S.Robert Winer, a WWII Veteran, Tells Us His Story…

New Rep is calling on all active Service Members and Veterans to “Tell Us Your Story.” We want to hear how you, like Mister Roberts, showed bravery, honor, and grace in challenging times. Please e-mail your personal story to marketing@newrep.org.

In September 1941, before the war began, I went on active duty at Fort Devens, here in Massachusetts, where I was put in command of a heavy weapons platoon in H Company, second battalion, of the 26^th Infantry Regiment, part of the First Division, commonly known as the Big Red One. Our regimental commander was Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Our battalion commander told us junior officers we were like toilet paper, i.e. expendable.

The following July, I was transferred to the Army Air Corps to be trained as a glider pilot. Training took place over several months and at many bases, and I got my wings in February 1943.

I should say, at this point, the gliders were not the pretty little sailplanes that one thinks of as gliders nowadays. They were large, with a wing spread of close to ninety feet, and could hold 13 troops, in addition to the pilot and co-pilot, or they could carry equipment, including a jeep (which we carried on our mission in Holland in September 1944).

A number of us shipped to England in March 1945, and I was assigned to a base at Aldermaston. On D-Day, at 1:30 a.m., the first wave of gliders were towed across the English Channel by a C-47 that flew at an altitude of 400 feet when we first crossed the French border. We were to land in a farm field about 10 miles inland from Utah Beach. In our glider, we carried an anti tank gun and its crew of three.

As we flew in, we took ground fire. I remember bullets shooting right through the floor of the glider, but luckily none of us got hit. We landed at 4:00 a.m. The first glider to land in our field hit the trees at the end of the field, killing Brigadier General Don Pratt and the co-pilot, and badly injuring the pilot and the general’s aide.

The second glider landed safely; however, our glider slammed into it due to the darkness. No one was hurt in the collision, but the second glider’s tail was damaged.

Army intelligence had informed us that the field we were to land in was surrounded by hedges, like ones that you would find in your yard. The hedges turned out to be 30-foot-tall poplars. Good old army intelligence. The hedgerows helped hide us from the Germans and their tanks on the road on the other side of the trees. The tanks’ engines were running, which helped mask the noise the gliders made on landing and the crash of the gliders.

For two days, I stayed at the nearby Château de Colombieres, an old château that was converted into the first American field hospital in Europe during the war. There we were given two missions: 1) burial patrol and 2) guarding German prisoners and the hospital. On the 8^th of June, the other glider pilots and I were transported back to England to be issued further orders.

I only flew one other mission - the invasion of Holland the following September. I was unable to fly in the last mission my squadron flew due to illness. The pilot who replaced me was killed during this operation.

Since WWII, I have been back to Normandy twice. Once in 1984, around the 40^th anniversary of D-day and the second time was five years ago to mark the 60^th anniversary. Each time I visited the family who owned the farm we landed on and the owners of the Château, and, of course, they were very hospitable. I was, indeed, very fortunate to come through those missions unscathed.

Photo Credit: Robert Winer and his squadron are shown in 1944. Winer is standing third from the right.
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090606/NEWS01/306069956

Steppin Up and Moving On

On Thursday, July 30th, the Studio students gave a fabulous performance to an enthusiastic audience of friends, family, New Rep staff, and even some Summer Studio alumni! As I watched the performance from the back row with Wendy, what struck me most was the growth and commitment I saw in each student's performance. One student confessed earlier in the week that she had never had a solo in a performance before -- ever! What a leap, in four short weeks, to command a stage in a solo piece and to do so convincingly. Ben, Chris, Wendy and I were very proud of all the students! Thanks to Rachael Donnelly, who instructed the group on make-up application, the students had wide-awake eyes and looked really good under the lights. I hear there are some great production photos taken by our own Todd Michael Hall, so stay tuned to the New Rep website....

It's been a while since my last post, so I also wanted to mention highlights of the Theatre Tastes programming that occurred in the last two weeks. Chris Webb gave an introduction to Viewpoints (the actor training program made popular by Tina Landau and Anne Bogart), in which the group explored the viewpoint of Tempo in depth. The group remarked on the wildly different experience of thinking of one's own body as elements of space and shape and tempo. It was inspiring to see the sense of release and depth of articulation this type of training brings to actors! Sign me up!

Speaking of inspiring, last week New Rep Artistic Director Kate Warner led an illuminating discussion about the work of a director. To have a director's work demystified was, in my opinion, important for young people who sometimes don't see themselves in any other role but that of performer. Kate also had some great answers for their most dreaded audition questions! Though there was a lot of laughter, and the group was drawn to Kate's welcoming presence, they all took away some good information about a life working in the theatre.

We're having a good last day together, giving audition tips, learning music and choreography "just for fun," and playing Theatre Sports-style acting games. I'll miss this bunch of enthusiastic students, but know they'll see future success!

Happy August!
Liz Fenstermaker, on behalf of the Summer Studio Team