'Band of Brothers' Actors Are Training to Parachute into Normandy for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day
Military.com | By Blake Stilwell
Published March 25, 2024
Few younger people truly got to know World War II like the cast of "Band of Brothers." Not only was the show based on a meticulously researched history of "Easy" Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division, but many of the actors involved in the beloved 2001 miniseries spent time and effort getting to know the World War II veteran counterparts they portrayed on screen. The actors even went through a 10-day boot camp and parachute training.
With the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy approaching in June, some of the actors decided they would commemorate the D-Day landings by training at Camp Toccoa and then jumping into the Cotentin Peninsula.
"We never jumped for real during the series, but we did a lot of training," Alex Sabga-Brady, who played Cpl. Frank Mellet, told the BBC. "We thought it would be a nice close of the circle."
Led by Capt. Dale Dye -- a decorated Marine Corps veteran who conducted the original boot camp; served as the show's military adviser; and also played the role of Col. Robert Sink -- more than a dozen "Band of Brothers" cast members will honor the men who landed on those bloody beaches eight decades ago while also raising money for veterans' charities in the process.
https://www.military.com/off-duty/television/2024/03/25/band-of-brothers-actors-are-training-parachute-normandy-80th-anniversary-of-d-day.html
