"We few.
We happy few. We Band of Brothers.
For those who shed their blood with us today shall
always be our Brothers."
What is this band of brothers referred to by Shakespeare almost 500
years ago? It defies an easy definition. Where does it reside? Does
this brotherhood still live on in today's world?
BandofBrothers.com is for those both in and out of uniform, for men,
for women. Our focus is brotherhood in the universal sense, but also
in the particular sense, that bond between warriors. This site is a
collection of articles, links and photos that help us learn and then
share thoughts of the warrior ethos represented by the phrase "band of
brothers". In this time of war, we are also here for those
at home trying to understand the men and women in their lives, the men
and women of this and other countries now in battle. What is it, and
what is the history of the "band" of brothers?
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The Band of Brothers...
Shakespeare and King Henry V started it all.
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"We Happy Few, We Band of Brothers..."
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We realize upon searching the web for an understanding of
"Band of Brothers", that the true origin of this powerful
phrase is becoming lost to history.
Searches of the term will produce a multitude of links to
the so-named TV miniseries, based on Stephen Ambrose's
book about a Second World War infantry company.
It is not until pages and searches much deeper does the
reader come to know that the immortal phrase and powerful
concept derives from William Shakespeare, who died in 1616.
The emotive warrior ideal of the "Band of Brothers" is
attributed to King Henry V. When on the eve of battle
at Agincourt he and his small English force faced daunting
odds against a much larger French force assembling in the
distance, King Henry rallied his small band with these
famous words, words that resonate with modern warriors some
six hundred years hence:
"We few, we happy few, we Band of Brothers. For
he to-day that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my brother
who shed his blood today will be my brother."
William Shakespeare, Henry V, Act IV,
speech of Henry V on eve of the battle of Agincourt, in the
year 1415
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American's Founding Father invokes Military
Brotherhood
George Washington, the first general of
the American army and first president, invoked Shakespeare's warrior
ideal of mutual sacrifice in the late 18th century:
"My first wish
would be that my military family, and the whole Army, should
consider themselves as a band of brothers, willing and ready to die
for each other".
General George Washington, 21 October 1798, letter
to Henry Knox, Writings, XXXVI, 1941, p. 508
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Sea-going Tradition
The Battle of the Nile
Admiral Nelson letter to Admiral Howe

Palermo, 8 January 1799
"I had the happiness to command a Band of
Brothers; therefore night was to my advantage. Each knew his
duty, and I was sure that each would feel for a French ship. By attacking
the enemy's van and centre, the wind blowing directly along their Line, I
was enabled to throw what force I pleased on a few ships, and we always kept
a superior force to the enemy. At 28 minutes pas six, the sun in the
horizon, the firing commenced. At 5 minutes past ten, when L'Orient blew up,
having burnt 70 minutes, the six Van ships had surrendered. I then pressed
further towards the Rear; and had it pleased God that I had not been wounded
and stone blind, there cannot be a doubt but that every ship would have been
in our possession....
E. Moorhouse. Letters of English Seamen.
(1910), p. 210.
From the 1805 Club...www.admiralnelson.org
Created by The 1805 Club's Webmaster
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20th Century
The First World War.... can a "Band of Brothers" survive
modern machine war?
In
Shakespeare's play..."Henry’s rhetoric places a constant emphasis on the way
that the struggle dissolved the barrier between king and subject, creating a
“band of brothers.” That was fanciful enough, to be sure, but the carnage of
1914–18, which led to the greatest fall of monarchies in history, also widened
and deepened the class chasms and led to the spewing-up of Nazism from the
wreckage of defeated Germany." Christopher Hitchens, The Atlantic (see link)
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/11/the-pity-of-war/7703/
The Pity of War
Is leading one’s own troops to slaughter
ever justified?
Image
credit: Marc Yankus
Many
years ago, I went to the Central Lobby of the Houses
of Parliament in London to keep an appointment with the
almost picturesquely reactionary Conservative politician
Alan Clark. He was the son of Kenneth (later Lord) Clark—the
art historian and author of the Civilisation
series—and the heir to Saltwood Castle, in Kent. He was also
the author of a 1961 book, The Donkeys, which was a
history of the British General Staff in the First World War.
The title came from a famous comment that had supposedly
been made at that epoch by a German military strategist.
Told by the highly impressed Quartermaster General
Ludendorff that “these British soldiers fight like lions,”
General Max Hoffmann had responded: “Yes, but lions led by
donkeys.”
to
read on:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/11/the-pity-of-war/7703/
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The Second World War
More machine warfare, but the human and his
sacrifice remain central to the outcome
At Sea
The Sullivan Brothers
The five Sullivan Brothers were lost when the ship to which
all five were assigned, USS Juneau (CL-52) was sunk on 13 November
1942. Many memorial efforts have honored the five brothers. Since their loss
much confusion has resulted from the many myths surrounding both the
Sullivan brothers and the Navy's policy regarding family members serving
together at sea.
On Land
Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers"

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The Band of Brothers today...
As the fighting continues in Afghanistan, over 100,000 NATO Soldiers,
Sailors, Airmen, and Marines continue to serve in the most adverse of
conditions, facing constant danger. The brotherhood that binds, that
sustains these young men and women, may be little changed than that which
Shakespeare, Washington, Nelson spoke of.
Modern "Band of Brothers:
Afghanistan
Training
Mission
Combat
Command
Discourse: Small Wars Journal
Afghan Blog Summary
(if Afghan Blog summary link doesn't work,
try http://afghanistan-analyst.org/blogs.aspx
JCS
Army
Air Force
Navy
US Coast Guard
FBI
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Quotes to Ponder....
You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever
count on having both at once.
Robert Heinlein
Who desires peace should prepare for war.
Vegetius
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War Prayers and Poetry
In response to reader feedback, we are
introducing a new feature: War Poetry. From time to time we will
provide links to the poets and their poetry which captured perhaps more
emotionally than any other device, the deeper bonds of the Band of
Brothers. Below are two poems, one a recent submission from one of our
readers, and the other from a war almost a hundred years removed.
To read on, and for more poetry,
click here.
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Welcome to Band of Brothers, the cyber-port dedicated to
America’s warriors past, present, and future.
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