'Shifty'

Amanda just told me she saw a tweet about the passing of Darrell 'Shifty' Powers. Here's a story on it
from a paper near where he lived.
Shifty was one of the men of Easy Co., 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, depicted in the 2001 HBO project "Band of Brothers."
From what I remember from the series, Shifty grew up in Virginia with a keen ability to see things others couldn't. In the series, he was shown as having spotted trees which hadn't been there the day before, indicating some kind of activity on the part of the German army.
Though he might have been plain spoken and seemingly simple, he was an amazing example of courage and diligence.
The more men from World War II pass, the more I miss my Dad. We've losing national treasures as they die, and projects like "Band of Brothers" help preserve the history they lived for the rest of us and those who will follow us.
Here are a few videos I found about him.
Shifty video 1
Shifty video 2
Shifty video 3 (clip from foreign language version of the series showing Shifty in action - warning; it may be a graphic scene for some.)

Thank you, Shifty.

Space: Above and Beyond

Amanda has a knack at finding out what I like and doing something about it, something I need to get better at myself.
She bought me the DVD set for the television series, "Space: Above and Beyond." I loved it and was slightly jealous of it because it's close in general theory to many daydreams I've had over the years about an ideal futuristic story, especially as it pertains to the combat aspect. Nahh, I don't think they stole it from me. :)
The series, from the brains behind "The X Files," revolves around a squadron of Marine space aviators who are thrust into the front lines of a war which resulted from a hostile attack on Earth colonies out in space.
For the most part, it came on at 7 p.m. Eastern time Sunday in the U.S. in the 1995-96 TV season on the Fox network. Apparently, the network never explained why they canceled it but word was at the time it cost them $1 million an episode, probably a lot at the time but certainly paled by the reported $1 million per episode per main actor the cast of "Friends" was getting when that series ended.
Over the past two weeks, Amanda and I watched the entire "Space" series, and finished it last night.
The final episode leaves one feeling deprived, left hanging and helpless. I'm perplexed as to why they chose to abandon the series completely.
The show "Firefly" was recently revived with a film called "Serenity." Amanda and I have started enjoying this show and are glad someone had the sense to bring it back to life.
"Space" is probably too far gone to be brought back to life, but it lives on in the DVD collection and in my opinion was one of the best shows ever on television.
Fortunately, some of the main actors in the show have enjoyed some moderate success since. (I found the information on these folks at imdb.com.)
Joel de la Fuente ("Wang") is a regular guest on "Law and Order: SVU" as a lab tech.
James Morrison ("Lt. Col. McQueen") has a regular guest spot on "24" as "Bill Buchanan."
Kristen Cloke was in the movie "Final Destination" as "Valerie Lewton."
Lanei Chapman is probably best known post-show for her performance as Whoopi Goldberg's estranged daughter in "Rat Race."
Morgan Weisser ("West"), Rodney Rowland ("Hawkes") and Tucker Smallwood ("Commodore Ross") have made various appearances in TV and film since the show.
It wouldn't hurt my feelings if one day somebody thought about picking up where the show left off, although that would be difficult with the original cast now nearly 10 years older.
For now, "Semper Fi."

I stand corrected

It looks as though the early reports of the demise of the D-Day Museum in New Orleans were greatly exaggerated.

I'm glad and I hope they can move forward from this. I still can't get my mind around why Ambrose is gone. I hope someone can step into his place and serve as well in providing other generations a sense of the men and women who kept this country secure before, during and after World War II.

(Potential) Clarity

If the reports are true that looters cleaned out the D-Day Museum in New Orleans, then I have a greater understanding why the late, fantastic World War II historian Stephen Ambrose passed away in what was arguably still his prime.
Not only did something he helped create get destroyed (again if this is true), he also made one of his homes in Bay St. Louis, Miss. More than likely, the house he lived in is also gone.
It's speculation at this point, but sometimes it helps to make sense of things, and that was one death I couldn't quite grasp at the time.
Quite possibly, the Lord spared him what was to come within the past few days.
It's at least a comforting thought.
More rants on Katrina as time and energy permit.
I'm out of both as of now.