Darrell Powers: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox military person |
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| name = Darrell C. Powers |
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| image = Shifty2.jpg |
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| caption = |
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| rank = [[File:Army-USA-OR-06.svg|25px]] [[Staff Sergeant#United States|Staff Sergeant]] |
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| unit = [[E Company, 506th Infantry Regiment (United States)|E Company]], 2nd [[Battalion]], [[506th Infantry Regiment|506th Parachute Infantry Regiment]], [[101st Airborne Division]] |
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| nickname = Shifty |
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1923|03|13|mf=yes}} |
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| death_date = {{death date and age|2009|06|17|1923|03|13|mf=yes}} |
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| birth_place = [[Clinchco, Virginia]] |
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| death_place = Clinchco, Virginia |
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| placeofburial= |
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| placeofburial_label=Place of burial |
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| allegiance = {{USA}} |
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| serviceyears = 1942–1945 |
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| awards = *[[Bronze Star]]<br>*[[Good Conduct Medal (United States)#Army Good Conduct Medal|Good Conduct Medal]]<br>*[[American Campaign Medal]]<br>*[[European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]], and others<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frankdeangelis.com/Staff%20Sergeant%20Darrell%20Powers.htm|title=Power's shadowbox|accessdate=2009-10-09|last=DeAngelis|first=Frank}}</ref> |
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| relations = -Margo Johnson (daughter)<br>-Sandy Powers (daughter-in-law) |
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| laterwork = Machinist |
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}} |
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Staff Sergeant '''Darrell C. "Shifty" Powers''' (March 13, 1923 – June 17, 2009)<ref>[http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi?ssn=224-20-2586 Social Security Death Index record]</ref> was a [[non-commissioned officer]] with [[E Company, 506th Infantry Regiment (United States)|Easy Company]], 2nd [[Battalion]], [[506th Infantry Regiment|506th Parachute Infantry Regiment]], in the [[101st Airborne Division]] during [[World War II]]. Powers was portrayed in the [[HBO]] miniseries ''[[Band of Brothers (TV miniseries)|Band of Brothers]]'' by [[Peter Youngblood Hills]]. |
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The 2011 book ''Shifty's War'' by journalist Marcus Brotherton, published by [[Penguin Books|Penguin]]/[[Berkley Books|Berkley]]-Caliber, captures Sgt. Powers' full life story.<ref>[http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780425240977,00.html?strSrchSql=shifty%27s+war/Shifty'#39;s_War_Marcus_Brotherton Shifty's War - Books by Marcus Brotherton - Penguin Group (USA)]</ref> Powers was one of the twenty contributors to the 2009 book ''[[We Who Are Alive and Remain|We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers]]''. |
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==Youth== |
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Powers was born in [[Clinchco, Virginia|Clinchco]], [[Dickenson County, Virginia]]. His father was an excellent rifle and pistol shot, and taught him how to shoot when he was young.<ref>Location 269, Brotherton</ref> Shifty spent a great deal of time in the outdoors hunting game prior to joining the service.<ref name="Ambrose 5">Brotherton, p.5.</ref> This experience proved useful later as many of the skills he obtained helped him as a soldier. He learned most of his shooting during this period of time, and he got to the point where he could throw a coin in the air and hit it with a rifle.<ref>Location 269, Brotherton</ref> |
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Powers graduated from high school and took a machinist course in a vocational school in Norfolk. There he befriended [[Robert Wynn (soldier)|Robert 'Popeye' Wynn]], and the two went to work in the shipyards in Portsmouth after finishing the course. <ref>Location 758, Brotherton</ref> When they found out that they were about to be frozen to the jobs, they went to sign up for the army. Powers enlisted on August 14, 1942, at [[Richmond, Virginia]].<ref name="NARA">[http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&tf=F&q=Darrell+powers&bc=&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=720844 WWII Army Enlistment Records: on-line NARA Archival Database]</ref> |
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Powers's nickname 'Shifty' originated from his basketball days and his ability to be 'shifty' on his feet.<ref>Location 3559, Brotherton (2011)</ref> |
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==Military service== |
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Powers and Wynn both volunteered for the paratroopers, and became members of Easy Company. They received training in Camp Toccoa, Georgia under Captain [[Herbert Sobel]]. In Camp Toccoa, Powers was one of the two members in Easy Company that were made expert riflemen (the other one was [[Amos J. Taylor|Buck Taylor]]), and received a three-day pass. Powers wanted to go home, but did not have enough money. Wynn took a helmet with him and walked through the barracks. He said, 'Shifty's got three days off and doesn't have enough money to get home. Everybody chip in a bit. Here - I'm going to start it with five dollars.' Everybody else threw in some money. Powers counted the money, and it was more than what he would need. Wynn grinned, 'Then give me my damn five dollars back.'<ref>Location 1154, Brotherton</ref> |
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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.<ref>Location 1624, Brotherton</ref> |
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Powers jumped into Normandy on [[Normandy landings|D-Day]], missing his drop zone. He found [[Amos J. Taylor|Buck Taylor]] and later [[William Kiehn|Bill Kiehn]] 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]]. |
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Powers also fought in the [[Battle of the Bulge]] in [[Belgium]]. On December 29, 1944, when Easy Company was staying in the wood, Powers noticed a tree that was not there just the day before and reported it the First Sergeant [[Carwood Lipton]]. The "tree" was ultimately discovered to be part of the camouflage the Germans put up for their antiaircraft battery. Lipton got approval for full battery fire to attack the area despite the short supply of artillery ammunition and the area was deserted within an hour. Many lives were probably saved with the destruction of the German antiaircraft battery. Lipton commented, 'It all happened, because Shifty saw a tree almost a mile away that hadn't been there the day before.' It was one of Powers most truly remarkable achievements and a testament to the extraordinary gifts his backwoods upbringing brought to Easy Company.<ref>Chapter 11, Ambrose</ref> |
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On January 13, 1945, when Easy Company was attacking Foy, several of the men were pinned down by a sniper. For some time, no one could locate. Suddenly, Powers yelled, 'I see 'im.' and fired his rifle. The sniper was silenced and the men were no longer pinned down. Later when [[Carwood Lipton]] and Wynn found the body of the sniper, they were shocked to see the bullet hole centered in the middle of his forehead. Wynn commented, 'You know, it just doesn't pay to be shootin' at Shifty when he's got a rifle.'<ref>Location 3647, Brotherton (2011)</ref><ref name="Ambrose 211-212">Ambrose, pp.211-212.</ref> |
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Powers was one of the very few who was never wounded in combat. Partly because of that, Powers lacked the sufficient points to return home under the military point system, although he was there every day when Easy Company fought on the line.<ref>Location 2962, Brotherton</ref> Powers joined the lottery that was organized to allow one man from each company to return home early on a furlough.<ref name="Ambrose 282-287">Ambrose, p.282.</ref> He 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.<ref name="Ambrose 282-287"/> During the trip to the airfield, the vehicle that Shifty was in was involved in an accident and he was badly injured.<ref name="Ambrose 282-287"/> He spent many months recuperating in hospitals overseas while his comrades in arms arrived home long before he did.<ref name="Ambrose 282-287"/> |
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==Later years== |
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Honorably discharged from the Army in the postwar demobilization, Powers became a [[machinist]]. He was married to his wife Dorothy for 60 years at the time of his death. He moved to California, got a machinist job there and stayed there for 3 years with his family. He was laid off when the company he worked for lost a government contract, and he returned home. He worked as a machinist for the Clinchfield Coal Corporation for more than twenty years. |
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Powers in his later years was in declining health and was depressed. The Powers family noted the release of the ''Band of Brothers'' TV miniseries and the subsequent speaking engagements brought Powers out of the depression and speculated that the series bought Powers extra years of life.<ref>Location 3666, Brotherton (2011)</ref> |
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Powers is listed as one of 20 men from Easy Company who contributed to the 2009 book ''[[We Who Are Alive and Remain|We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers]]'', published by [[Penguin Books|Penguin]]/[[Berkley Books|Berkley]]-Caliber. |
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Powers died of lung cancer on June 17, 2009, in [[Dickenson County, Virginia]]. He is buried at [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=39433467 Temple Hill Memorial Park, Castlewood, Russell County, Virginia].<ref name="Powers news">{{cite web|url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/208832|title=Veteran a part of 'Band of Brothers'|publisher=Roanoke Times|date=2009-06-18|accessdate=2009-06-18|last=Harvey|first=Neil}}</ref> |
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==''Band of Brothers''== |
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In the first edition of the book Band of Brothers, Ambrose wrote that on December 23 Powers disobeyed a direct order from [[Lieutenant]] [[Edward Shames]] to go out on patrol because he was discouraged. Both Shames and Powers denied that had happened. Powers called it 'a slap in the face'. Upon request and verification, Ambrose deleted that story from the later edition of the book.<ref>p.220, Brotherton, 2011</ref> |
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Powers was a character in the HBO [[Band of Brothers (TV miniseries)|Band of Brothers]] TV miniseries. In the episode [[List of Band of Brothers episodes|the Last Patrol]], Powers was shown to be one of the soldiers participating in the patrol mission. In reality, Powers was not on that patrol. It was confirmed by [[Earl McClung]], one of Powers's best friend in Easy Company.<ref>Location 3656, Brotherton (2011)</ref> |
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==Medals and Decorations== |
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{| |
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|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Bronze Star ribbon.svg|width=60}} |
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|[[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]] with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster |
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|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Presidential_Unit_Citation_ribbon.svg|width=60}} |
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|[[Presidential Unit Citation (US)|Presidential Unit Citation]] with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster |
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|[[File:Army Good Conduct ribbon.svg|60px]] |
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|[[Good Conduct Medal (United States)|Good Conduct Medal]] |
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|[[File:American Defense Service ribbon.svg|60px]] |
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|[[American Defense Service Medal]] |
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|[[File:American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|60px]] |
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|[[American Campaign Medal]] |
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|{{Ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|other_device=arrowhead|ribbon=European-African-Middle_Eastern_Campaign_ribbon.svg|width=60}} |
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|[[European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]] with 3 service stars and arrow device |
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|[[File:World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|60px]] |
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|[[World War II Victory Medal]] |
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|[[File:Army of Occupation ribbon.svg|60px]] |
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|[[Army of Occupation Medal]] |
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|[[File:Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with palm (France) - ribbon bar.png|60px]] |
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|[[Croix de guerre]] with palm |
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|[[File:French Liberation Medal ribbon.png|60px]] |
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|[[French Liberation Medal]] |
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|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=BEL Commemorative Medal of the War 1940-1945.png|width=60}} |
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|[[Commemorative Medal of the War 1940-1945|Belgian World War II Service Medal]] |
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|[[File:Combat Infantry Badge.svg|60px]] |
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|[[Combat Infantryman Badge]] |
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|[[File:Cp2j.jpg|60px]] |
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|[[Parachutist Badge (United States)|Parachutist Badge]] with 2 combat jump stars |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{Portal|Biography|United States Army|World War II}} |
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==Bibliography== |
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* {{cite book| last = Ambrose| first = Stephen E.| title = Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest| year = 1992| publisher = Simon & Schuster| isbn = 978-0-7434-6411-6 }} |
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* {{cite book| last = Brotherton| first = Marcus| title = We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from The Band of Brothers| year = 2009| publisher = Berkley Caliber| isbn = 0-7434-6411-7 }} |
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* {{cite book| last = Brotherton| first = Marcus| title = Shifty's War: The Authorized Biography of Sergeant Darrell 'Shifty' Powers, the Legendary Sharpshooter from the Band of Brothers| url = http://books.google.com/?id=Gf3jjwEACAAJ| year = 2011| publisher = Berkley Caliber| isbn = 978-0-425-24097-7 }} |
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==External links== |
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* [http://www.valorstudios.com/BandOfBrothersTour.htm Photos of Shifty Powers as he returns to Bastogne & Germany for the first time since World War II] |
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* [http://www2.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/band_of_brothers_hero_darrell_swifty_powers_dies/25556/ TriCities report on death] |
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* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=39433467 Find A Grave] |
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{{Band of Brothers (miniseries)}} |
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{{Authority control|VIAF=160077646}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Darrell}} |
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[[Category:1923 births]] |
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[[Category:2009 deaths]] |
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[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]] |
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[[Category:Band of Brothers characters]] |
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[[Category:Deaths from cancer]] |
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[[Category:Operation Overlord people]] |
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[[Category:People from Dickenson County, Virginia]] |
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[[Category:Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal]] |
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[[Category:United States Army soldiers]] |
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Revision as of 16:02, 30 May 2014
he is vary bgay