Grounded Paratrouper

[H]

[b]This certainly wouldn't belong in the Entertainment forum and it's more than a personal topic. This e-mail was recently forwarded to me:


[color=#003366]Having watched just a bit of the media relative to memorial services for an entertainer, I am very comfortable in joining this current effort to offer a memorial via this e-mail to a true American hero who also died recently, without fanfare, who deserves our recognition and devotion.

[Dr.bob7]

Sad to see veterans of the last great war dissaperaing but they live on in memory with most of us

[C]

Very sad to hear. Having read the recently published books of Maj Dick Winters, Buck Comton, Don Malarkey and waiting to read Bill Guarnere and Babe Heffron's book (and the different perspective of David KenyonWebster's 1960s book), I always thought that Shifty Powers was very eloquent in the HBO series, and that his full story would have been both fascinating yet poignant.

RIP.

[Romulus111VADT]

Darrell "Shifty" Powers obituary:

Darrell "Shifty" Powers, 86, of Shifty Lane, Clinchco, Dickenson County, Virginia, passed away Wednesday June 17, 2009 at Wellmont Regional Hospital, Bristol, Tenn., after a courageous battle with cancer.

He was a charter member of Clinchco Missionary Baptist Church. Shifty was a veteran of World War II, having served in the 101st Airborne, 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was a member of the famed Easy Company whose exploits received worldwide recognition in "Band of Brothers," a book by historian Stephen Ambrose, and miniseries produced by Tom Hanks and Stephen Spielberg. Shifty dropped behind enemy lines in Normandy on D-Day. He also participated in all of Easy Company's battles including Operation Market Garden, Battle of the Bulge, and the capture of Hitler's Eagles Nest.

Darrell was preceded in death by his parents Barnum and Audrey Colley Powers; brothers, James, Barnum and Frank Powers; and a great-grandson Gavin Johnson.

Survivors include his loving wife of sixty years, Dorothy; son, Wayne (Sandy) Powers of Clinchco, Va., daughter, Margo (Seldon) Johnson of Bristol, Va., sister, Gaynell (Clair) Sykes of Roanoke,Va.; sisters-in-law, Ann Powers of Clintwood Va., Betty Powers of Greenville, Tenn.; four grandchildren, Clay (Kayla) Powers, Dove Powers, Jake (Dawnyale) Johnson and Luke (Amanda) Johnson; two great-grandchildren, Caden Powers and Cooper Powers; several nieces and nephews; several great-nieces and nephews; and special family friends the Robinettes, Carol, David and Tammy and Suzanne Axtell.
Pallbearers will be Jake Johnson, Luke Johnson, Clay Powers, David Robinette, Johnny Sykes, Mike Strouth and John Wesley Hawkins. Honorary pallbearers will be Ben Sutherland, Claire Sykes, Tim Thomas, Wayne "Pappy" McCowan, Shang-Hi Nichols and Mickey Taylor.

The family will receive friends on Friday June 19, 2009, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m., followed with a song service at 7:30 in the Mullins Funeral Home Chapel, Clintwood Va. Funeral services will be conducted on Saturday June 20, 2009 at 1:00 p.m., with Pastor Randy Moore officiating. Graveside services with Military Honors will be conducted by Francis Marion VFW post 4667 at Temple Hill Memorial Park, 2529 Memorial Dr., Castlewood, Russell County, Virginia.

Online email condolences may be made at http://www.mullinsfuneralhome.net

Mullins Funeral Home and staff are serving the Powers Family.

http://memorial.yourtribute.com/darrellpowers1/video.aspx?mode=view&videoType=videotribute&videoId=25008

http://memorial.yourtribute.com/darrellpowers1/



Rest In Peace....

[Romulus111VADT]

Well it seems that MSN has finally done a story on a real American hero.....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31929477#31929477

......instead of the entertainment types that would act like hero's.

[H]

Many thanks for the additions, Rom.

There was no parade.
No big event in Staples Center .
No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.
No weeping fans on television...
and that's not right.

Perhaps that is the way he wanted it?

[Romulus111VADT]

Per Snopes.com at - http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/shiftypowers.asp

Authorship of the above-quoted piece, which describes an encounter with Darrell Powers at a Philadelphia airport several years ago, is often attributed to "retired Major General Chuck Yeager," but a representative of the General Chuck Yeager Foundation told us that General Yeager had nothing to do with it. According to ABC News, the original e-mail was written by Mark Pfiefer (who also contacted us):
Mark Pfiefer ... confirmed to me that he wrote the e-mail and he was the man who met "Shifty" at the airport in Philadelphia.

Pfiefer, who worked for Dow Jones at the time he met "Shifty," said today he had no idea the e-mail would take on a life of its own. He just wanted those who received his e-mail to hold a private moment of silence.

"I found out this morning that some took it literally," he said, "and now thousands of people have been organized into a virtual memorial service for Shifty on July 20th. It will be on Twitter, Facebook, and a host of other social networking sites."
Last updated: 16 July 2009

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=8100838&page=1

Shifty would probably be laughing his ass off.....

[Ang2dogs]

Day is done, gone the sun, From the hills, from the lake, From the skies. All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.



R.I.P.

[BigTruck]

What a great man, a true hero.  Get some rest brother, we have the watch.

[beaky]

I think guys like Shifty know that it's not the big media hype that matters, but simple gestures of gratitude like Mr. Powers' offering his seat. Or just appreciating what he fought for, and showing that appreciation in how you live every day.

That sort of thing will last, even after we lose the last of those who came home to tell about it, especially the stories of the true heroes- those who did not make it home to enjoy the fruits of their labors  Why weep for Shifty? Do you think he believed he'd live to see 86 when he jumped into combat zones? You can be sure he knew who the real heroes were, and how much he owed them.

 And unlike celebrity tributes, that sort of simple gesture in their memory will help make the world a little better.

[Sir_Crashalot]

Rest in piece Mr. Powers. We'll never forget what you (and so many others) did here in Holland.

Carlo (living 20 minutes from Arnhem)

[Romulus111VADT]

My step-sons great-uncle is listed on Tablets of the Missing at Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium. He was a Tech 4: 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division. He was a tank driver in a Sherman that was hit and destroyed. His body was never found and id was made through crew records and I think items found in the tank.

Omag was kind enough to make a trip to the American Cemetery and sent me some great pictures.