Executive Producer
- Steven Spielberg … Executive Producer
- Gary Goetzman … Co-Executive Producer
- Tony To … Co-Executive Producer
- William Richter … Producer
- Mark Cowen … Producer, Director
- Mark Herzog … Co-Producer
- Jodie Burke … Co-Producer
- John Campbell … Associate Producer
- Kelly Courtney … Associate Producer
- Rosemary Rotondi … Researcher, Archival Researcher
- Nan Waffen … Researcher, Archival Researcher
- William Richter … Writer
- Jeff Pfeifer … Composer
- Rob Pfeifer … Composer
- Charles Fernandez … Conductor
- Alley, James "Moe"
- Rod Bain
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Tony Garcia
- Guarnere, William "Wild Bill"
- Forrest Guth
- Lester A. Hashey
- Heffron, Edward "Babe"
- Don King
- Joseph Lesniewski
- C. Carwood Lipton
- Don Malarkey
- John W. Martin
- Bill Maynard
- McClung, Earl "One Lung"
- Norman Neitzke
- Patrick O'Keefe
- Roy E. Pickel
- Shift Powers
- Randelman, Denver "Bull"
- Rogers, Paul "Buck"
- J.B. Stokes
- Robert L. Strayer
- Rod Strohl
- Herbert J. Suerth, Jr.
- Ed Tipper
- Bill Wingett
- Richard Winters
- Wynn, Robert "Popeye"
- Henry C. Zimmerman