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Robert Popeye Wynn
Robert 'Popeye' Wynn, here as a young soldier in World War II, died in March 2000 before the premiere of the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers. Before his death, Wynn shared his stories with writers. Photo By Courtesy Dawn Malone

(September 05, 2001) - The late Robert "Popeye" Wynn of Kitty Hawk was known among friends on the Outer Banks as a kind, easy-going man who loved to fish.

But few people here, including Wynn's family, knew what he endured as a young man in Easy Company, the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army, and as one of the paratroopers who braved the beaches of Normandy in World War II.

When the Home Box Office mini-series Band of Brothers premiers at 9 p.m. Sunday, the former Kitty Hawk man will take center stage -- or at least the actor portraying him will.

As Wynn and his buddies fought across Europe, eventually partying and drinking champagne at Adolf Hitler's Eagle's Nest and driving around in the Fuhrer's Mercedes Benz, their stories became sad, but heroic tales for the ages.

Noted historian Stephen E. Ambrose captured their journey in the 1992 book Band of Brothers. The writings didn't sit well with the men of Easy Company, and, beginning in 1999, Oscar-winners Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks set out to produce the 10-piece series that captured the true spirit of what the young American servicemen suffered.

The two men shared the desire, says Hanks, on the HBO Web site, and "the hope that the viewers will have an emotional and human experience that will allow them to appreciate the sacrifice that the men who fought in World War II gave."

Popeye Wynn began vacationing on the Outer Banks in 1959, and in 1971, he purchased the old Log Cabin Inn in Kitty Hawk to enjoy fishing and weekends with his family. He passed away in March 2000 -- not in time to witness his likeness on film -- but was able to contribute to the project and share some tales with the series' writers and his family.

"He knew about it and he was the first person they interviewed," Wynn's daughter, Dawn Malone, said. "All the guys said he had the best recall, and he was a great storyteller."

Malone and her family attended the screening in France this summer and met the cast and crew as guests of HBO. She said it was important to Hanks that the series be as accurate as possible, and the actor invited the men of Easy Company to view the clips as they were filmed and direct changes as they saw fit.

Through this series of interviews, she learned what her father did in the war and the secret behind his reluctance to share it.

"He never talked a lot about the things he did," Malone said. "He talked about the places he went, and he talked about the guys a lot.

"You didn't kill snakes or spiders when I grew up. You moved them to another environment. He saw all the fighting, and he realized he would come back and live in a peaceful place. He didn't know what they were fighting for until they saw the Jews in the concentration camps."

Wynn kept producers entranced with his account of how, when wounded at Utah Beach, he thought he had been left for dead. A friend later came back for him, and as Wynn told his account of the shooting, he quickly interjected a joke that made light of the tragic story.

During a flight to Denver, he commented that the first 20 times he had been in an airplane he had to jump out. The pilot overheard him and ensured him that he could remain in his seat until they landed. Wynn and his friend, at their time of enlistment, made a $50 bet to see who would back out first. Neither man did, and both were able to laugh about it years later.

Actor Nicholas Aaron portrays Wynn, and appears in the D-Day scenes, which were filmed on the same English shores that Hanks appeared on in the acclaimed motion picture Saving Private Ryan. Wynn was wounded during the invasion and spent some time in an English hospital before returning to battle.

Aaron even gave Malone the replica of her father's dog tags, and the young actor introduced Malone as "his daughter."

During some interviews with the show's writers, Wynn said he never shared his experiences with his family because he didn't think they could comprehend it. Now, despite his passing, he will share his story with the world, and, hopefully, the world will understand.

Robert Popeye Wynn
Robert 'Popeye' Wynn, here as a young soldier in World War II, died in March 2000 before the premiere of the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers. Before his death, Wynn shared his stories with writers. Photo By Courtesy Dawn Malone

(September 05, 2001) - The late Robert "Popeye" Wynn of Kitty Hawk was known among friends on the Outer Banks as a kind, easy-going man who loved to fish.

But few people here, including Wynn's family, knew what he endured as a young man in Easy Company, the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army, and as one of the paratroopers who braved the beaches of Normandy in World War II.

When the Home Box Office mini-series Band of Brothers premiers at 9 p.m. Sunday, the former Kitty Hawk man will take center stage -- or at least the actor portraying him will.

As Wynn and his buddies fought across Europe, eventually partying and drinking champagne at Adolf Hitler's Eagle's Nest and driving around in the Fuhrer's Mercedes Benz, their stories became sad, but heroic tales for the ages.

Noted historian Stephen E. Ambrose captured their journey in the 1992 book Band of Brothers. The writings didn't sit well with the men of Easy Company, and, beginning in 1999, Oscar-winners Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks set out to produce the 10-piece series that captured the true spirit of what the young American servicemen suffered.

The two men shared the desire, says Hanks, on the HBO Web site, and "the hope that the viewers will have an emotional and human experience that will allow them to appreciate the sacrifice that the men who fought in World War II gave."

Popeye Wynn began vacationing on the Outer Banks in 1959, and in 1971, he purchased the old Log Cabin Inn in Kitty Hawk to enjoy fishing and weekends with his family. He passed away in March 2000 -- not in time to witness his likeness on film -- but was able to contribute to the project and share some tales with the series' writers and his family.

"He knew about it and he was the first person they interviewed," Wynn's daughter, Dawn Malone, said. "All the guys said he had the best recall, and he was a great storyteller."

Malone and her family attended the screening in France this summer and met the cast and crew as guests of HBO. She said it was important to Hanks that the series be as accurate as possible, and the actor invited the men of Easy Company to view the clips as they were filmed and direct changes as they saw fit.

Through this series of interviews, she learned what her father did in the war and the secret behind his reluctance to share it.

"He never talked a lot about the things he did," Malone said. "He talked about the places he went, and he talked about the guys a lot.

"You didn't kill snakes or spiders when I grew up. You moved them to another environment. He saw all the fighting, and he realized he would come back and live in a peaceful place. He didn't know what they were fighting for until they saw the Jews in the concentration camps."

Wynn kept producers entranced with his account of how, when wounded at Utah Beach, he thought he had been left for dead. A friend later came back for him, and as Wynn told his account of the shooting, he quickly interjected a joke that made light of the tragic story.

During a flight to Denver, he commented that the first 20 times he had been in an airplane he had to jump out. The pilot overheard him and ensured him that he could remain in his seat until they landed. Wynn and his friend, at their time of enlistment, made a $50 bet to see who would back out first. Neither man did, and both were able to laugh about it years later.

Actor Nicholas Aaron portrays Wynn, and appears in the D-Day scenes, which were filmed on the same English shores that Hanks appeared on in the acclaimed motion picture Saving Private Ryan. Wynn was wounded during the invasion and spent some time in an English hospital before returning to battle.

Aaron even gave Malone the replica of her father's dog tags, and the young actor introduced Malone as "his daughter."

During some interviews with the show's writers, Wynn said he never shared his experiences with his family because he didn't think they could comprehend it. Now, despite his passing, he will share his story with the world, and, hopefully, the world will understand.