70 Pleasant St. Cohasset, MA.02025 *781 383 0215 * Mail Call : Ben Barrett Ben517@aol.com

Hello

Website www.517prct.org
Mail Call 517th Mail Call
Mail Call Archives www.517prct.org/archives
Roster www.517prct.org/roster.pdf

Lory Curtis

Ben,

Just want to reiterate what President Frice said about the Portland reunion. It was Wonderful! My Dad, brother and I and very appreciative for the many hours the Davis and Frice Families put in to making this such a success. I for one had a great time meeting the troopers of the 517th and seeing my Dad visit with many of his past friends he has not seen in many years. It was wonderful especially for his time with Major Don Fraser. To tell the story again, during the Battle of the Bulge my Dad was riding in the back of Major Fraser's jeep being taken somewhere to do something (no one can remember now where they were going). Anyway my Dad's gloves were soaking wet and according to Major Fraser my Dad's fingers were frozen stiff (I didn't know that until Major Fraser told the story). Major Fraser took off his gloves and gave them to my Dad saying, "Take these gloves Curtis, I can get more you can't." My Dad has always expressed his gratitude for that act of kindness, which more than likely saved his hands from frostbite and perhaps his life (it is hard to pull a trigger when your fingers are frozen). It was wonderful after all of these years to see these two men meet and talk about old times. It was also wonderful to meet Major Fraser's two daughters, and granddaughter who also new of this story. We had a great time talking about our fathers.
Now while I was at the reunion I brought a book that I had written about my Dad's war experiences. It has over 150 letters he wrote home to his mother about what exactly happened on a specific day between 1943-45. Many of the attendees at the reunion wanted a copy of this unpublished book. Those who would still like a copy please email me at lcurtis@utah.gov.

Lud Gibbons asked me to put in a letter of what happened on a specific day. So yesterday Jun 26, 1943, sixty-three years ago my Dad wrote this to his family:

Letter to Mom and family from Bud Curtis
Regimental Headquarters Company
Camp Toccoa, Georgia
July 26, 1943

Dear Mom and Family,

Here It is Monday night and I guess It is about time I wrote to you all. I was in Atlanta this weekend; I tired to call you up but there was too much of a delay. We finally got our boots, boy do they look nice. They let us have them now so we can break them in. The troopers sure look nice when they’re all dressed up. They stand out among all the services when you see a crowd of servicemen on the street.
I sure am tired. I got in at 5:00 A.M. this morning and had to fallout at 6:00 A. M. Oh boy!
I use to be able to do that when I was a civilian, but it just about threw me today, especially on that darn run this evening.
We will be leaving here between the 4th and the 10th of August. I guess I will go to Atlanta this weekend. It will be the last time I will be able to go until I get to Fort Benning. Atlanta is really a nice place. It reminds me of San Francisco except there aren’t any hills. I never saw so many WAACS (Women’s Auxiliary Army, Corps Service), WAVES (Women Naval Service), WAMS (Women’s Auxiliary Marine Service), etc. etc (these acronyms referred to women in the different services). It is a regular service city.
I have been on a regular vacation since I have been in Regimental Headquarters. We don’t have so many inspections and we can get weekend passes and the other companies can’t. I am broke but it was worth it to be able to go someplace.
I won’t send you a picture until I have my wings; then I will have a full length picture taken.
As far as I know now when I get my 10 day furlough I won’t get any traveling time and they say the ones from the west coast had better forget about going home. There are a lot of fellows from California here, so I think they are going to have to make allowances for traveling time as a lot will just go any way. But don’t worry about that until the time comes.
How about having the Press transferred to this address I am at now (meaning the Press Telegram Newspaper).
Well I am going to bed now. I will write as often as I can. Tell everyone hello,
Love, Bud

Hoped you enjoyed reading what happened 63 years ago. Thanks again and I look forward to seeing everyone in Washington D.C. next year.

Lory Curtis, son of Bud Curtis, HQ, 1st BN

Diane Lynch

Ben,

My dad, Marvin Moles – I Company, has not been receiving any mail calls lately. He had had some trouble with his service sending it to 2 addresses but it is corrected now. His email address is mdmoles@mailstation.com. Thanks for your help.

Diane Lynch

Tom Mcavoy

We were in front of our barracks in Toccoa, and being rifle inspected by
an Officer, this was a fairly new drill for us. After showing us what we
could be expected to do in such a drill, The inspection began. I was in
the front row with an older Army man beside me (He having been through
this before knew what to expect from the officer,) We were at Present
Arms and the officer stepped in front of him and made the command for him
to give his rifle to the officer for inspection, We were instructed to
drop our rifle as soon as we heard the command, and the officer was
supposed to grab the rifle immediately, catching it before it dropped, but
the officer missed the rifle and striking it a glancing blow. the
rifle pitched to the side as it went down, striking the enlisted man in
the temple, and down he went out cold, Man O! Man, I could not
believe what had happened right next to me. the sight of the rifle had
hit the enlisted man. in his head. Tom McAvoy

Jessica Egelhof

thank you very much for replying. he will always be my hero , and all soldiers are heroes. i just want to get to know him kind of. so thank you very much for replying as well as relaying my request. again, thanks and have a lovely day.

sincerely,

jessica egelhof

David Rose

Hello Ben,

I ran across this web-sight comparing war reporting during WW2 and today. It seems so true.

Thanks for all the mail-call e-mails.

David Rose, Bloomsdale, Mo.

Son-in-Law of Herbert Downs, H Company

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1537960/posts

David Foster

Ben,

His name is Ludwig (Lucky) Hiers. I think he made it to Sergeant while he was with the 517th. He was an artilleryman (105mm pack howitzers I believe) but ended up as a Driver/RTO in the Headquarters Company.

I know he is looking to attend one or more of the reunions and is disappointed he missed the most recent.

I will e-mail him your address so he and my mother may contact you direct.

V/r, Major David Foster US Army is seeking information about his stepfather , Ludwig Hiers- Ben

Heather Riley

  WOW...is this laying it on the line or what?

  The lady who wrote this letter is Pam Foster of Pamela Foster and
Associates in Atlanta. She's been in business since 1980 doing interior design and home planning. She recently wrote a letter to a family member serving in Iraq....... Read it!

"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11,2001?

  Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally >murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania?

  Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible,
burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

  And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet? Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

  I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

  I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia.

I'll care when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tells the world he is sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.
  I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured that I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank that I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is
complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can
absolutely believe in your heart of hearts that I don't care

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other time s "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and ---- you guessed it I don't care ! ! ! ! !