Band of Brother 101st Airborne 506
Born: 13th March 1923, Clinchco, Virginia, United States...
Died: 17th June 2009, Wellmont Bristol Regional
Medical Center
Place of burial: Temple Hill Memorial Park,
Castlewood, Virginia, United States
Award: Bronze Star Medal
Powers was born in Clinohoo, Virginia. His father was
an excellent rifle and pistol shot, and taught him how
to shoot when he was young. Shifty spent a great
deal of time in the outdoors, hunting game. He got to
the point where he could throw a coin in the air and
hit it with a rifle. Many of the skills he obtained helped
him as a soldier.
Powers graduated from high school and took
a machinist course in a vocational school in Norfolk
There he befriended Robert 'Popeye' Wynn, and the
two went to work in the shipyards in Portsmouth,
Virginia after finishing the course. When they found
out that they were about to be frozen to the jobs,
clarification needed] they went to sign up for the
Army. Powers enlisted on 14th August 1942,
at Richmond, Virginia.
Powers‘ nickname "Shifty" originated from his
basketball days and his ability to be 'shifty' on his
feet.
Staff Sergeant Darrell Cecil "Shifty" Powers (13th March
1923 — 17th June 2009) was a non-commissioned
officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th
Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101 st Airborne
Division during World War ll. Powers was portrayed in
the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Peter
Young blood Hills.
Powers followed Easy Company to station
in Aldbourne, England. He was shocked to see that
the residents there were prepared to defend
themselves against the Germans with only garden
implements. He thought it would have been a
massacre if the Germans had indeed invaded
Aldbourne.
Powers jumped into Normandy on D-Day. Missing
his drop zone, he joined two others from the
company and the three linked up with Easy Company
several days later to fight in Carentan. Powers
participated in the Allied military operation Operation
Market Garden in the Netherlands.
Powers also fought in the Battle of the
Bulge in Belgium. On 29th December 1944, when Easy
Company was staying in the woods, Powers noticed
a tree that was not there just the day before and
reported it to First Sergeant Carwood
No comments:
Post a Comment