'But under different circumstances, we might have been good friends.' Supposed to do, and I was doing what I was supposed to do. 'Of course, they were doing what they were He might've liked to fish, you know, he might've liked to hunt,' Powers said. In the second-to-last episode of 'Band of Brothers,' an HBO miniseries that documented Easy Company's wartime exploits, Powers spoke on camera about the soldiers he fought and also hinted at the intrinsic tragedy of combat. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. 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. At that point he said 'I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem.' I was standing with a genuine war hero. 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.

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