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 Screaming Eagles
Unit History, |
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Screaming Eagles
Unit History, |
While being in Normandy, on my annual
'pilgrimage', I had the opportunity to be present at the "Band of Brothers"
Premiere - held at Utah Beach June 6, 2001 (57th Anniversary of D-Day) . HBO had
arranged for the World Premiere to be held on this very spot, i.e. not far from
the historical places where the actual Band of Brothers ("Easy" Company-506th
PIR-101st Airborne Division) so gallantly fought its battles during the Normandy
air assault ! The problem however was 'security' - there was absolutely no way
to approach either VIPs, Officials, let alone the "Company of Heroes", i.e. the
Veterans of "E" Co themselves ! Luckily, one could watch and follow the
ceremonies, from a safe distance, so not all was lost ! This unique Premiere,
was arranged for by HBO (who had the TV-series made) and included surviving Vets
of 'Easy Company' , as well as cast and crew from the miniseries - available on
site, where celebrities like Tom Hanks (one of the Executive Producers, with S.
Spielberg), Jerry Bewkes (CEO of HBO), and 47 of the remaining "E" Co Veterans
(some with families), along with descendants of famous people e.g. Ann
Roosevelt, Susan Eisenhower and Winston Churchill . A complete movie theater had
been built, just opposite the Utah Beach Museum, with banquet room, reception
hall, and seats for Veterans, VIPs, Officials, and special guests … security was
paramount ! Speeches - parades - flyover - flags ceremony - national anthems,
the whole works, while Vets were being chased by the press … quite emotional and
thrilling … "Sgt. A.S. Vilinsky"
June 7, 2001 was MY day, since thanks to some lobbying (it sure
helps to know certain people) I was able to secure 3 invitations to attend the
World Premiere (accessible to the public) that particular day - sad to say,
this event took place without Veteran s and without VIPs, but we were invited to
view both 'introduction' and second episode 'Day of Days' (i.e. the main Air
Assault itself - June 6, 1944) with a short overview of the remaining 9 episodes
. Glancing back at this great historical event, having met (be it not from very
close) the 'real' Heroes, and then suddenly being confronted with this powerful
filmed experience (at times, very reminiscent of SPR), left no one unmoved, so
the Premiere proved to be very emotional too, I can assure you ! June 7, 2001,
Utah Beach, Normandy, France has been an unforgettable day, and from that
moment, I guess everybody was just looking forward to see the complete
miniseries asap …
Remark: HBO's miniseries runs in 10 episodes, and is
based on the bestseller "Band of Brothers" written by Stephen E. AMBROSE, which
tells the story of Easy Company (506th PIR/101st Abn Div), from the very
beginning (July 42), when ordinary men volunteered for the paratroops, and when
after intensive training, they earned their jump wings and became members of an
'elite' unit, which air assaulted France (June 44), jumped over Holland (Sep
44), fought in the Bulge (Dec 44-Jan 45), and in several decisive battles, and
helped capture Hitler's Eagle's Nest (May 45) at the end of WWII . (Meanwhile
the HBO series aired in the US Sep 9, 2001 - while BBC2 started Oct 5, 2001, it
subsequently was further launched on Dutch commercial TV as from January 20,
2002 onward, on France 2 Television from July 22, on Belgian RTB 1 Television from June 1,
and on VTM commercial TV starting September 6, of the same year .
The DVD version came out November 5 in the States,
and is now available in Belgium and The Netherlands as from November 20, 2002 ...
