Talk:Ronald Speirs

Dead or Alive

Anyone have a source stating his death, or stating he is alive? There seems to be a disagreement here. Onthost 01:45, 7 January 2006 (UTC)

I'm positive that he is dead, I just can't find any dates....

He's still alive, a friend of mine got a letter from him a few weeks ago. Martorius 23:08, 29 January 2006 (UTC)

wartime activities

This officer seems to have had a rather more relevant role in WWII than the wiki article or the famous film indicates. I've found two silver star citations so far, wondering if anyone has a list of them all. I found one website that claims Speirs was the first american soldier to cross the Neder Rhine, & return, swimming with a bullet wound. Perhaps Ambrose's book tells more?--Wikidelphia 00:48, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

I don't recall any mention of such a feat in the book. Sounds like it may have gotten mixed up with another incident involving Colonel O. Dobey [1]. ← amiИa (talk)

The Vietnam Service Medal with 3 service stars is shown in Speirs' campaign ribbons yet there is nothing in the article that states anything about him serving in Vietnam? He would have been nearly 60 years old (born in 1920) during the Vietnam war, not saying this couldn't be feasible, there have been older officers, but 3 service stars? Shouldn't there at least be some sort of documentation within the article of his Vietnam service if in fact it is true? - RTShadow —Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.79.14.17 (talk) 18:43, 9 September 2010 (UTC)

The VSM is awarded to those who served in Vietnam, Cambodia and/or Laos from 1961 to 1973. The article mentions him in Laos during that time frame. Also, check your math. If he was born in 1920, he would only be 41 by 1961. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cressmanr (talk • contribs) 07:08, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

Further conversation about the VSM; According to AR 600-8-22, dated 11 December 2006 with RAR 24 June 2013, the VSM is authorized from 3 July 1965 through 28 March 1973 so according to http://www.ronaldspeirs.com/military/laotian-civil-war/ LTC Speirs IS NOT authorized the VSM since he returned to the US and retired prior to the start date of the award. LTC Speirs is authorized the Armed forces Expeditionary Medal for his service in Laos- reference AR 600-8-22, table 2-4, page 27. Dworthensfc (talk) 15:40, 14 January 2014 (UTC)dworthensfc — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dworthensfc (talk • contribs) 22:09, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

About his death

I read in the article that Speirs died recently, but I can't find any source to verify this. Can someone provide any info?--Darz Mol 14:45, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

See this page. That's the only source I've been able to find. CillaИ X♦C [dic] 23:09, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm starting to wonder a little bit about this given zero verification and that the post reporting the death was originally from an anonymous IP address. I've spent some time searching both Easy Company boards like wildbillguarnere.com and found no comment on this whatsoever, and in fact the only references I've found were that original link - and a whole ton of pages that link back to Wikipedia. I'll dig a bit further and any more confirmation would be welcome.

Edit: Found it in the Social Security death database via the Helena Independent Reporter (check under Spears, R if you'd like to verify). It is very strange that he didn't have an obit, but may he rest well.Old64mb 09:39, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

Where did he die? The text says Mesa, AZ, and cites a ref to a page that seems partially broken and doesn't contain that information. The info box says Glasgow, MT, which is as reported in the Social Security death database. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.169.56.175 (talk) 21:56, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

Ronald Speirs Other work section

Other work Governor of Spandau Prison Red Army Liaison Officer

the article does mention but does not go into the details of the roles he served after WWII,which are of some importance,especially the governour of spandau prison,maybe we can find some references in the book that details his roles as the governour of the infamous spandau prison and as the red army liaison officer, —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.117.48.141 (talk) 15:05, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm a former regular Army officer with the 101st, although at a different time and war. Speirs seems to be typical of many soldiers I knew; superb combat performers, but unable to excel in a peacetime military. Despite his fantastic combat and leadership record, Speirs was apparently passed over for Colonel and retired at the ho-hum rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Just as revealing, it also means that officers without his qualifications were promoted over him.

It's an odd truism that the very individual traits demanded by the Army in wartime are rejected when not at war, and can even be detrimental to a successful career. I'm certain that in a war of 20 years duration, an officer like Speirs would have ended in command of a Corps, but in a career of nothing but peace may not have advanced further than a company clerk.

My First Sergeant once summed things up like this... the Army has people pushers, and paper pushers. In peace, the paper pushers rule the roost, but go into hiding when the shooting starts. Soldiers like Speirs take over to handle the shooting jobs, only to be edged out by the paper pushers when the guns fall silent.

Speirs got edged out, and after a lifelong Army career retired at only one rank higher than his friend Dick Winters, who served only during the War.

Mnpd (talk) 08:35, 24 May 2009 (UTC)

Brecourt Manor

The article states he "single-handedly" captured the last howitzer at Brecourt; however the Brecourt Manor article insists he was accompanied by four of his men from D-company, which is it? Anthiety (talk) 23:42, 5 June 2010 (UTC)

As I understand the encounter - he overran the last howitzer with the other men following him in, I do not believe "single-handedly" is perhaps the best term, but it would depend on what the actual battle accounts would have stated. In the Band of Brothers movie, his heroism is portrayed as near wreckless behavior, further showing the fine line between 'heroism' and 'insanity'. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.79.14.17 (talk) 18:49, 9 September 2010 (UTC)

On his Korean War involvement

I think I may have some information on Speirs, though I hasten to add them. Since he was a Paratrooper, he would probably have been assigned to the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, since it is the only Paratrooper unit I know of that fought in Korea. I won't add it, unless someone confirms it was the only Airborne unit in Korea. --AnyGuy (talk) 04:33, 14 August 2011 (UTC)

Descendents

The article ends by stating that Speirs was survived by "3 grandchildren. 2 stepsons, 1 stepdaughter, 6 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren". (i) How many grandchildren did he have? Three, or nine? Or some other figure? (ii) The source provided is an archive of a forum, the last messages of which date from 2004, three years before he died. How could the people of 2004 know that he would be survived by the aforementioned? -Ashley Pomeroy (talk) 18:10, 5 November 2013 (UTC)

Removed false information about his first marriage

I removed false information about Speirs' first marriage to an English women. Stephen Ambrose had claimed in the book 'Band of Brothers' his wife left him for her first husband, whom she thought had died during the war. Speirs personally denounced this claim in a letter to Richard Winters. I also removed the disparaging part about his wife keeping all the war loot he had sent to her after the divorce. Gugvista (talk) 15:51, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

Unreliable source

I have deleted the paragraph about the incidents in which Speirs killed a sergeant. The source cited a personal web fan self-published page which, in turn, cited youtube, which is on the non-RS list.--Jim in Georgia Contribs Talk 20:12, 16 March 2016 (UTC)

MARKET-GARDEN

This article lacks information about Speirs in The Netherlands. This page contains a medical report that matches Speirs' service number that he was wounded in the buttocks and hip by machine gun fire in October 1944; the morning report dated 18 October 1944 shows his status change from duty to hospital after being seriously wounded in action.--Jim in Georgia Contribs Talk 00:36, 28 May 2017 (UTC)

Sergeant incident

I find the way the passage about Speirs killing a sergeant odd. We have the name of a private who witnessed it but not the actual sergeant in question? Can anyone provide a reliable source for that incident? 59.124.5.22 (talk) 09:20, 31 October 2017 (UTC)

Because the sergeant was a replacement, there's a good chance no one ever really "met" him. There is probably a morning report page buried in the archives that reads something like "Sergt John Doe, KIA rifle fire 7 Jun 44, 0145 hrs." Sources are thin on the ground accounts both differ and blend because the story was told by the men to each other over years and conflated to include the German POWs allegedly shot. The TV series did not help with this "history lesson."--Georgia Army Vet Contribs Talk 15:57, 31 October 2017 (UTC)

How many people he killed

I know that most people he killed were Germans or cowardly Americans, but does anyone know or at least an estimate of how many people he killed. I know it's a weird thing to wounder but just curious. 2601:482:0:2D50:F43F:436D:104D:D0B3 (talk) 00:34, 20 April 2022 (UTC)

Parachutist badge devices

The awards section says that Speirs’ ribbon rack included a parachutist badge with 4 combat jump devices, but the image only shows three jump devices.

maybe someone can find an image of a 4 device parachutist badge? 2600:1702:1980:83A0:F0A8:2B17:AD9E:CF38 (talk) 00:16, 8 June 2023 (UTC)

I just noticed this too! The page for this device does show the version for 4 combat jumps (2 bronze stars on each wing) but it's mingled with all the others. I would imagine it just needs someone to crop it out of there and create a new standalone version. Modification of it would be OK for copyright purposes, right?

Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachutist_Badge_(United_States)

Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/US_Army_Master_Parachutist_Badges_with_Combat_Jump_Devices.png --> alanfdow (talk) 10:49, 30 October 2023 (UTC)

Update: I have now fixed this! The image in question already existed on Wikipedia, so I just linked to it. Also, we originally showed him with the Basic Parachutist Badge, but he was actually awarded the Master Parachutist Badge (with a star in a wreath at the top, plus the two stars on each wing). Confirmed this at numerous sources including https://www.ronaldspeirs.com/military/citations/. --> alanfdow (talk) 11:31, 30 October 2023 (UTC)

Ronald Speirs Australian Daughter

DNA has proven he fathered a daughter Edwina Rutherford (Married name) she has met the extended family and they have accepted the DNA evidence to be true. She lives in Manly Australia. Needs documentation but it is available.Instagram name EddieChanel Tanzi Bee (talk) 03:18, 23 August 2023 (UTC)

@Tanzi Bee Without reliable sources, this may not go in the article. —C.Fred (talk) 03:19, 23 August 2023 (UTC)