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?

____________________

The Band of Brothers...

Shakespeare and King Henry V started it all.


	"We Happy Few, We Band of Brothers..."

	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

King Henry V

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

Quotes above drawn from a superb discussion of "Comradeship and the Band of Brothers", by Peter G. Tsouras see The Book of Military Quotations - Page 88

________________________________________

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

__________________________________

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?

By Christopher Hitchens

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/

________________________________________

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"

________________________

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

_________________________________

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

__________________________________________________

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.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Welcome to Band of Brothers, the cyber-port dedicated to America�s warriors past, present, and future.

ABOUT US

HISTORY OF

DEDICATION

To contact us, write to: info@bandofbrothers.com

Note 1: If our introductory paragraphs and links to the sites of other BofB authors is not desired, please write to us and, upon our return, will be glad to delete the offending passage. But please understand, this site is not a commercial site, and seeks to generate no revenue.

_______________

Navy Hymn

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
And those who on the ocean ply;
Be with our troops upon the land,
And all who for their country stand:
Be with these guardians day and night
And may their trust be in they might.
-- author unknown, about 1955

___________

Sports Corner:

The Army-Navy Game

_______________

Reader Poetry

Gratitude

...to the timeless Band of Brothers

In one simple word
Can all life be known
All problems solved
And no secret hid

Love binds us
Fear stalks us
But only in battle can we be known

Rejoice
At the existence
Of Brotherhood

Thankyou dear Band
For this temple wrought
In the bloodstreams of men
Who from time old even
Before our grandfathers were born
Have given honour to that lofty Truth
Whose dear name we spell

We gather here as if by campfires
To tell
Of deeds great and small
Of comrades
Who fell
And thus made real
The oaths we pledge
Were not empty words or flowery phrase
But bittersweet beauty
In God's terrain
Chiselled on Eternity's own dark granite

Thankyou dear Band
For every offering
Free or forced
Great, small
Mean or generous

But greater still is my reverence felt
For those who know not
Their duty
Their orders
Themselves
But give
And know not
To what merry band they belong

Jeremy Traylen