Member Stories “Band Of Brothers” - Walter Zagol’s War Main Menu
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| “Band Of Brothers” - Walter Zagol’s War |
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MAY 2002
- You bet I watched it,” was Association member Walter Zagol’s reaction
when asked if he tuned in to Band of Brothers, a 10-part miniseries
which recently aired on HBO.
The show, a TV adaptation of Stephen E. Ambrose’s bestseller, depicted the odyssey of members of a unit of the 101st Airborne Division as they slogged their way from the beaches of Normandy to Hitler’s mountain retreat in Austria during World War II. Zagol, whom we earlier profiled in our publication’s series on The Greatest Generation, said that the the producers of Band did a very accurate job, within the limits of TV, of showing what role the Screaming Eagles (101st) played in the Big One.“The series not only gave much deserved recognition to the 101st, but also called attention to the hardships and bravery of individuals... actually the love and loyalty that soldiers have for each other in the face of death,” Zagol said. While reluctant to talk about his own bravery, it should be noted that Zagol’s platoon jumped into Normandy six hours before U.S. troops hit the beach on D-Day. After taking a bullet in the leg, he continued to fight until his badly depleted platoon was evacuated. After fresh troops replaced those lost, he jumped again. His platoon was nearly wiped out during the Battle of the Bulge where Zagol suffered severe shrapnel wounds. He was hospitalized in England and finally returned to an army hospital in the U.S. in September 1945.It was his wife, Adela, like Walter, a Taunton native, who told us that her husband has two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars. The Bronze Star citations describe Walter’s bravery in carrying a badly wounded buddy while under fire and assaulting a German machine gun position despite painful shrapnel wounds. “After what happened on September 11th, the Band of Brothers had to take a back seat, and rightfully so,” said Zagol. “World War II was then and September 11th is now. I know that World War II and the 101st Airborne will not be forgotten, but the dead heroes, and in fact all of the dead, of September 11th should never be forgotten. |
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