It was 9:30 Tuesday evening, September 23, 2009. I was blessed to be among nearly 1,400 patriots who gathered in our local airport in Columbus, Georgia, to welcome home some of our World War II Veterans. West Georgia Honor Flight chartered a commercial aircraft and flew 100 of our local WWII Veterans to our nation's capital to visit, among other things, the National World War II Memorial built in their honor.

I arrived expecting the crowd to be small. Sure there had been a great article in the local paper about the event and when these heroes would return home. But it was 9:30 on a Tuesday evening ... most people would just stay home. Wow! I was wrong! There were hundreds of people packed into the little airport, flags waiving, banners in the air, waiting patiently to welcome our heroes home! A high school band was playing, a local JROTC unit was in full uniform, and every news outlet in town had representation on the scene.

Pride welled up inside me as I stood shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers waiting for a chance to clap and say "welcome home!". There were no young folks, no old folks ... no black people or white people. There were no democrats, republicans, or independent parties. There were just Americans. Proud Americans!

Article from September 23, 2009 "1,400 Greet WWII Veterans at Columbus Metropolitan Airport" @ http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/story/848957.html

Additional Photos - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114796&id=85588441714&ref=mf#/album.php?aid=114796&id=85588441714

Darrell "Shifty" Powers (March 13, 1923–June 17, 2009) was a former U.S. Army NCO during World War II who served with the famed E Co/2/506 of the 101st Airborne Division (the Band of Brothers). Shifty was an original member of Easy Company, training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. Shifty's hometown was Clinchco, Virginia, in Dickenson County. (credit Wikipedia)

Darrell "Shifty" Powers, who died of cancer on June 17, 2009, served as a U.S. Army paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, "Easy Company" during World War II. Known by his fellow soldiers as both a quiet man and an excellent sharpshooter, Shifty Powers was among those who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day. By the time he was discharged from the Army in 1945, he had been awarded an Expert Rifleman Badge, a Combat Infantry Badge, a Presidential Unit Citation, and two Bronze Stars. And he was indeed one of the "Band of Brothers" portrayed in the Stephen Ambrose book and HBO miniseries of the same name. The word "hero" is consistently used to describe him. (credit David Emery Blog)

The following email, originally written by Mark Pfeifer and confirmed by Margo Johnson, the daughter of "Shifty" Powers, has taken on a life of it's own as it seeks to remember a true American Hero.

Fwd: Band of Brothers Hero

One of the "Band of Brothers" soldiers died on June 17, 2009.

We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services.

I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat.

Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.

Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.

I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day.

I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.

He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade. No big event in Staples Center. No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage. No weeping fans on television.

And that's not right.

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty.