Darrell "Shifty" Powers Memorial

[ADMIN]

**This is being posted for member Art Boyd as well as for the family of Mr. Powers, who many of you may know here.

 

May this hero and other heroes who fought for this country receive the respect they deserve in life and always rest in peace in death.**

 

 

 

I received this from Ken Moore, CEO of Moore's Marauders, a non-governmental

organization dedicated to locating the remains of Americans who are currently known

as Missing in Action. I have joined the Marauders with the hope that the remains of

my comrades who died on a frozen North Korean Road will be located and returned to

the United States for burial.

 

Nothing that we may do will reach the level of gratitude that is due those who have

served their nation with courage and honor on the field of combat. Please pass this

on to those who will join you in an expression of appreciation for what Darrell

"Shifty" Powers did for his nation.

 

Art Boyd

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Ken Moore

To: Dale Dye

Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 6:59 PM

Subject: "Shifty"Powers," in Memorial

 

 

 

 

Friends and fellow Marauders,

 

 

 

You may receive this message from others. That's okay. It's worth reading more

than once. God bless our veterans.

 

Ken

 

(The following message was forwarded to 638 recipients, those friends and members

of the Marauders. Thanks, Fred)

 

 

 

By Joe Galloway

 

Subject: Memorial Service: you're invited.

 

We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services.

 

I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.

 

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy

Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st

Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the

History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10

episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

 

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't

know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having

trouble reading his ticket. 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.

 

Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or

if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st.

I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how

many jumps he made.

 

Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so,

and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart

skipped.

 

At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training

jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know

where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.

 

I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what

D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into

Holland , into Arnhem " I wa s standing with a genuine war hero . . .

. and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of

D-Day.

 

I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said

"Yes. 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 helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in

Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to

get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. 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.

 

He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. 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. And

mine are brimming up now as I write this.

 

Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.

 

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.

 

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet

way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the

veterans.

 

Rest in peace, Shifty.

 

"A nation without heroes is nothing."

(Roberto Clemente)

[Blake_E]

What a great story, RIP Shifty. I feel so proud and honored to display my signatured photos of him, just such a great man!

[bobgee]

Well done, Admin. R.I.P. Shifty - A true American hero. :salute:

Bobgee

[m1ashooter]

I watch Shifty at least once a month and the other men from Easy. As long as we watch Band of Brothers these men will not be forgotten.

[andrewt]

I'm embarrassed to say I just found out about this the other day, too.

 

Do a Google News search for "Shifty Powers" and prepare to be underwhelmed.

 

Oddly enough, I found a very fitting tribute on a Miami Dolphins fan site:

 

http://phinphanatic.com/2009/06/17/amidst-...an-hero-passes/

[Custermen]

I just heard the news!!! Amazing how the liberal press could care less about this.

 

Steve

 

 

[The Meatcan]

I just heard the news!!! Amazing how the liberal press could care less about this.

 

Steve

 

 

it ain't just the liberal press; no righty news outlets in this corner of the globe could not have cared less either. Even fox noise prefers michael jackson news.

[Chap15]

Was Shifty the guy who could impersonate COL Sink?

Was he known for his humor?

[andrewt]

Was Shifty the guy who could impersonate COL Sink?

Was he known for his humor?

 

It's been a while since I watched BOB, but didn't Shifty "win" the raffle to go home?

[BOB COLEMAN]

I had the opportunity and honor to meet Darrel "Shifty" Powers at the 2008 SOS. I only learned of his passing when I received the information this evening in the way of a forward. He was a very modest, soft spoken man, who almost seemed in awe of the attention being given to him, James McLung, Buck Compton and Don Malarkey. I was able to obtain his autograph on my copy of "Band of Brothers," obtained an autograph picture, shook his hand and thanked him for both his service and his sacrifice and had a chance to talk with him for several minutes. These men were living representatives of the many Shifty Powers who survived combat, returned home, built a life, family, home and eventually left this world. Rest in peace Shifty. You are not fotgotten.

 

Shifty Powers was not the soldier who impersonated Colonel Sink. Lt. Peacock won the lottery to go home. Shifty went through the war without a scratch. In the last episode of "Band of Brothers," Major Winters sends him to Paris to be an advisor on a display of Allied aircraft. Unfortunately, Shifty's truck was involved in a serious accident and he was hospitalized for any moths before returning home.

[Chap15]

Thanks for the clarification.

Are there any other stories about him after the war?

[Blake_E]

Shifty was known as 'the best shot' in the company. That was until, he got a replacement rifle, and which he commented 'he couldn't hit a barn with'

Sadly, as he was in the hospitals, he had his money and captured pistols(lugers) stolen

[55rab]

Here is more of the story written by Tom Giusto as reported by ABC News.

 

Shifty, who got his nickname playing basketball, did make several trips back to Europe where he fought in the War. One time he graciously met with a former German World War II veteran. Usually, a family member would go with him. But he went alone sometime around 2002. And when he returned he told his family about the man he had met in at the airport in Philadelphia who offered him his seat in first class. The story, it turns out, is true.

 

The Johnson family received the original e-mail on July 7, 2009 from Mark Pfiefer. He 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."

 

"Shifty's" son-in-law Seldon Johnson said "Shifty" would be humbled by all the attention. "He was that kind of man, a true hero that did not seek notoriety. It found him," he said.

 

Johnson noted that strangers often would send checks to "Shifty" to get his autograph. "He refused to endorse them," he said. "If they sent a return envelope, he'd sign his signature, and return free gratis."

 

Our country owes much to World War II heroes like Darrell "Shifty" Powers. We're losing the remaining ones each day. And as Mark Pfiefer points out, they're not getting memorial services at the Staples Center. There are more veterans like "Shifty" and they too should be remembered.

[tylis2]

I just logged on tonite and found this as one of Today's Highlight on my home page. I can't say more than this story does other than thanks to all who serve; and to all who remember those who served.

 

 

 

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/csp/sbc/hp/pcm/chan...ews/ynews_ts829

 

Chance encounter leads to war hero's tribute

Yahoo! News blog - A moving anonymous email sparks a swell of support to give late WWII hero Darrell "Shifty" Powers his due.

 

A WWII hero's 21st-century salute

 

Tue Jul 21, 6:03 pm ET

Internet stories that sound "too good to be true" sometimes turn out to be just that.

 

In the June maelstrom of celebrity deaths, a World War II vet died on June 17 at age 86. His passing got some mention in the Roanoke Times, but someone believed that Darrell "Shifty" Powers deserved a lot more notice: The former soldier had served in the 101st Airborne Division, part of the fabled Easy Company that inspired the book and 2001 HBO miniseries, "Band of Brothers."

 

So an anonymous email, sent out July 7, called out for a "nationwide memorial service" to recognize an American hero. The writer wasn't a friend or family member, but a stranger who had a chance airport encounter with an elderly Powers. The vet's story might get interest from "a bunch of military-minded friends," the writer thought, and that would be it.

 

But a funny thing happened on the Web. Blogs started mentioning Powers' legacy. The message gave fodder for some people to ding "the media" for overlooking a chance to honor Powers' service. One even posted the email in the comments area of a story about a state trooper injured in a golf cart accident.

 

Then, the unsigned email itself became news. Was the author actually test pilot Chuck Yeager? McClatchy Newspapers military columnist Joseph Galloway? ABC finally tracked down the writer, who turned out to be one Mark Pfiefer, a retired Dow Jones employee.

 

The moment of silence that Pfiefer had wanted for Powers ended up being a social networking salute on July 20. Searches on Yahoo! for "darrell shifty powers" rose 63% from people 21 on up. No less than six memorials appeared on Facebook, with 1,620 members so far in one. And the Twittering continues.

 

The Military Times caught up with Pfiefer, who said he "had no idea it would take off the way it did." As for Powers' family, his daughter Margo believed her dad would "say everyone is just making too much of a fuss, but that's just the way he was, very humble." And Margo's husband, Sheldon, called this online call-out "too good to be true, like those fake stories that make the rounds on the Internet." And, agendas aside, this one turned out even better than planned.

[tankerman]

My son and I recently returned from a visit to Normandy. My Dad landed on OMAHA BEACH with the 743rd Tank Battalion. While there we visited most of the locations where EASY CO. saw action. What an emotional visit thinking of all these men.

 

 

REST IN PEACE and GOD BLESS YOU ALL our heroes of the GREATEST GENERATION

 

 

 

WE KEEP THE FAITH