I received this today 07/15/09 from my good friend Perry Fernau. I thank him for this greatly. These men and women, are the true hero's of this age. Not sports players, rap artists or pop stars. To each his own I would suppose but for me I wouldn't be writing this and you would not be reading it if it wasn't for men and women like Shifty Powers. I'd most likely be in a Nazi internment camp or dead. Maybe never born.

The media today should be ashamed of itself. They aren't worth the air time, print or bandwidth they consume if they are unable to report such an important story as this. To me it's the most important news that we can pass on to our world and children. Yet I had to find out about it from a friend.

If you have never seen "Band of Brothers" do yourself a favor and watch it. There was never a greater time in human history. There were never more brave and dedicated people  And  please teach your children about these men and women so that so that we never forget them.

Steve Neill

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 Brotherson
> > 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 was
> > 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.