This was typical of the men trying for the 506th. . . . The company led the way into Carentan, fought in Holland, held the perimeter at Bastogne, led the counteroffensive in the Battle of the Bulge, fought in the Rhineland campaign and took Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. It had taken almost 150 percent casualties. At the peak of its effectiveness . Within the ranks of the military, a rifle company is unique.
Comrades are closer than friends, closer than brothers.
Their relationship is different from that of lovers. Their trust in, and knowledge of, each other is total. I thought that what they had done was beyond praise. I still do. Dr. Johnson could not have said it better.