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This picture was in my Dad's wallet
for over fifty years.
The picture has great value to me, I
remember as a little boy looking through my father's wallet at the
pictures and asking questions. When I came to that photo, my father told
me the people in the picture were, "Army buddies". After finding your
sight and wanting to post some of my father pictures, I asked my mom for
some pictures, as we were looking through them she said there were more
pictures in my father's wallet. When I open the wallet and saw this
picture, it blew me away. I could not believe he had it in his wallet all
those years, 55+. These people (person) must have been extremely important
to him. |
Fred Harmon Arthur "Doc" Graham
Don Saunders
Hi Ben
Well all things have to stop sometime and I knew it would. I will miss this
years reunion due to a conflict with a cruise from Amsterdam to La Harve, Fr. then
England, Then to Ireland and across the No. Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland and
Newfoundland and on to Boston. We will be on the ship for 18 days,
This will be the first reunion that I will miss since I found out about
them in 1979. Jan and I really feel bad about having to miss this one' but plan
on being to the next one. This trip has been planned for over a year ,so we
couldn't just forget about it. We will be away from July 17th and return home on
August 5th for 20 days total.
Please give everyone our regards at Oregon.
I sure hope the No. Atlantic isn't like it was coming home from in
Dec. 45.
Keep the news coming. Don Saunders 596 Eng Co.
Gene Brissey
Gene Brissey
Ben, thanks for the kind words about Edie and me. As you
probably know you and Bob Dalryample, among many others and other things, made
the reunion a special experience. Bill and others did a great job.
Now for
some miserable experiences. On the way home we came through Needles which turned
out to be miserable. I hit a piece of concrete block and blew a tire, as we
looked for a motel. This happened late Friday, which as luck would have it,
turned out to be more miserable luck because the tire shops could not provide a
tire. Big-O ordered one which could not be delivered until Monday. So, we spent
three nights in a motel before we could get on the road again.
Gene
Lory Curtis
Thanks for the email. My Dad and brother are very excited about
going
to Portland as well as I. Our airline tickets are already
purchased.
All we need to do now is send in our registration fee, which we
ought to
do soon. I look forward to finally getting to meet you
after all these
years. Good to hear from you.
Lory
John Krumm
Hello Ben,
I received the email you sent me about having visited with Edie and Gene
Brissey at the mini-reunion in Palm Springs. I am glad they
attended. I believe they have been a little down and out the past year or
two because of friends and relatives passing away. Attending the
mini-reunion probably perked them up a bit. They are very special
people. My wife, Irene, and I have been to Europe twice with
them. We toured the areas in southern France, Belgium and western Germany
where the 517th paid some very high costs for our freedom. Stories about
Gene were featured in both southern France and Belgium in the newspaper and on
television. These trips were incredible. It was wonderful to
experience the appreciation of many of the people from these places. A few
years before we went to Europe with them, Gene sent me a personal story about
his experiences with the 517th. He had written it for his daughters, and I
believe it is on the 517th website. I had the privilege of reading it, and
I still remember how engrossed I got into it. My father, John Krumm, was
in the Second Battalion, Company E, with Gene. Gene was the squad
leader. My father enjoyed attending three 517th national reunions, but he
did not talk about his war experiences. He did talk to me briefly
about some of these experiences on just one occasion. This occurred
one evening the night before I went on a back packing trip to Europe for
two months back in 1972. Anyway, it was most interesting to read
Gene's story and go to Europe with him and Edie, because I never really knew
much about the 517th and my father's role in that division until I got connected
with Gene.
We are planning on driving out to Albuquerque, New Mexico to visit Edie and
Gene sometime in the next year or so. That should be
another remarkable time. We have been wanting to pay them a visit for
quite some time, but we have had to wait until we sold our house in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. We now reside in Stockholm, Wisconsin. Stockholm is
located about 70 miles southeast of Minneapolis, and is a small village on an
expansion of the Mississippi River called Lake Pepin.
I want to express my utmost appreciation to you and your son for getting
the 517th mail call and website off the ground. I do not receive many
emails, but I always look forward to reading the 517th mail call. I
also periodically take advantage of viewing parts of the website. You have
made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many people due to your
efforts.
I am not certain when we will be able to attend another 517th
reunion. Hopefully, we can attend in the not too distant future. We
are hoping to purchase a small camper, and we can then use it to travel to one
of the reunions.
Take care, and thanks again for your remarkable contribution to so
many of us.
Bob Dalrymple
Dear Sophia and Bill, It was such a fine mini. You both did
yourselves PROUD ! You are so good to us . We can never thank you or repay you
enough . Your dedication to our enjoyment knows no bounds . You saw to
our comfort, food, beverages , and hospitality. I am eternally grateful for
your organizing ability, but most of all, your friendship. God Bless you .
In Airborne Brotherly Love (A/BBL) . Faithfully, Bob Dalrymple
Entry of Apr 18, 2006 at 04:11 [EST]
Name: PUSEDDU
Unit:
EMail: jackcpe@ibelgique.com How I
found the 517th page: From a search engine
Comments: Hello, One
of my friends has found the helmet of PVT John S. PENN in the Ardennes. I would
like to know if someone remembers him or has any info of him? (pictures...etc)
He had been killed in Manhay 1944 and was member of the I company. Where is he
buried? USA or Belgium? Thank you. PS: great site, continue!
**************
John S. Penn is buried in the United States. We have had
numerous inquiries about this helmet in the past. - Ben
Jesse Darden
Ben in a mail call Kathy reported on her dad Jesse
Davis. I had inquired of him in one of my letters to mail call but no reply. was
good to hear he is doing well as to the RV parking. I have been to reunions and
most of the hotels have places for parking if not RV parks should be close.
The wife and I will not make the Portland reunion but plan to be in Kissimmee in
Jan 2007. The last time I was with Jesse I think was in Nashville TN or
maybe FL. A hello to all 517th guys from Jesse Darden 460th HQ Btry.