Their story has been told and retold, their exploits the subject of a book and a highly-watched TV series. Despite the passing of the years, however, the ‘Band of Brothers’ remains to be a group of courageous people – a brotherhood – worth remembering.

The 68th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France, which happened on June 6, 1944, was marked with, among other activities, the unveiling of a Colorado-made, 12-foot bronze statue of Pennsylvania native Maj. Dick Winters in the village of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont in Normandy.

The statue depicts the late Maj. Winters, who passed away last year at the age of 92, with his weapon at ready. He agreed to serving as the likeness of the statue after the monument planners consented to dedicate it in memory of all junior U.S. military service who served during D-Day.

In attendance during the unveiling ceremony was Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, who said: “There were many Dick Winters in this war, and all deserve the bronze and glory of a statue.” Also present were two Vets who served in Winters’ “Easy Company”: Al Mampre and Herb Suerth Jr. Suerth, who heads the association of former Easy Company Veterans. Suerth described Winters as “was a humble, simple person thrust into a position of leadership in which he excelled.”

As the unveiling ceremony was being held, various World War II-era military aircraft flew overhead, in the same area were Winters and the Band of Brothers dropped out of the sky after midnight on June 6, 1944.