[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 118 (Friday, July 31, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2121-E2122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING DARRELL ``SHIFTY'' POWERS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RICK BOUCHER

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 30, 2009

  Mr. BOUCHER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a southwest 
Virginia resident whose service to this Nation will long be remembered. 
On June 17, 2009, Darrell ``Shifty'' Powers, a distinguished World War 
II veteran, passed away. I would like to take this occasion to 
recognize his many contributions through his military service to our 
great Nation. Mr. Powers, who was portrayed in the HBO documentary film 
``Band of Brothers,'' is a true American hero from southwest Virginia.
  A native of the Dickenson County, Town of Clinchco, Virginia, Mr. 
Powers volunteered for the United States Army during the early stages 
of the Second World War in 1942. He was quickly assigned to the newly 
formed 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment and began training at Camp 
Toccoa, Georgia. Each day, the new recruits would train by running 6 
miles up and down the Curahee Mountain. As a result of the steadfast 
dedication of Mr. Powers and the other members of what came to be known 
as Easy Company, the regiment was quickly transformed into one of the 
Army's toughest fighting units.
  In 1943, after completion of parachute school at Ft. Benning, 
Georgia, the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry was attached 
to the 101st Airborne Division and was transferred to England, where 
they would spend a year preparing to invade the European continent.
  At about 1 a.m. on June 6, 1944, Mr. Powers and the other members of 
Easy Company boarded a plane which transported them across the English 
Channel in order to parachute into Normandy behind German fortified 
positions. Shortly after landing, Mr. Powers and 2 fellow soldiers 
realized that they were a day's walk from their intended drop zone. The 
Airborne troops spent almost a week fighting German soldiers before 
they were sent back to England to prepare for an invasion of Holland.
  In September 1944, Mr. Powers' unit, along with Polish and English 
divisions, parachuted into Holland to secure a road for tanks and 
supply shipments to prepare for a push across

[[Page E2122]]

the Rhine River into Germany. During the attack, the English troops 
landed in a German tank division and were immediately killed. Mr. 
Powers and the rest of Easy Company spent the following 3 months 
fighting for control of the same road, laying low during the day and 
moving at night.
  After securing the road and moving out of Holland, Easy Company was 
then ordered to defend the town of Bastogne, Belgium, when they learned 
that German troops had counterattacked along the Adrennes forest. For 
nearly a week, the undermanned and under-supplied Easy Company fought 
off a much larger German force. Easy Company lost 16 men during that 
week of fighting at Bastogne, and 34 more during fighting at Normandy 
and Holland.
  A little more than a month after Hitler's forces were pushed back in 
mid-January, General Dwight Eisenhower met with Mr. Powers' unit in 
France and awarded them the Distinguished Unit Citation for holding 
Bastogne.
  Soon after, Mr. Powers earned enough combat points to step away from 
the front lines of battle and return home to southwest Virginia. Mr. 
Powers was on his way out of combat when the truck he was riding in 
collided head-on with another Army truck, killing one soldier and badly 
injuring Mr. Powers.
  After recovering from these injuries he returned home to work for 
Clinchfield Coal Company in Dickenson County, Virginia, for 33 years. 
Mr. Powers rarely spoke of the horrors of the combat he faced until 
producers came to him with the ``Band of Brothers'' HBO miniseries 
idea. After the success of ``Band of Brothers,'' Mr. Powers often would 
receive countless expressions of support and thanks for the role he and 
his combat unit played in World War II. Upon Mr. Power's passing his 
online obituary received comments from people across the Nation and 
several individuals from Europe paying tribute and expressing deep 
appreciation for the sacrifices he made to help free Europe during 
World War II. In his later years, Mr. Powers dedicated a great deal of 
time to speak to current soldiers stationed or returning from Iraq and 
Afghanistan about his experiences in war and life.
  The outstanding dedication and sacrifice that Mr. Darrell ``Shifty'' 
Powers displayed during his time with the United States Army will be 
remembered not only by countless citizens in my congressional district 
in southwest Virginia but also by citizens across this country and 
across Europe. The effects of his service to our country will be 
forever lasting. I want to honor the passing of a great Virginian and a 
great American.

                          ____________________