The text also shows that Winter's assertion that Easy company was "the finest light infantry..." is completely false.
Just reading their actions in the Ardennes convienced me of that. There they were dug in in a fixed position for an extended (several days) period of time. Yet, the troops failed to improvise overhead cover for their positions. Experianced / veteran troops with lots of field time do this as quickly as possible. This prevents casualities from tree bursts (Easy suffered several in their foxholes) as well as makes the positions more livable, lessening exposure to the environment.
From the photos one can make the judgement that Easy's soldiers also failed to move dirt and debris away from their positions to enhance camoflauge. Again, seasoned troops do this quickly. A pile of freshly dug dirt is a sure sign of a foxhole next to it.
Their junior officers (platoon leaders) were derided at several points in the book for their less than inspired leadership on patrols and offensive actions during this period.
All this adds up to a well trained but inexperianced unit that has seen limited combat action.
These are little things that the casual reader might miss. But, they are also indicators that the 101st (mostly not engaged after their use in Normandy) had limited field time compared to many infantry divisions like the 28th (often morbidly called "the bloody bucket" division due to their high casualities from heavy continious engagement in the front lines).

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Truth is stranger than bullshit!