![]() No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage. Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer. And mine are brimming up now as I write this. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes. and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. " I was standing with a genuine war hero. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem. I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped. " at which point my heart skipped.Īt that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy. ![]() Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers. We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services. The balance of the information is from the forward. Powers, have him autograph my copy of "Band of Brothers," obtain an autographed photograph of him and had the oppportunity to shake his hand and thank him for his individual service and sacrifice. After that, it was a non stop brawl between the units." I treasure the opportunity to meet Mr. Powers was relating that after Normandy, the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were sent back to England at the time and then sent on leave to London at the same time.His words were"It worked OK for the first day. Listening to him talk to another gentleman, I learned a bit of oral history I never knew. He was a soft spoken gentleman who seemed almost overwhelmed by the fame that had come to him and his mates from Easy Company. I had the great honor to meet Shifty at the 2008 SOS. Invasion of Holland April, 2004, D-Day Pub, 506 p.I received this forward this evening from Stonemint. Orange is the Color of the Day: Pictorial History of the American Paratroopers in the ISBN: 2960017609Ĭpl Forrest Guth: E Company 506 PIR 101st Airborne Division (WW II American Paratroopers Portrait Series) Patton: A Genius for War 1024 pp ISBN: 0060927623Īmerican Warriors: Pictorial History of the American Paratroopers Prior to Normandy ISBN: 1-1Ĭompton, Lt Lynn (Buck) & Marcus Brotherton Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers. ![]() Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal, (Sept 2001) 256 p. With the 101st Airborne from Normandy to Bastogne. Crestwood House, 48 pp May,1993 ISBN: 0896865681īowen, Robert Fighting With the Screaming Eagles: The Aberjona Press, (June 2003) 320 p.īlack, Wallace B.& Blashfield, Jean F. Bando Publishing, (2006) 183 p.īando, Mark A 101st Airborne: The Screaming Eagles at Normandy. ISBN: 1855323028īando, Mark A Avenging Eagles: Forbidden tales of the 101st Airborne in World War 2. Operation "Market Garden" (Campaign No.24) 1993 96p. ISBN: 5-7īadsey, Stephen & Chandler, David G (Editor) Arnhem 1944: Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, June 7, 1944-May 7, 1945. 6/93, Simon & Shuster ISBN: 0671673343Į Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Headquarters Company 2nd Battalion (HQ 2)Īlexander, Larry Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers NAL Hardback (April 2005), 320 p. USAAF Airborne Troop Carriers in World War II Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) Recipients ![]()
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