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Pictured left to right, Dennis Chapin, Daryl “Shifty” Powers, Jimmy Radel Jr, Jim Radel, John Gilligbauer, and Richard Radel.
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It is 11 March 2006, 11:35pm somewhere on Interstate 81 just
south of the Pennsylvania border. It is raining and everyone in the vehicle is
asleep, except for me of course. I have been up for the past 40 hours, with the
exception of a one-hour nap at the gas station waiting for the Burger King next
door to open, yet I am feeling pretty good and a sense of accomplishment has
settled over me. Even the fact that I need to be back at work in less than 14
hours does not bother me. What would make a group of grown men and a small boy
get in a van and drive 11 ½ hours each way without a break? It is the once in a
life time chance to spend a few moments with an elderly man who also happens to
be an American hero.
Let me explain, my name is Jim Radel and I am a
WWII re-enactor. I participate in several big re-enactment events on the east
coast, and go to local middle and elementary schools to give hands on living
history programs about the life and equipment of the WWII soldier. I am also an
avid service rifle shooter and competitor, which led me to combine my favorite
hobbies and enter the John C Garand and Springfield Rifle Matches at Camp Perry,
Ohio sporting my WWII military gear.
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James Radel dressed in 101st Airborne Easy Company 506th Paratrooper Uniform. He personally received
his WWII jumpwings from Major Dick Winters of Easy
Company.
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Since 2002, I have attended the Matches portraying a WWII
paratrooper. After the 2002 Matches, I returned home and as soon as put my gear
away I got a call from a friend who was an actual WWII paratrooper with the
101st airborne 506th E Company. The guys of the famed E Company were brought to
the public’s attention recently by the mini-series Band of
Brothers, written by Stephen Ambrose. The re-enacting group I belong to
had worked with the 506th before, so I knew several of these heroes. My friend
called to ask my re-enactment group to provide our biggest honor yet, a memorial
jump in the Currahee Veterans Memorial Jump at Chambersburg, PA. We were also
invited to the E Company’s 58th reunion and a flag presentation for Maj Richard
Winters. At the reunion we provided an honor guard dressed in WWII uniforms
complete with weapons and equipment. While attending the event, we got to talk
to all the attending vets quite freely. Being a shooter as well as a re-enactor
most of my conversations turned to weapons and different tactics. While at the
reception we were dressed in full combat gear. Along with my gear, I had my CMP
rifle with me and was doing my usual impression. That was when a soft-spoken
gentleman approached and asked if he could see my rifle. When I turned around
much to my surprise there stood Daryl “Shifty” Powers. Shifty was considered by
the men of 506th to be the best shot with an M1 rifle in the entire E Company. I
handed the rifle over to him, and watched this surprisingly quiet man from
Virginia. If you didn’t know his past you would never guess this man jumped from
airplanes to strike fear into the enemy in WWII. As Shifty handled my M1 he
related some stories about his personal M1 rifle from the war. He remarked at
how nice his rifle was and at the condition it was in. What he said next
completely caught me off guard; he asked if he could buy my rifle! I told him as
politely as I could that this rifle was not for sale. Though he asked again and
stated that he had wanted one ever since he turned his in at the end of the war.
I asked him if he could remember the serial number of his rifle, I thought he
might since soldiers were required to memorize the serial number of their weapon
and failure to do so often resulted in push-ups. He never batted an eye and gave
me the last three digits. He then told me he had only bothered to memorize the
last three digits because the chances of someone else having the same last
digits were really slim. As soon as he told me the number I had an idea.
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CMP M1 Garand Rifle in a custom stock provided by Boyd’s Stocks. This rifle was presented to WWII veteran Daryl “Shifty” Powers, who was a member of the famed 101st airborne 506th E Company. The rifle has the same last three digits in the serial number as the one Powers carried in the service.
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I told Shifty I thought I knew where I could locate a rifle as
nice as mine for a reasonable price, so he agreed to let me find him one and not
purchase anything until I contacted him. When I returned home I approached my
local CMP club and laid out my plan. I wanted to present a CMP rifle to Shifty
Powers as a gift from the Northumberland Point Township Sportsman’s Association.
That’s when Denny Chapin, our club president, contacted CMP Chief Operating
Officer, Orest Michaels, at CMP South and told him Shifty’s story. We hoped to
find a rifle with the same last three digits as Shifty’s wartime rifle, and
asked for CMP’s help. Orest thought for a moment and then asked how soon we
needed the rifle. We told him we could wait for the right serial number, and
that’s when he agreed to help us. I then contacted Boyd’s Stocks to see if they
could supply a walnut stock set for this project. The people at Boyd’s were
great! They thought that this was a very worthwhile project and were happy to be
a part of it. I let them know what I had in mind for the stock and they set to
work. Three weeks later a package arrived at my home with a beautiful carved and
finished M-1 stock set. It had the 101st airborne patch, tab paratroop wings and
506th Currahee crest. It was just gorgeous, but I still did not have a rifle to
put in it.
Months passed then Denny got a call from CMP, “we have your
rifle.” He called me and we got the funds shipped out right away. The rifle
arrived and I set to work cleaning and installing the new wood.
Shifty
had only one requirement for his rifle, it MUST shoot as well as his old one
did. A close inspection of the rifle revealed it was an original barrel receiver
combination with a 42 dated barrel. After checking and gauging the bore and
muzzle, I took the rifle out to the range. I started with 5 clips of M-2 ball
and set out to zero the rifle. After 5 shots I had it in the black on an SR1
target, so the second clip was for group. It held the nine and ten rings at 100
yards so I felt it would be just right. Now it was time to call Shifty and tell
him I found a rifle for him.
I called Shifty and asked him if he
remembered the conversation we had at the reunion. He did, and he asked if I had
found him a rifle. I let him know we did, though I did not tell him about the
serial number because that was to be the big surprise. He asked if it shot ok,
and I assured him that he would be pleased with it. Then he wanted to know how
much it cost and I told him it would be a gift for the sacrifice he made for his
country. Shifty did not want to accept something so valuable, though I told him
he had little choice since the deal was done. I wanted to find a good time to
present it to him and in talking with him on the phone I found out his birthday
was in mid March; I knew that would make an unforgettable birthday present. I
discussed it with Denny and we set the date.
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Shifty Powers (center) firing his newly refinished M1 Garand at his home in Virginia with Jim Radel (left) and Dennis Chapin (right). Powers was considered the best shot in his unit during WWII.
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The Friday before Shifty’s birthday I set out with my dad,
Richard Radel, my son, James Radel Jr., Dennis Chapin, the club president, and
my friend, John Gilligbauer, an NRA Instructor. We left right after work for the
11 ½ hour drive to Shifty’s home in the mountains of Virginia. Shifty greeted us
with a warm smile when we arrived at his house around 8:30 a.m. We handed Shifty
the plain brown box that CMP ships all its rifles in, the simple box did not to
give a clue about the gem that was held inside. As he opened the box and pulled
out the beautifully re-finished rifle Shifty gave a small gasp. “This was too
much, I can’t believe how nice it looks!” he said. He looked at the stock; saw
the carved jump wings, 101st screaming eagle and Currahee crest. He ran his
fingers over the carvings and along the full length of the stock. I asked him to
look at the serial number. Shifty just stared for a moment and then he started
to shake his head. He simply could not believe we were able to track down his
old serial number. Was it Shifty’s wartime rifle? We do not really know, but I
would like to think that in the big scheme of things this was just one of those
small things that worked out for the best.
After the presentation, we
took Shifty’s rifle outside and with some ammo we just happened to have in our
van, we put some rounds downrange. I had the opportunity to shoot with one of
the best rifleman of WWII, and as an added bonus Shifty spent time that day
helping my young son with his shooting. It was a moment I will always treasure.
After a much too short visit we had to leave and begin our long journey home. As
we gathered our things to leave, Shifty was still shocked that a bunch of
Yankees from Pennsylvania would go so far out of their way for a southerner like
him. But for us, Shifty Powers is so much more. We said our goodbyes and started
the long trek home, which brings me back to the beginning of my story. It’s
dark, raining and I’m exhausted though right now I feel great! |
