"Shifty of the 101st" - An E-mail Shared by Lynn Beckman

From "The Love Shack" at Tybee Island, Ga. --- 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 24/7 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 e-mail to everyone you know, especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty.

"A nation without heroes is nothing."
Roberto Clemente

Obama Beach?

From Tranquilla II on the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley --- Is the entire world so enamoured with the POTUS they get tongue-tied? PM Brown you owe every single veteran an apology immediately. My WWII veteran friends knowing he won't I will tell you I am embarrassed for our British friends and allies and I know they would all issue their personal apology given the opportunity.

Ben Stein's Last Column - The Real Heroes

Ben Stein's final column --

From Tranquilla II on the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley --- I have always liked this fellow Ben Stein. For some reason he just strikes me as the kind of guy you would like to sit and have a drink and some good conversation with maybe over a hunk of grilled steak. So, when my friend Dave Sturges sent me Mr. Stein's "Last Column" and I read it I was compelled to share it with all my readers as well.

I concur Mr. Stein that the real heroes, especially in today's society and world, are not the Hollywood or Eastern Seaboard elite. In fact one of my real heroes is Lt. Col. Ty Edwards, a fine Marine, who like many is now recovering from wounds he suffered while on duty to protect the world in the "War on Terror." Oops, I forgot, that's no longer the politically correct term but alas before I regress into some inane commentary on my part let me share with you Ben Stein's last column ... Dr. D.

For many years Ben Stein has written a biweekly column called 'Monday Night At Morton's.' (Morton's is a famous chain of Steakhouses known to be frequented by movie stars and famous people from around the globe.) Now, Ben is terminating the column to move on to other things in his life. Reading his final column is worth a few minutes of your time.

How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?

As I begin to write this, I 'slug' it, as we writers say, which means I put a heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is 'eonline FINAL,' and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doing this column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I loved writing this column so much for so long I came to believe it would never end.

It worked well for a long time, but gradually, my changing as a person and the world's change have overtaken it.. On a small scale, Morton's, while better than ever, no longer attracts as many stars as it used to. It still brings in the rich people in droves and definitely some stars. I saw Samuel L. Jackson there a few days ago, and we had a nice visit, and right before that, I saw and had a splendid talk with Warren Beatty in an elevator, in which we agreed that Splendor in the Grass was a super movie. But Morton's is not the star galaxy it once was, though it probably will be again.

Beyond that, a bigger change has happened..? I no longer think Hollywood stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to.

How can a man or woman who makes an eight-figure wage and lives in insane luxury really be a star in today's world, if by a 'star' we mean someone bright and powerful and attractive as a role model? Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails..

They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq. He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world.

A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to a road north of Baghdad. He approached it, and the bomb went off and killed him..

A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordnance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad.

The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavish weddings on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after two of their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and stripped for the sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists.

We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of our magazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military pay but stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in submarines and near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die.

I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that who is eating at Morton's is a big subject.

There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament...the policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if they will return alive; the orderlies and paramedics who bring in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery; the teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children; the kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards.

Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse. Now you have my idea of a real hero.

I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters This is my highest and best use as a human. I can put it another way. Years ago, I realized I could never be as great an actor as Olivier or as good a comic as Steve Martin or Martin Mull or Fred Willard--or as good an economist as Samuelson or Friedman or as good a writer as Fitzgerald. Or even remotely close to any of them.

But, I could be a devoted father to my son, husband to my wife and, above all, a good son to the parents who had done so much for me. This came to be my main task in life. I did it moderately well with my son, pretty well with my wife and well indeed with my parents (with my sister's help). I cared for and paid attention to them in their declining years. I stayed with my father as he got sick, went into extremis and then into a coma and then entered immortality with my sister and me reading him the Psalms.

This was the only point at which my life touched the lives of the soldiers in Iraq or the firefighters in New York. I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human

Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will. - Ben Stein

Reflections on Sunday Before Memorial Day Monday

UPDATE: I was mistaken. The ceremony was Friday not Saturday and my friend Rachel Vickery was kind enough to send a photo to reassure me there was a crowd. My apologies for jumping to an inappropriate conclusion based on lack of sufficient data. Dr. D.

From Tranquilla II on the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley --- When one of my ole buddies contacted me today to wish me a good Memorial Day and to concede, “They forget us” I was saddened again by what I saw, or maybe what I didn’t see, yesterday in Oak Grove.

The “Traveling Wall”, a replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall came to Oak Grove just outside Fort Campbell, Ky this weekend. Yesterday at 10 a.m. there was to be a welcoming ceremony. I debated going but woke up early and convinced myself that I would. I have seen and visited the traveling version two other times to pay my respects to two of my brothers and I believe for some reason any chance I get I should again.

I got to the Wall 15-minutes ahead of schedule. There were six of us there not including spouses. Four WWII veterans and two of my age and I waited until 10:30 and no one showed up to do the ceremony nor did any other members of the public or any politicians.

Surely I must have been mistaken about the time the ceremony was to be held. I have never known a goldbrick politician that didn’t go out of their way to wrap themselves in the flag and praise the military especially when it was to their advantage or they were in campaign mode. Whatever mistake I made no one was there at 10 a.m. or even 10:30 a.m. Did they show up later? Probably so and I just had the time wrong. However, the empty feeling that my ole Balmer buddy had about “being forgotten” – well, I can understand how he and so many others might feel that way.

Finally though after walking through the traveling museum called the “Last Fire Base” I wrapped it up went to the Waffle House and had breakfast with a couple of old vets who were as disappointed as I was in the lack of interest. Then I went home and me and my dog curled up in the recliner and watched old sci-fi movies from the 50s and had a couple of cocktails and we got through another day.

Let it be known veterans many of us don’t forget you and appreciate all you gave and still give for our country it is just sometimes we don’t do a very good job of letting you know that and for that I am profoundly sorry.

Simper Fi to you all,

Dr. Darryl

Memorial Day - Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler - When Warriors Had Honor

(L-R) German Ace Franz Stigler, artist Ernie Boyett, and B-17 pilot Charlie Brown.

Look carefully at the B-17 and note how shot up it is - one engine dead, tail, horizontal stabilizer and nose shot up.. It was ready to fall out of the sky. (This is a painting done by an artist from the description of both pilots many years later.) Then realize that there is a German ME-109 fighter flying next to it. Now read the story below. I think you'll be surprised.....

From Tranquilla II on the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley --- Memorial Day is upon us again. A day when most people tend to forget what it is truly all about and why we set it aside as a Federal holiday other than to grill, drink beer and enjoy the day off. However, two men recently came to my attention thanks to my friend and colleague Chuck Howell from over in East Tennessee that helps to place the importance of Memorial Day into perspective.

I had never heard of them before. Well maybe the one man's name rang a bell --- Charlie Brown --- when I consider the late great Charles Schultz's work and his characters in his famous Peanuts comic strip.

Two men.

World War II.

One an American -- Charlie Brown -- flying a B-17 or what remained of it. You can see the artist rendering above.

The other a German - Franz Stigler, who is sent out by his commanding officer to shoot the Americans down. (Sounds eerily similar to Snoopy and the Red Baron doesn't it?)

What ultimately happened that day resulted in a reunion of these two great warriors before they both passed away in 2008. This type of honor must be strange and foreign to the current generations who have fought "asymmetrical" wars yet at one time there was honor among most of us who served.

We have to remember, as Chuck writes, "...this was back in the days when there was honor in being a warrior...they proudly wore uniforms, and they didn't hide in ambush inside a mosque, or behind women and children, nor did they use mentally retarded women as suicide bombers to target and kill innocent civilians...how times have changed......"

And what follows is the rest of the story ...

Charlie Brown was a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 379th Bomber Group at Kimbolton , England . His B-17 was called 'Ye Old Pub' and was in a terrible state, having been hit by flak and fighters. The compass was damaged and they were flying deeper over enemy territory instead of heading home to Kimbolton.

After flying the B-17 over an enemy airfield, a German pilot named Franz Stigler was ordered to take off and shoot down the B-17. When he got near the B-17, he could not believe his eyes. In his words, he 'had never seen a plane in such a bad state'. The tail and rear section was severely damaged, and the tail gunner wounded. The top gunner was all over the top of the fuselage. The nose was smashed and there were holes everywhere.

Despite having ammunition, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and looked at Charlie Brown, the pilot. Brown was scared and struggling to control his damaged and blood-stained plane.

Aware that they had no idea where they were going, Franz waved at Charlie to turn 180 degrees. Franz escorted and guided the stricken plane to, and slightly over, the North Sea towards England . He then saluted Charlie Brown and turned away, back to Europe . When Franz landed he told the CO that the plane had been shot down over the sea, and never told the truth to anybody. Charlie Brown and the remains of his crew told all at their briefing, but were ordered never to talk about it.

More than 40 years later, Charlie Brown wanted to find the Luftwaffe pilot who saved the crew. After years of research, Franz was found. He had never talked about the incident, not even at post-war reunions.

They met in the USA at a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with 25 people who are alive now - all because Franz never fired his guns that day.

When asked why he didn’t shoot them down, Stigler later said, “I didn’t have the heart to finish those brave men. I flew beside them for a long time. They were trying desperately to get home and I was going to let them do that. I could not have shot at them. It would have been the same as shooting at a man in a parachute.”

Both men died in 2008.

Franz Stigler

Charlie Brown

So, there you have it. This Memorial Day I would ask that each of you reading this take the time to simply reflect on the many men and women that have given their lives that we might live free in a country that is still envied by most of the rest of the world --- even if some in power these days don't see it that way.

And when our politicians this Memorial Day lay the wreaths on the graves of those who sacrificed it all so they could be politicians - and nothing much more - let's just remember that many of us still believe in the basic goodness of all our men and women in the military that stand up and fight daily for our freedoms.

For ever faithful my Brothers and Sisters. We stand by you.

Dr. Darryl

P.S. For those of you who need the references or question the validity of the story - go here:
http://www.snopes.com/military/charliebrown.asp

America is at the "Mall"

FROM THE BACK END OF LAKE BARKLEY ON EDDY CREEK --- It is COLD and ICY and miserable outside today and the boys and me are snuggling up in the office. I have just cancelled my afternoon appointments, Kay has gotten on the slippery road to Nashville to catch an early flight Tuesday to Florida on business and I am diligently working away to catch up having been on the road myself the past week.

And today my old friend and colleague from TVA days Chuck Howell has shared a most poignant and in my eyes truthful accounting of why Americans have the perception they do of the Iraqi War.

It follows for your educational enhancement...


'You Ain't Gonna Like Losing'
(Author unknown)

President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism.

But the mistake was not his decision to go to war in Iraq Bush's mistake came in his belief that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII.

It is not.

Back then, they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was steeled by the hardship of that depression, but they still believed fervently in this country. They knew that the people had elected their leaders, so it was the people's duty to back those leaders.

Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not or whether the war was going badly or not. And war was just as distasteful and the anguish just as great then as it is today.

Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in the entire Iraq war.

But that did not matter.

The people stuck with the President because it was their patriotic duty. Americans put aside their differences in WWII and worked together to win that war. Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort. Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help the effort.

Men who were too old or medically 4F lied about their age or condition trying their best to join the military. Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of everything from gasoline to soap, to butter was imposed, yet there was very little complaining.

You never heard prominent people on the radio belittling the President.

Interestingly enough in those days there were no fat cat actors and entertainers who ran off to visit and fawn over dictators of hostile countries and complain to them about our President.

Instead, they made upbeat films and entertained our troops to help the troops' morale. And a bunch even enlisted.

And imagine this: Teachers in schools actually started the day off with a Pledge of Allegiance, and with prayers for our country and our troops! Back then, no newspaper would have dared point out certain weak spots in our cities where bombs could be set off to cause the maximum damage.

No newspaper would have dared complain about what we were doing to catch spies. A newspaper would have been laughed out of existence if it had complained that German or Japanese soldiers were being 'tortured' by being forced to wear women's underwear, or subjected to interrogation by a woman, or being scared by a dog or did not have air conditioning.

There were a lot of things different back then.

We were not subjected to a constant bombardment of pornography, perversion and promiscuity in movies or on radio. We did not have legions of crack heads, dope pushers and armed gangs roaming our streets.

No, President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so dearly to preserve. It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorra and the land of Oz.

We did unite for a short while after 9/11, but our attitude changed when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices.

We are in great danger. The terrorists are fanatic Muslims. They believe that it is okay, even their duty, to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It has been estimated that about one third or over three hundred million Muslims are sympathetic to the terrorists cause... Hitler and Tojo combined did not have nearly that many potential recruits.

So... We either win it - or lose it - and you ain't gonna like losing.

America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall.

Dr. Darryl

L. Darryl Armstrong

http://www.armstrongandassociates.org/

The Character of a Man

Tybee Island, Ga. --- It is cold and blustery at the beach today. I couldn’t be any happier. Only the tried and true will remain here over the next few days and then we will be back amongst the natives and the true beach lovers.

Such weather tends to lead me to observe and think. That is one of the vagaries of being a behavioral psychologist.

Today, as we were having a visit and lunch with Jim and Ann Knipe, and their daughter and son-in-law Cheryl and Joe Brinson and their granddaughter 7-month old Chloe, she will turn 8-months old Monday the 26th I was reminded of something that my Grandfather Gunther always told me.

“You can always tell the true heart and character of a person by the way they treat children, dogs and their elders,” he would say.

And that came back to me this day.

You see Joe Brinson used to be a crane operator on the docks of Savannah and years ago became disabled. Now, this Kenny Rogers or Santa Claus “look alike” – depends on the time of the year I suppose when you look at him – would never strike you on first appearance as having the heart of a teddy bear.

You see Joe is just like me. He has never met a meal he didn’t like especially if it had fried shrimp, mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas and corn bread associated with it. He is one of those strapping Southern boys that frankly I would not want to contend with around the truck.

Now we might argue over whose Momma cooked the better corn bread mind you; and we might have some discussion around politicians and how we believe they are all as worthless as “teats on a boar hog” but I doubt that I would want to arm wrestle him.

I quite suspect that we both feel our Mommas were and are saints. And we both knew our Mommas liked Butterfinger miniatures candy bars and could most of the time do no wrong. That is just how us Southern boys are and we are proud of it.

However, it was watching Joe today interact with his granddaughter Chloe that made me wonder if the advice my grandfather gave me all those years ago was what led me to study behavioral psychology in the first place.

Because you see that advice when observed in people has always proven to be right on the money – you can indeed tell the true nature and character of a person’s heart by their interactions with children, dogs and their elders.

You see Chloe is a special grandchild. Oh, I know everybody has “special” grandchildren and surely if you could have had grand kids before you had your children you would have skipped right over to the grandbabies.

However, Chloe truly is special. She was born with a heart defect that will one day have to be repaired but right now it is being controlled with medications. And if there was ever a grandfather who focused time and attention to ensuring that a granddaughter had special attention, love, compassion and care Joe Brinson personifies it.

Before Chloe was born and while his Momma was in the nursing home in her final decline it was Joe Brinson that took it upon himself to get donuts and bring them to the residents and serve them coffee. It was Joe Brinson that to this day despite the fact that his Momma has passed takes time to go by that nursing home to visit.



You see my friends; Joe Brinson is just a good ole Southern boy with this magnificent heart of gold. Now, he would never show you that yet just as my grandfather always said, “watch how he is with children, dogs and his elders” and you will know his true character.

Until next time.

Dr. Darryl
L. Darryl Armstrong
www.ARMSTRONGandAssociates.org

A Special Place in Heaven - Honor Air Program for WW II Veterans

Eddie Mannis, owner of Prestige Cleaners in Knoxville is one special fellow and I am convinced there will be a special place in Heaven for him.

This past weekend Kay and I were honored to be “guardians,” who escorted WWII veterans on a US Air charter flight to Washington, D.C. to see the WWII memorial.

The event was arranged and sponsored by Mr. Mannis. We were invited to participate by our friend and business associate Dawn S. Ford, president of Consumer Awareness Management, and Mannis’s logistical coordinator.

I am here to tell you I have always known that these folks were of the “Greatest Generation” and this trip confirmed that beyond any doubt.

I had the honor of escorting Messieurs Ted Schropschier, Fred Kiser, Ernest Croley and Ed Ballard. Kay escorted Ms Kathryn Robinson and Wilson and Juanita Reynolds. All of the veterans were from the Oak Ridge and Knoxville area. A total of 164 people made the trip.

We started our trip by meeting our Oak Ridge veterans at one of my favorite places for breakfast – Waffle House at 5:30 a.m. Of course, this meant we were up and dressing by 4:30 a.m. and to say I was excited about this would have been an understatement. I simply didn’t sleep any the night before despite taking some meds. My excitement I believe came from having the opportunity to personally extend my appreciation as a patriot to fellow patriots.

I was not disappointed in their enthusiasm and excitement. These men and women may be advancing in age; however, I am here to tell you they wore us both out.

Our crew arrived right on time. We then went over to Knoxville and picked up Mr. Ballard and headed to McGee-Tyson Airport to meet Kay’s charges.

We loaded the plane and headed out right on time and when we arrived in D.C. I had my first emotional event – as did some of my men – we were greeted by the Washington symphony, a gang of well wishers all showing their appreciation to the veterans profusely with flowers, hugs and handshakes. More than one of us had a tear or two and a major lump in our throats. As we privately acknowledged to each other later, known of us had ever experienced such an outpouring of appreciation for jobs done long ago.

We motor coached to the World War II Memorial where we took photos with Senator Bob Dole, who told us that he was there most Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and anyone who wanted to have their photo with him was invited to do so. He could not have been more gracious and kinder. He would have made a good President but that is for another blog.

We then bussed over to the Vietnam Memorial – The Wall -- and the Korean Memorial. While most of my crew took off and went to the Korean Memorial – I later went myself – I had a long overdue package to deliver and leave at The Wall.

The Korean Memorial is haunting. If you have not seen it you must. It is a long overdue tribute just as the WWII Memorial was long overdue. Our next stop was the Marine Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery to see the changing of the guard a truly magnificent and solemn ceremony to witness. Our final stop was the Air Force Memorial, the newest memorial in the DC area.

Our veterans were once again treated to a jubilant group of men, women and children all cheering the vets, handing them flags and giving them hugs as they loaded back on the plane.

And yes, when we arrived in Knoxville they “walked the gauntlet” once again – greeted by families, friends and neighbors and some folks who just wanted to let them know they appreciated their service.

Tears, my friends, freely welled up in many of their eyes and mine, as they are now, as I write this.

Finally, I felt and realized after all these years these men and women, our mothers and fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers, aunts and uncles, our “God Parents” --- finally, they were being shown the appreciation that so many of us in this country have for their service.

Sadly, and yet with great gratitude, we said our goodbyes. We hugged and we knew. We all knew that in most cases this was the final hurrah.

As one of the brothers from the 101st said, “Tonight, for the first time since I came home I will go to bed knowing that we were truly appreciated and I will sleep well.”

Yes, my dear veterans you are truly cherished and appreciated.

Simper Fi dear ones and do sleep well.

Simper Fi.

Until next time.

Dr. Darryl
L. Darryl Armstrong
ARMSTRONG and Associates

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