BAND OF BROTHERS: Untold Stories of RON SPEIRS Revealed (and more!)🤯| American Artifact Episode 33
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- One of the most mysterious & fascinating figures from Band of Brothers was Ron Speirs, who served in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne in WWII. In their groundbreaking book, Fierce Valor, authors Erik Dorr and Jared Frederick uncover a lot of previously unknown things in the fascinating life of Ron Speirs. In this episode, we're looking at some of the artifacts from the collection of Ron Speirs. In addition, we're unveiling some footage of Speirs that has only been seen by a small number of people.
You can pick up a SPECIAL EDITION of Fierce Valor here: tinyurl.com/fiercevalor
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Done.
Really want to say thanks. I’m relatively new to channel. I’m a 45 cook outta Cleveland. I’ve been on a huge history kick and you guys are doing a great job!!!
So, he liked his fingers when he turned pages in that book? That means his DNA is on those pages, meaning maybe he could be cloned, 'cause we need more heroes like him in this country, THAT'S for sure! We need more tough guys to bitch-slap the piss out of these 'woke' soy boys and turn them back into REAL men, men that America can be proud of instead of ashamed of?
Respektfully, It's pronounced Gooteh.
In Sept. of 2004 I had the pleasure of traveling to Europe with Edward 'Babe' Heffron and 'Wild' Bill Guarnere. It was a 506th PIR Easy Company tour. We virtually went to every place Easy Co. did during WWII. It was an amazing two week trip with Bill and Babe answering questions and narrating events along the way. We started out in London, crossed the English channel, and traveled through numerous countries in Western Europe. People everywhere were gracious and hospitable. We attended numerous special events that were not to be forgotten and visited places where the 506th had seen action.. We also visited cemeteries where Easy Co. solders were buried. I made numerous friends in the attending group of WWII vets. Unfortunately, they are all now gone, but the experience will stay with me forever. It was the trip of a lifetime. After returning home Bill and Babe were kind enough to write to me and thank me for attending. These are special. Total gentlemen.
What a great experience!
Great comment! Fantastic experience
I hope you thanked those grandfather warriors for all of us who were unable to! Truly the nations greatest generation!
WOW! What an HONOR to travel back and walk the grounds where they fought, where the metal met the meat. The memories, the stories, to hear it straight from the men who were THERE, EXPERIENCED it, FIRST HAND, must've been AMAZING AND SAD YET NECESSARY, ALL AT ONCE! I wish I could've been there to experience that visit also to try to imagine what it was like what they experienced. I envy your visit, and am grateful for their services, that they risked their lives for our freedoms even though the Liberal nazis are STILL trying to take away from us even today, that we're standing up against and fighting to STILL keep. Nobody said that our country belongs to them only, it belongs to us ALSO, so they better get their heads back into reality, or learn the hard way in the future.
@@glenturney4750 It was truly the trip of a lifetime.
RIP Bradley Freeman , last remaining Easy Comapany soldier passed away last week! Fly high brother , you’re a Hero!
Damn. I didn't know. RIP, hero
Soft landings Mr. Freeman! RIP!
Rip Bradford Freeman. 😢
I was lucky enough to be with him in Normandy for 10 days in 2019 and took some portraits of him at Brecourt Manor!
Bradford Freeman not Bradley. RIP
The last surviving member of Easy Company was buried yesterday in my hometown of Caledonia Mississippi, God bless you Mr. Brad Freeman. It was an honor to have met you.
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Warrior Forever
big ups to you mate for letting us know. These heros would be turning over in their graves looking at the cowardly covid complicit masked morons today
I’m stationed at Columbus, wanna go drink at Rick’s?
After watching the video, I feel the actor who portrayed him did an amazing job of capturing his personality.
Imo Matthew settles stole the show. He didn't overdo it. But somehow made Spiers "fierce valor" seem real.
The short interview of Speirs in this video is amazing. From the way he talks, I can sense he has an aura of a leader and his hate for the Nazis is also observable. hehe
I can’t get enough of Band of Brothers content. Gotta get to that museum. Great job both of you. Thank you.
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There is also a Curahee Museum in Toccoa, GA, where they began paratrooper training. I haven't gotten there yet, but certainly plan to.
@@fbcpraise thank you very much…much appreciated 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@@anthonydm2947 Sure!
Fascinating. Thank you for telling more of this great man's story.
He was the kind of officer I would have loved to have served under. Having an absolutely fearless leader must have given his men so much confidence.
So much information in this video! The actual footage of Ron Spiers speaking is amazing. Your ending clip with the verse from the book of Isiah put a lump in my throat. What you and Erik are doing and sharing is priceless. Thank you gentlemen.
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I myself never thought Mr. Spears as a cold blooded killer. He was a good man and soldier, a leader and a man of courage.
I can see how some people would think of him as cold blooded, but war Will make men do things they otherwise wouldn’t.
Love all you guys do, I am a big fan!!!
Very nice to see this human side of Ron Speirs. He was an extraordinary soldier, but the Band of Brothers series gave him sort of a Terminator demeanor. This video showed him to be a good man and he had a family and did have friends amongst his fellow soldiers. We were lucky to have him at that time fighting for us.
This was really cool to watch. Ronald Spiers is one of my favorite men from easy company!
Definitely an interesting guy.
My son has something in common with these men. Not only was he with the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles. But he also received a Purple Heart while serving in Afghanistan.
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i cound be wrong but im pretty sure the 101st was decomed after ww2 and was never reactivated.
@@thehock9083 you are very wrong. The 101st is currently at Ft Campbell in KY. They no longer jump from planes but jump from helicopters. Air Assault!!
@Gene Wilkerson You are correct. However, they still have several units on jump status.
@@cuzmcc what about this is funny?
I love that you focused on Ronald Speirs. He was one of the few veterans of Easy Company that retired from the US Army. Most people will be impressed by the Silver Star, Bronze Star or Purple Heart. I am impressed by the 4 combat jump stars and the 2nd award of the CIB. Ronald Speirs needs a section at the 82nd Airborne Museum at Fort Bragg, NC as does Albert Blythe. Both men were misrepresented in the Band of Brothers series. AATW!!
Erik always does a great job of presenting the stories and history surrounding the collections he has. The clip of Speirs talking was very interesting as well.
Especially the "Boston" accent. I didn't expect to hear it. I'm not sure what I expected, but I didn't think he'd sound like me lol
I have my copy of “Fierce Valor” that I bought from the museum thanks to your post, highly recommended. Thanks especially for posting that rare interview, interesting to hear his actual voice and thoughts.
Thanks! Glad that we could share that clip. Almost no one has heard Speirs voice until now.
another great video mate.
Ronald speirs was a true leader.
Thanks for such interesting content. Gettysburg Museum is a treasure trove. You and Erik are doing a stellar job at keeping history alive!
Thanks! Hopefully the channel is doing some good.
@@TheHistoryUnderground it absolutely is! 👍
Thank you for honoring Ron Speirs
I've often wished I could've met and talked to Civil War soldiers about their experiences. Of course, the last one died nearly a decade before I was born. So, there is an added angst and sadness that I feel as we lose the last member of E Co 506 PIR and realize we're running out of time to interact with the men and women of WW2. Thank you Mr Speirs and Mr Freeman for doing the tough work that maintaining freedom occasionally requires us to do.
Wow, we finally get to see and hear this man, what a privilege, thank you.
My pleasure!
Band of Brothers is along with Pacific are my favorite WWII series, that said I did not read the book "Band of Brothers" until last year and to my amazement the series left out Forrest Guth contribution. I went to H. C. Conrad HS in Wilmington, DE and was shocked when I found out that Forrest was my Electric Shop Teacher. Forrest was a quiet man and not many of his students were aware of his role or why he walk with a slight limp.
I have been to the museum many times but my interest is mostly CW but Forrest Collection of artifacts did not register.
Now I realize that us boomers made a big mistake by letting Hollywood tell us their version of WWII instead of our fathers and teachers and those men who were on the front lines. I commend Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, for what the have brought us, the realistic war stories.
JD and Eric keep up showing us these stories they are what this country is in need of right now "American Pride"
........ They were known as the greatest generation for a reason. The 506 & all the others who served as they did in 2 theaters of war in the 1940s & beyond is a story that must be preserved & respected for future generations to know & follow their example.
Agreed.
Ronald Speirs, Boston English High School (oldest public high school in US.) Class of 1938. He was a man of honor and achievement.
Thank you to the family members that allowed us to see these relics...truly amazing.
Speir's video is golden. And he answered my question about Hess' mental state... that he believed Hess was faking his psychosis.
Wild that Hess was allowed to walk safely in a nice quiet garden during his imprisonment. Fed, clean, clothed, breathing fresh air and getting sunshine. If what he did doesn't deserve the death penalty, what does.
RIP to Ronald Spiers and all the honorable men of Easy Company. We salute and appreciate you forever.
Thank you for keeping this history alive. They called these people The Greatest Generation for a reason. Professionalism and attention to detail in every matter. It’s not like that anymore. Little details like the inscription from Winters to Speirs, look at that penmanship. Amazing. Easy Company will forever live on through efforts like yours. Bravo!
Listening to Spier's voice, a lot of the mysticism around him seems to be shedding, at least for me. He appears to be a cool old uncle who would have been fun to hang around...
“Cool old uncle who would have been fun to hang around”? Maybe, if he liked you and let his guard down a little. Until then, not so much. My grandfather (also Scottish, also a WW2 veteran) was like that.
Wow, that footage of Col. Speirs speaking is amazing!
This is great to see light shed on the "mysterious" ron spiers - even though HBO's band of brothers may've provided a dark view of him - they couldn't negatethe truth of his courage and leadership.
I'm always off work for 2 weeks during xmas and new years and I always watch Band of Brothers during those days off.
When its nice and cold and dark out with some snacks and beverages and the heat turned up....
I look forward to it all year 😁
This story continues to fascinate. Thank you.
Ronald Speirs, born in Edinburgh, Scotland. I am astonished you never mentioned that. What a great man.
Love the videos J.D. My father, brother and I made the trip to Normandy from Ireland in May last. We used many of your videos to get around and see all the sights. Specially following the Easy Company route, we all share the same fascination. Ron Speirs was by far my favourite character in the series and seeing this video on my feed was a delight in itself. Some awesome pieces put together by the people at the Gettysburg Museum of History - I would love to bring my father and brother there some day, until then - please do keep the videos coming!
Awesome! Thanks!
Ronald Speirs, A Scotsman, born in 1920 Edinburgh. At the time of watching Band Of Brothers I never knew he was a Scotsman. As a Scot myself I'm proud he was part of Easy Company and his memory and exploits is documented.
I look forward to buying the book about him.
There must be a record somewhere of which hospital he was born in Edinburgh.
They were the greatest bravest generation to ever live through a tryanny of evil, and combat successfully against it.
Lastly you could say the Scots born Ronald Speirs is the True Braveheart.
When JD and Erik are on , full attention to the content , you guys are amazing with your knowledge!!
The history of ww2 is gaining momentum and more people by the day appreciate the sacrifices that were made by so many. I recently started collecting and have American, British, Canadian and German hats. The prices are going up and it's sad to see the relatives of veterans having to sell their artifacts.
This man has never made a bad video, Thanks for all you do.
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Excellent program.
Thank you so much!
I loved the tribute to Bradford Freeman at the end. Well done JD and Erik!
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One of the BEST history channels!
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I love this museum! When I saw that they had items from the men in Band of Brothers, it meant so much to me to see history in person. If only I could have met Speirs, what an honor.
Never thought Spiers would be like that even as an older man. You can’t believe they guy in the clip was such a warrior. Fascinating and thanks👍
RON SPEIRS WHAT A FEARLESS WARRIOR RIP SIR AMEN 🙏
Truly remarkable video of Lt Col Speirs, I was surprised by the excellent quality picture and sound, and once again JD and Erik come up trumps with an excellent episode and remarkable artefact’s. Thanks for sharing, thumbs up 👍 all the way. 👍🇬🇧🏴🇺🇸🇺🇦
I was absolutely glued to this amazing and fantastic episode. Thank you, JD and Erik.
Thank you for preserving this amazing history. It’s funny the news story had him simply as a jailer, did they not realize who they were interviewing???? A GREAT war hero. A brave warrior in charge of a cowardly murderer.
I'm ordering that Book on Speirs tomorrow on Audible. I find that I often read the autobiographies of these WWII vets who lived such long and interesting lives and think how boring my life has been! I remember thinking that exact thing after reading Chuck Yeager's book 30 years ago. Those guys from that generation were simply a different breed. Thanks for the continued great content you both provide on this channel.
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As an owner of a Standard Poodle, I can say that they are not just for ladies. I got my first as a rescue and found them to be very much a man’s dog. Very intelligent and very loyal. It’s all in the haircut. Great video and great man.
I used to deliver papers and one of the houses on the route had a Standard Poodle. I never messed around with that dog. It was attentive, protective, and more than a little ferocious. I was frankly afraid of it when it was outside.
JD, what a wonderfully brief yet informative history of one of America’s greatest 🇺🇸
That video clip at the end was like opening an awesome Christmas present when I was a kid. I've been a WW2 fanatic since I was a little kid having one grandfather storming Omaha Beach with the USMC and another grandfather who was an anti-aircraft gunner in the Pacific in the Marianas. Namely Saipan.
Dude this is crazy!!! I'm glad to have heard his voice now.
Amazing story! These men were the real deal. Thank you so much for putting this together for us, it is GREATLY appreciated.
He was so badass!
I NEED to buy that book 😍
His metals are unbelievable. I love that he kept serving his country.
All this and all our heroes of WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf wars must not be forgotten. Every single one deserves to be remembered and we owe an unpaid, never ending debt of gratitude to all our service members. Especially those who served this nation in wartime. Thank you for all you are doing in the service of that, to keep these memories close.
Brilliant video! Thank you. My dad was a WWII Army veteran, so every bit of homage paid to all of these heroes is music to my ears.
Tremendous video. Of all the BOB members Ron Speirs was the most intriguing and mysterious. I wasn't surprised to hear he didn't like the Ambrose book. I spoke at lenght several times with Lt. Ed Shames and he also felt the book was filled with inaccuracies. It was part historical and part storytelling. The most honest and vivid interview on the PIR in action is Art Dimarzio. He was right next to Spiers when he shot the GI and describes it in detail. You have to watch it. I can't express my gratitude for your preservation of the BOB and WWIi history.
My gosh, that interview footage! Incredible to hear him speak about Spandau. Thanks, JD!
Classic stuff…..now I have two new books to read! Thanks, Andrew
Awesome! Enjoy!
Thanks for showing us this content Ronald Spears is a true American Badass that history should never forget thanks to you guys we got to get a bit closer look to the personal history of Ronald Spears I appreciate that thank you very much and keep up the good work
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That footage was incredible. Another great episode as always. Thanks for sharing JD!
UK dinner time today, my copy of this book arrived - Yippee! Really great video too..
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I’m currently reading the book and love it! That was really cool to see some footage of the man himself for the first time. Great stuff as always JD!
Thanks! Glad that you’re enjoying the book.
I loved reading Hang Tough and am waiting for Fierce Valor to be delivered tomorrow. As usual JD, Erik and Jared keep this history alive. God bless you guys.
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Wow, an interview exclusive! Impressive. Would take a lifetime to see and hear the story behind each peace in the museums collection. Extraordinary collection Eric.
This is a great thing you guys are doing. Remembering these great men and their sacrifices. Thank goodness this generation doesn’t have to face a 1940’s Germany or Japan. They couldn’t do it today, not when words can destroy them.
I'm so blessed, thankful, grateful any word u could say to describe these and all the amazing heros we have there's no one i respect more than our veterans God bless u all 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Never stop digging deeper into WW2. Great job!
Superb in all respects!
Thank you for a great video. Band of Brothers is one of my favorite war movies to watch. Love the history, I learn everytime something new from the history. So thank you, greatly appreciated.
So much is owed and cannot be repaid. Heros who answered the call. Thank you Love ,Honor and Respect to them and their families.
Well done JD. Always informative. Thanks for the hard work.
Thanks!
Your coverage is well put together. Thanks for all the great content. I really wish my father would’ve lived to watch Band of Brothers because he’s a war veteran himself. Unfortunately he passed away about a year before the show aired. He would’ve loved it ✌🏾
Thank you both for your dedication to preserving the history of Easy Company. Awesome job thanks!
Another Home Run by the JD & Erik team! Great Information and way to set history straight on the Man, Myth, and Legend! Loved the clip at the end, also educational and loved his saying of "I was told they are going to tear it down and make a parking lot, that's America for ya." Still holds true today!!!!!! I took more out of it than that, just found that interesting as well. Thank you for all you do.
Eric.....Can't wait to come to your amazing museum and see all of these treasures for myself! I've been watching your videos for a year now, and I love every single one. Please continue your awesome work!
Amazing video JD! I love learning the things that occurred during WWII that were not taught in history classes. Your videos make it real and accurate accounts. Keep up the good work!
Incredible. So great to see more into the history of Spiers. Such an underrated character on BOB, but not to me, so I love this info and especially the interview, if not only just to hear the legend first hand. Thank you.
UNDERRATED? Do you know the meaning of the word? In Ambrose’s book, some members of Easy considered Spiers a better CO than Winters. Spiers, only being in a few episodes of BoB is the focal point in each one.
As always, another fantastic piece of content from you, JD! And thanks to Erik for showing the artifacts! I will be putting the book on my Christmas wish list!
Another outstanding presentation. Thank you for posting.
Love ALL your work. Absolutely BRILLIANT.
Why was band of brothers focused more towards Winters? Speirs would have been some crazy stories.
Any time I see a video from History Underground pop up I know that it will be good. This was no exception. All of your installments have been well-done. The best were those done on-scene in Normandy. They were superb.
Thanks 🙏🏼
Erik and his co-writer did an amazing job with the book "Fierce Valor". I also picked it up at your suggestion on another video JD! Thanks for that. Also, another great video. Love this channel!
Great job, guys! Thanks for sharing.
Always completely amazing, and mesmerizing. Thank you so much for all that you do JD and Erik!
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When that interview aired, i wonder if anyone knew how much of a badass he was
Doubtful.
Ronald Spiers was married 5 times. This man was clearly busy off the battlefield as well as
on it. (rimshot)
Seriously though he was a fascinating man from an era that required and fortunately produced many such men. Makes me wonder what his reaction would be if he was able to see today's America. What would any of us think if we'd spent a large part of our lives risking our own life not for land or treasure but to preserve ideals such as freedom of the individual against authoritarian regimes like the Nazis, Fascists and Militarist Government in Japan. Who could have predicted then that those 3 enemies of the people would be conquered and then sadly replaced for many Nations by a worse ideology if you count bodies; that being Communism which was seen as the way of the future in the post war world for many. Have we learned our lesson? The question appeared settled in 1991 with the break up of the Soviet Union, but here we are 30 years later and some of those same horrible ideas are taking root in the freest Country in the world's history. The individual some feel, should perhaps step aside and let Government do those things for us that we used to do ourselves. Too many people enjoying too much bounty while those at the bottom struggle to make ends meet. To those who have studied the history of such powerful Empires of the past know that after a couple hundred years on top they start to crumble, not to a foreign enemy or even the threat of one but from the inside. The first things to decay are always very clear upon reflection. It starts with the loss of the very ideals and morals that made them great in the first place. That this is happening and has been happening for the past 50 years without most realizing it is due to the boiled frog syndrome and the fact that we don't teach history in schools anymore and practically recoil at the mention of God or religion. These things have been replaced by the church of D, I and E. with government as the higher power. When a society stops reaching for excellence and instead pursues mediocrity so that no one is left out. They preach that we have a crisis of equality and maybe that's true but we also have a crisis of effort. How will this get better if our government takes away the incentive to excel? We had better wake up or else China or a newer, weaker Russia could take advantage of us while we are being distracted by pronouns and gender theory.
Fierce Valor was an excellent book. Keep up the great work Erik and JD.
Interesting to hear Capt. Speirs was at Spandau. My brother in law was a prison guard there in the early 60's. My brother in law never talked about his time there, only briefly in a letter he wrote latter in life before he passed.
Hopefully your brother-in-law was not too kind if you know what I mean. I personally don't buy into German soldiers "doing their duty" or being "honorable" or "professional" soldiers. They were all ignorant and cowardly by not standing up to hitler. If many more of them other than Claus von Stauffenberg had plotted to and really tried to assassinate hitler some would have succeeded and saved 100 million lives and the utter ruination of Germany which took 50 years to restore. Those Germans would have been true brave heroes. All the others were deeply flawed.
@@RubyBandUSA I know what you mean....Like most vets, he never mentioned his time there, good or bad.
Really great video, thank you!!
Just ordered the book... thanks for all your hard work and love for history.
Very interesting and great video. I definitely need to read the book. 👍
It’s a good one!
Speirs was my favorite "Brother" from the day "Band of Brothers" was released. THAT is a soldier. Bill Guarnere is a close second.
Wow thanks dude. Speirs sounds very sharp for a man in his old age when that interview was done. And the video wasn't that grainy but looks remastered. When men were men. R.I.P. Major Speirs. (PS I can believe Speirs anger with Ambrose, it's like he makes up stuff. The scene where Christenson was caught drinking water was nonsense accdg. to the other Easy Co. vets saying Christenson was the toughest of them all and would rather die than do that)
Will say it again, your videos need to be in our schools.
I want to see you, Erik, and Jared sit down and just have a conversation.
Absolutely one of my favorite channels on CZcams. You guys seem to knock it out of the park every time. Great to see beyond the what the movie portrays. I understand the need for creative license when making a movie, but it’s also important that the truth be told. Great job, can’t wait to see your content on Pearl Harbor.
Thanks for the video. The further removed we get from these moments in history, the harder it becomes to keep them alive in the minds of modern-day Americans. Your work is crucial, thank you.
Awesome video JD! I think I’ve talked my father in law into a Gettysburg trip in the near future and I look forward to checking out Erik’s museum!