Major Richard Dick Winters was the real life person portrayed in the HBO Mini Series, Band Of Brothers, by actor Damian Lewis. In the Series, he began as a Second-Lieutenant, under command of Captain Sobel. As the war progressed, he eventually rose to the rank of Major and the command of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment). His actions on D-Day and other combat operations, including Operation Market-Garden, have been looked upon with much esteem. On one such occasion, on D-Day, then First-Lieutenant Winters led a unit that destroyed four artillery pieces which were providing support for the defending Germans on the Normandy beachhead. During this mission he also gathered vital intelligence that helped the Allies pinpoint and eliminate other German artillery batteries defending Normandy. His actions are currently being considered for a Medal of Honor and are used as an educational model for cadets studying at West Point. Winters retired in 1953 and passed away Jan. 2, 2011 in Palmyra, PA at age 92.