Shifty Powers

Staff Sergeant Darrell C. "Shifty" Powers (March 13, 1923 June 17, 2009) was a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Powers was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Peter Youngblood Hills.


Powers was born in Clinchco, Dickenson County, Virginia and volunteered for the paratroopers with his good friend, Robert "Popeye" Wynn. Shifty spent a great deal of time in the outdoors hunting game prior to joining the service. This would later prove useful as many of the skills he obtained helped him as a soldier. He graduated from high school. Powers enlisted on August 14, 1942 at Richmond, Virginia.

Powers jumped into Normandy on D-Day, missing his drop zone. He eventually came in contact with Floyd Talbert and the two made their way to Easy Company. He also participated in the Allied military operation Operation Market Garden in Holland, and the Battle of the Bulge in Foy, Belgium. While in Foy, a German sniper had shot a member of Easy, and everyone had hid for cover. Shifty made a heroic attempt and silenced the German with his own sniper rifle. Company members say Powers saved many lives that day.[5] He was generally considered to be the best shot in Easy Company.

Because many men serving in the 101st lacked the minimum points required to return home, a lottery was put in place. Shifty Powers won this lottery after the rest of the company rigged it in his favor by removing their own names, and was set to return stateside.[6] During the trip to the airfield, the vehicle that Shifty was in was involved in an accident and he was badly injured. He spent many months recuperating in hospitals overseas while his comrades in arms arrived home long before he did.

Honorably discharged from the Army in the postwar demobilization, he became a machinist for the Clinchfield Coal Corporation. He is listed as one of 20 men from Easy Company who contributed to the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers, published by Penguin/Berkley-Caliber.

Powers died on June 17, 2009 of cancer in Dickenson County, Virginia.

http://peter.appbbs.com

Category:

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• Band of Brothers
• WWII
• 101st Airborne
• Easy Company

[RoadCaptainEntertain]

I fear men like this shall never again walk the earth.

"The Greatest Generation"

[petrwarry72]

5***** from me mate !

[123bobobrazil]

@ronaldsanford amen to that, the best movies I enjoy

[bexxisaliba]

amazing vid :) i wish i met him at least once !!

[ronaldsanford]

@RoadCaptainEntertain A true American hero-not ball players and actors-this is a real hero to look up to

[Locksmith5099]

Wow, just to think that I had at one time a chance to meet these veterans while they were in Germany on the USO tour, but at the last minute, their plans changed and they couldn't make it to Mannheim, Germany and went to Kaiserslautern/Ramstein instead. I have visited most of the locations and I take groups of Harley-Davidson riders to Normany - Belgium and give them a personal guided tour.

[caduncan07]

@RoadCaptainEntertain Agreed 100%!

[SHAD0Wc0n]

Captain winters passed not to long ago either, i think back in january or febuary not sure, but these guys where BEASTS, america is gunna miss em D':

[robstones1968]

I just found out yesterday that 'Shifty' had died over two years ago. I tip my hat to all these war veterans. I became an admirer of Shifty's when I saw a documentary made with the guys from Easy Company. Shifty came across as a very likeable guy. I wish I had known him. You were a great hero. RIP

[awpwner]

@RoadCaptainEntertain I agree

[Macysdad2]

my heros. get a chill every time i think of these guys and what they did. Chidren, THESE are super heros, not some overprice, druged, arrogant basket ball star.

God bless our troops past and present.