Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: uptown on January 09, 2013, 12:27:54 AM
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Shifty died last year but this popped up on my FaceBook and thought it was pretty touching commentary by Gen. Yeager
And think of the media circus, and all the things that are said of Hollywood "celebretites" when they die. This hero died with barely anyone's notice.
No Comment required
"Shifty" By Chuck Yeager
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 is, 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 who 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 Jan. l7 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, on line, in our own quiet way.
Please repost to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.
Rest in peace, Shifty.
Chuck Yeager, Maj. General [ret.]
P.S. I think that it is amazing how the "media" chooses our "heroes" these days...
Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston & the like
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The story is true, except that Darrel "Shifty" Powers died on June 17, 2009 and that General Yeager is not the author. A a man named Mark Pfeifer wrote it.
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story is fake been posted here many times. Look it up in snopes.
midway
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story is fake been posted here many times. Look it up in snopes.
midway
The story isn't fake if you read the Snopes article. What didn't happen is Chuck Yeager or Roberto Clemente (also attributed as the author in some versions) didn't write the email but the encounter did take place and that email was written.
ack-ack
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:salute Shifty.
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Neat story, but I doubt the author was Chuck Yeager. Both men (Yeager/Powers) were the same age born in 1923. So one calling the other 'son' seems a bit out of context.
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The story isn't fake if you read the Snopes article. What didn't happen is Chuck Yeager or Roberto Clemente (also attributed as the author in some versions) didn't write the email but the encounter did take place and that email was written.
ack-ack
the story that chuck yeager met shifty powers is fake.
midway
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the story that chuck yeager met shifty powers is fake.
midway
The only thing that is incorrect is the email had been attributed to both Yeager and Clemente, that's the only thing that is false about the story. The encounter at Philly's airport did happen.
ack-ack
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The only thing that is incorrect is the email had been attributed to both Yeager and Clemente, that's the only thing that is false about the story. The encounter at Philly's airport did happen.
ack-ack
if I send an email telling people how back in 2009 I had dinner, drinks then we spent the night playing aces high,. would you correct it by saying well the story is true however it wasn't you it was uptown who was there. Or would you tell everyone that my story is a lie.
midway
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if I send an email telling people how back in 2009 I had dinner, drinks then we spent the night playing aces high,. would you correct it by saying well the story is true however it wasn't you it was uptown who was there. Or would you tell everyone that my story is a lie.
midway
Again, and I'll type this slowly so you can understand. The only part of the story that is false have been attributing the author of the email to Yeager and in some others Roberto Clemente. The encounter at the Philly airport and conversation did occur, as originally written by Mark Pfeifer, who was the gentleman that spoke with Shifty Powers at the airport. For some reasons, people with a certain agenda have changed the name of the author and resent out the email.
ack-ack
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Again, and I'll type this slowly so you can understand. The only part of the story that is false have been attributing the author of the email to Yeager and in some others Roberto Clemente. The encounter at the Philly airport and conversation did occur, as originally written by Mark Pfeifer, who was the gentleman that spoke with Shifty Powers at the airport. For some reasons, people with a certain agenda have changed the name of the author and resent out the email.
ack-ack
I can go even slower, heck I can translate it for you in 3 languages if it helps you understand that the story about chuck Yeager meeting shifty powers is false, they never met. the fact that shifty did meet Pfeifer is irrelevant as I am not talking about Pfeifer and shifty.
midway
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See, this is why we cant have nice things around here.
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Who the heck changes there forum names but still leaves the old name in there sig?
midway
people against the ethical treatment of midway.
midway