His name is Darrell "Shifty" Powers and he passed away June 17,2009 at the age of 86,after fighting cancer.He was born in Clinchco,Virgina on March 13,1923.Shifty volunteered for the Army paratroopers with his good friend Popeye Wynn in 1941.He did his airborne training at Camp Toccoa,Georgia.He served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment,part of the 101st Airborne Infantry,better known as the "Screaming Eagles".If you have seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel,you know about Shifty.His character appears in all 10 episodes,and in some of the movies Shifty himself is interviewed.After his training at Camp Toccoa and his 5 training jumps he then jumped into Normandy on D-Day.Now,anybody who has had Airborne training in the Army knows that the 6th jump is your "Cherry Jump".Shifty also made a second jump into Arnhem,Holland.Shifty fought in every major battle that Easy Company was involved in,including Carentan.

Shifty Powers was Honorably discharged from the Army in 1945.He moved back to Clinchco,Virgina where he became a Machinist for the Clinchfield Coal Corporation.He is one of the 20 men from Easy Company who contributed to the 2009 book;"We Who Are Alive And Remain:Untold Stories From The Band Of Brothers." If my memory serves me correctly the movie series Band Of Brothers won an Academy Award in 2001 for best Documentary.

In closing the reason I wrote this short Tribute to Shifty Powers is because there was nothing  on the news or in the paper about his passing.I believe this country owes Shifty and his peers a debt of gratitude for what they endured. Anyway ,Shifty he-res to you," may your chute always deploy and your  PLF be a good one".