By Chris Langlois (Chrisdfw) on Wednesday, July 25, 2001 - 10:29 pm:| By Chris Langlois (Chrisdfw) on Wednesday, July 25, 2001 - 10:29 pm: |
D-Day: Band of Brothers Reunion
Reporter: Jim Douglas | Online Producer: J Calandra
Updated: Jun 06, 2001 at 05:29PM
NORTH TEXAS — Two WWII veterans from North Texas are in France Wednesday night for a special screening of an HBO mini-series about them and their colleagues.
They were paratroopers who fought across Europe, all the way to Hitler's Eagle's Nest.
The production is based on a popular book called Band Of Brothers.
"They were coming out of the houses as we were hitting the ground," said WWII veteran Ralph Spina.
"Shooting at us as we were sailing through the air. I had shrapnel in the back of my head, in my leg, my feet were froze," said WWII veteran J.B. Stokes.
In their 20's, they were the men of "Easy Company, 506th regiment, 101st airborne." Or as the world knows them now, "A Band of Brothers."
"I think we lost 60 percent at Normandy, out of the company," said Stokes.
They drew some of the toughest missions of WWII. Stokes jumped behind German lines on June 6th, 1944, and helped keep enemy forces from driving the allies off the Normandy beaches.
A few months later "Easy Company" jumped into Holland then had to fight its way out. That's where Ralph Spina joined the outfit as a medic.
"Give them a shot of morphine to ease the pain, wrap them up and say, 'I'll see ya.' We didn't tag them or nothing," said Spina.
They were pulled out of combat to regroup, only to be abruptly thrown into the Battle of the Bulge. Germans had overrun American forces.
In the deep snows of December, Spina, Stokes and the other paratroopers had no winter uniforms, and little ammunition. They took ammunition from retreating U.S. soldiers, then dug in and held the surrounded town of Bastogne. Easy company attacked again and again.
"I was there all the time, right in the middle of it. I don't know how many guys got killed right beside me. I'm sure proud I made it, but I still don't understand it," said Stokes.
Spina doesn't understand it either. He was with his buddy Babe Heffron when Heffron accidentally stepped into a German foxhole, startling the enemy soldier inside. Now it's something to laugh about.
"The German says hey Hinkle, is das you? Is that you?" said Spina. "Babe says, 'Hinkle your ass.' He says, 'run Ralph.' And we got outta there," jokes Spina.
To this day, Spina still asks Heffron if he's seen Hinkle lately. He'll no doubt ask again in France, where the aging survivors of Easy Company are gathered for a private showing of the mini series.
"It's something to be proud of," said Sokes. "During the war, that company was as good as any company in the army."
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