34 not organize his men well. Those problems make Easy Company into difficult
situation. Winters grabbed an M-1 and started to run across the field, headed for the
stationary company and its pinned down 1st platoon. He intended to take command, get those men moving. But as he ran down, he thought, Geeze, i
can’t do this. I’m running this battalion. I can’t commit myself. He turned and raced back.
“And as I was coming up, there was Speirs standing right in front of me’Speirs Take over that company and relieve dike and take that attack
on in.’”p. 209
The text above shows how Winters take a decision for the company. He can no longer handle Easy Company and lead them. So, he called Speirs, an officer
from D Company to take the leader position, and replaces Dike. It is analyzed based on Murphy’s 1972 theory of characterization. It is derived from the
reactions p. 168. The findings of the character and characterization above show that Winters
is described as a hard-working, kind, humble, self-confident, spiritual, caring and decisive person. The writer’s reason only shows positive characters because the
writer wants to show the real description of a real soldier. What the writer means as a soldier is the soldier who fights the enemy in the front line of the war.
Therefore, in this novel, Winters is not the soldier who becomes ranking officer who works behind of the desk during the war.
B. The Meaning of Richard Dick Winters’ Actions During His Military Service
This section discusses the meaning of Richard Dick Winters’ action during his military service. The meaning of his action is discussed in terms of a surface
35 and a deeper meaning. The surface meaning can be found and analyzed in the text
of the book, by reviewing Winters experiences during his military service. Then, the deeper meaning can be found after reading the whole text of the book and be
analyzed by using psychological approach and it is not written in the book. The analysis of the surface and the deeper meaning of Richard Dick Winters action
during his military service were provided in the discussion below.
1. Surface Meaning of Richard Dick Winters’ Actions During His Military Service
The most important thing in this study is about Richard Winters action in the war. The surface meaning is to serve his country in positive time, so he does
action combat seriously, without any sad excuses. Richard Winters is a ranking officer of Easy Company. On D-day at Normandy, he has to be the commander of
Easy Company since their Commander Lt. Meehan, has been shot on the plane before he jumped. His first action combat was when he leads the company to take
the four-gun battery of German 105 mm cannon. Winters is told by the intelligence that there is a German battery cannon
firing Utah beach, a place for Ally infantry landed. Winters and his company are ordered to take that battery. For the combat, Easy Company only consists of no
more than 15 people. It means that requiring the good leadership of Richard Winters is needed in order to be able to capture the German cannon.
The 2nd Battalion was less than 100 men strong at that point. Lieutenant Colonel Strayer had responsibilities in all four directions from Le Grand-
Chemin. He was trying to build his battalion up to somewhere near its full strength of 600 men, and to defend from counterattacks. He could only
afford to send one company to attack the German battery. Hester told Winters to take care of that battery. p .22
