I would like to salute a Hero. A man called Darryl Powers died quietly on June 17th 2009 in Dickenson County, Virginia. He never had many medals. He never talked about his exploits till an enterprising writer decided to put to print his exploits and those of his brothers in arms.
Daryl Powers was none other than “Shifty” Powers from Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division.
Salute! Shifty Powers and all those brave men and women who wore and continue to wear the uniform of their country's armed forces.
What is unique about America's soldiers, especially Shifty's generation is that the large majority were civilians who just joined up for the duration of the war and promptly went back to civilian life after the war. These civilians faced the (at the time) the most professional and well trained army in the world and they kicked their butts all the way from the coast of France to the ruins of Berlin. All kinds of excuses have been made like “the Americans had overwhelming air power”, “The German army had to fight on two fronts”, etc. but they are just excuses.
In pitched battles, unit against unit, in places like Bastogne, Foy, etc. without air cover, American units went toe to toe with the best that the Wehrmacht and the SS could throw at them and won. American pilots went up against the best that the Luftwaffe could offer and beat them. By 1945, there wasn't a Navy afloat or any four Navies together that could best the American Navy.
So thanks for your sacrifices, Shifty. You an your brothers gave so much. You made it possible for so many people all over the world to emerge from under the yoke of tyranny. They may have forgotten but America has not. Rest in peace, brave soldier.
