Movies and TV shows about World War II have become some of the world’s most well-known tales. From
“Band of Brothers” to “Patton,” these Hollywood productions have helped shape how we see history.
But do you know the real stories behind the actors you’ve seen on screen? In this video,
we’ll show you the real faces of five World War II heroes who were much more than just characters.
The classic HBO series, Band of Brothers, told the story of U.S. Army Major Dick Winters. He led the
101st Airborne Division’s “Easy Company” through the war’s most iconic landmarks:
Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, and the liberation of the Nazi death camps.
Winters was portrayed in the series by actor Damian Lewis.
In real life, Dick Winters took control of Easy Company on the morning of the Normandy invasion,
when the plane carrying the company’s commanding officer was shot down.
Later that day, he led an assault on the German artillery forces that were shelling
Allied troops on the beach. This assault was so technically perfect, it was later
taught at West Point. Winters’ actions that day earned him a Distinguished Service Cross.
After briefly serving during the Korean War, Dick Winters lived the rest of his
life on his farm in Pennsylvania. He died January 2, 2011 at the age of 92.
In the 2001 movie, Pearl Harbor, we met the character of U.S. Navy Mess Attendant,
Doris “Dorie” Miller, who took to an anti-aircraft gun to defend his battleship when Japanese fighter
planes attacked Hawaii in 1941. Miller was portrayed in the movie by actor Cuba Gooding Jr.
In real life, Dorie Miller had no training on anti-aircraft guns—and yet: In the heat
of the moment, he managed to shoot several enemy fighters, while also helping to save the lives
of wounded sailors on his ship. For his bravery at Pearl Harbor,
Miller was recognized as one of the war’s first American heroes. Six months later,
on the deck of the USS Enterprise, Admiral Chester Nimitz awarded him the Navy Cross—the
first Black American to receive this honor. Miller was killed in action the following year,
on November 24, 1943, when his ship was torpedoed and sunk during the Battle of
the Gilbert Islands. He was 24 years old. In 1973, the Navy commissioned a ship in
his honor, the USS Miller, and in 2020, the Navy announced a new one is in the works:
a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Doris Miller.
The World War II epic, The Story of G.I. Joe, was released in June of 1945, three months
before the war ended. It followed the lives of American soldiers as seen by war journalist
Ernie Pyle, who traveled with the 18th Infantry Division’s C Company as they
fought their way through Tunisia and Italy. In the film, the company survives being pinned
down in a cave as an artillery barrage rains down on them,
but not everyone makes it. Several soldiers are killed whom Pyle had come to call his friends.
In real life, it was not the 18th but the 34th Infantry Division that Pyle
accompanied. Afterwards, he was moved to the war in the Pacific, where he continued doing
his best to report from the front lines, even though the Navy censored some of his work.
Ernie Pyle, 45 years old, was killed in action on April 18, 1945, during the landings at Okinawa. He
was buried alongside the same soldiers whose stories he reported. The movie based on his
work had already been filmed, but would not be released until two months later.
Today, a monument still stands at the site of his death.
Clint Eastwood’s 2006 movie, Flags of Our Fathers, told the story of U.S. Marine Private First Class,
Ira Hayes. In the film, Hayes is one of the soldiers who raise the American flag after
the Battle of Iwo Jima, as depicted in one of the most famous war photos of all time.
However, he struggles with his newfound fame, and he dies not long after the war,
after a night of heavy drinking. Hayes was portrayed in the movie by actor Adam Beach.
In real life, Ira Hayes was a Native American member of the Gila River Indian Community,
who volunteered to serve in the war. He was promoted to Corporal before his retirement.
Hayes fought in two campaigns in the Pacific Theater, but the horror of seeing his friends
killed at Iwo Jima, along with being pushed into the national spotlight as
part of a promotional tour to sell war bonds, left him with debilitating PTSD.
Hayes never recovered from the survivor’s guilt that tormented him, and alcoholism plagued him
for the remainder of his days. Ira Hayes died in 1955 at the age of 32. A decade later,
Johnny Cash’s popular song “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” helped keep his legacy alive.
For countless American civilians, our picture of what an U.S. Army general looks and sounds
like was shaped by the 1970 movie, Patton, which told the story of General George Patton.
As portrayed by Academy Award-winning actor George C. Scott, the Patton we meet onscreen is a brash,
rule-breaking commander with a disdain for timid leaders. His reckless style
repeatedly lands him in trouble, and he ends the film having lost his command.
In real life, George Patton was a veteran of the First World War,
a student of history, and an outspoken leader who won the admiration of the men
under his command, yet who repeatedly exasperated his superior officers.
As depicted in the film, he really did slap a shell-shocked soldier. In fact, he did this on
two separate occasions. Also as shown in the film, his decisive action in the Battle of the Bulge
likely saved the 101st Airborne Division, which had been surrounded by German forces in Bastogne.
Patton died in 1945 at the age of 60 following a vehicle accident in
Germany. History now sees him as one of the great, if flawed, leaders of World War II.
If you have a World War II veteran in your own family history, the National World War
II Museum has made it possible to honor their service forever, by dedicating a
personalized brick with their name on it, to be permanently displayed on the museum’s campus.
Visit the web address onscreen to find out more. This Memorial Day season, anyone can support the
National World War II Museum, by making a charitable donation of any size through
this YouTube video. Just click the Donate button on this video’s YouTube’s page.
You can read more about the lives of World War II veterans on Legacy.com. At Legacy.com,
ANY family can publish an obituary in honor of a loved one’s memory,
online and in local newspapers everywhere. Just visit Legacy.com and select your local community.
You can also follow Legacy.com on Facebook and
subscribe to our channel on YouTube to stay up to date on national news deaths.