From: Ben517@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 8:25 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: MAIL CALL NO. 1269 517TH PRCT- FEBRUARY 14, 2007
70  Pleasant St. Cohasset, MA.02025  *781 383 0215 * Mail Call : Ben Barrett  Ben517@aol.com
 
 Hello,  
 
Please let me know if you want to receive Mail Calls or if you have a problem receiving them. You can always read Mail Calls by clicking on www.517prct.org/archives
 
Washington Reunion June 28-July 2 . All rooms for early arrivals are taken.   Banquet Sunday July 1. Depart Monday  July 2
Ben
Website                                   www.517prct.org                                                        
Mail Call                                  Ben517@aol.com
Mail Call Archives                 www.517prct.org/archives
Roster                                     www.517prct.org/roster.pdf

Reunions 2007:
                            Palm Springs, CA Mini-Reunion             April 15 - 20

                            Washington, DC National Reunion   June 27 - July 2

Click on these Links for Forms and Information

 Click on http://517prct.org/auxiliary/ to find the mission of the Auxiliary and an enrollment form
Claire Giblin
 

Hi, Ben -

We are getting so excited about the upcoming reunion!  It is great to hear about various troopers and their families planning to join us in our nation's capital!

Rooms are going!  Please reserve your rooms now.  Those of you who have differing abilities should be sure to request one of the 22 or so handicapped-accessible suites.  If a wheelchair roll-in shower is a must, please reserve now!  There are only 3 rooms, I believe, with roll-in showers.  You can always cancel if you cannot make it (check the cancellation policy with the hotel, but I believe that it's 48 hours prior).

I've been working hard on planning.  As various details are finalized, you can be sure that you'll read about it here first.

I know that many of you have 517 friends and family who may not be on Mail Call for various reasons.  Our friend Leo Dean does a great favor for his friends: he prints out copies and mails them to those not on the internet.  Let's take a page out of his book: if you have a friend not online and not receiving Mail Call, please print out and mail them copies of our registration forms.  If that is not possible for you, email me (clairejgib@patmedia.net) their name and address, and I'll make sure it happens.

Looking forward to June in our nation's capital!

Claire Giblin

reunion co-chair

Hi -

OK - The Reunion Committee is working hard to plan for Washington, DC, and the time has come to offer your talents.  If you can help with either of these projects, please email Claire at clairejgib@patmedia.net.

1.  We are actively working on the education component for the reunion.  We're thinking of a short presentation on the brief history of the 517.  In order for the children and grandchildren to appreciate the contributions of the 517, they need to know at least a basic history.  Does anyone out there think that, working with others if that's what you choose, he or she could put together a brief presentation on the unit's history? 

2.  Many of our troopers have been asked by their families to record their personal stories.  We need volunteers (a great job for teens!) who can work video cameras, cassette players, or simply write down answers on forms.  Video cameras will need to be borrowed, but we can probably arrange to borrow a few cassette players.  The final products can either be retained by the auxiliary or given to you for your family (or both).  If you think you'd like to offer a couple of hours for this project, the reunion committee would like to help facilitate it. 

Many of our troopers feel odd about telling their stories.  We ask all of you to consider telling them (for your family or for the website or other sharing venue, whichever you choose), on behalf of those who are not here to do so.

If you think you'd like to help on either of these projects, email me!  Thank you so much!

Claire Johnson Giblin

Bill Boyle

 

Micho,

          Tell Gene that we miss him and that we would like to see him.

He  was always good to us. His wife has joined her God and some

day he will rejoin her. Meantime he can live here with us and join

us. It  is hard for me to travel but, God willing I hope to make this

 one. See you  there.

                               Bill Boyle

From Mickael & Eric, Airborne museum Le MUY France,
 
If you have this mail dear Gene Mars, dear ChopChop ! we just want to tell you that you always host a special place in our hearts, and that we remember the good time we spend together since opening of the museum,  your visit in Le Muy 1994, and all the reunion we make all together...it's so important for the new generations to know and it so important for them to have answers to their question..  Peoples can 't make a good future if they don't know their past... we will do our best for that...
We love you Gene, god bless you, and hope we will see you and your family again here or there...
warmest regards from all your friends of Le MUY and France.
Mickael & Eric.(jimi-lizy@infonie.fr)
GENE Photo in Columbus '99 with our museum T-shirt !)
 
 
Howard Hensleigh
 
Note to Lory Curtis:  Those of us who stayed with the 517th, after the high point men left at Joigny, returned to the States as part of the 13th Airborne Division.  None of the Division was ever deployed to the Pacific.  When we left Europe we were to have 30 days leave in the States, then head for the west coast for shipment to staging areas in the Pacific for the invasion of Japan.  Japanese surrender ended all those plans and led to a celebration as we sailed into New York harbor that has no equal.  I stayed in the Army with the 517th until November of '45 and we were still a rather independent element of the 13th.  Early the next year the 517th was disbanded along with the rest of the 13th and our men who stayed in went with other parachute units such as those of the 82nd.  Tom Cross and Joe Calder have a clear understanding of what happened after the 517th left the scene.    Howard Hensleigh
Bob Barrett
 
Just to let you know, Paula and I just made reservations for the air flights and hotel for the DC reunion.  I only have to send in the 517th reservation form, which we’ll do today.

 We will arrive there sometime Friday afternoon Jun 29, and head home on Monday morning, July 2nd.

 We will miss the bus tour into DC, so we’ll probably just do our own sight-seeing on Saturday and Sunday.  The “Mall” with the Lincoln Memorial, Washington monument, WWII memorial and the Capital Building is only about 1.5 miles from the hotel, and 1.5 miles end-to-end.

 We will be at the banquet on Sunday.

 Bob

Bob Barrett

Cindy,

Thanks for the detective work.  I am making the correction to the web site right now.  Bill Lewis was with HQ Co., 2nd Battalion.  Was your father also in that unit?

 Bob Barrett

webmaster@517prct.org            

 -----Original Message-----
From: cinarla [mailto:cinarla@cox.net]

On the photo page in reference to Bill Lewis & Joe Morrison, I wanted to inform you that the name on the Joe Morrison picture is wrong. That was my father and his name is Ernest Melvin Morrison, not Joe. I found this photo while looking up information on the 517th. I put in the name Morrison and up came the photo marked Joe. I  thought the man driving the jeep really looked a lot like my father and never thought the name was wrong, I just thought he looked a lot like my Dad. While looking through some old photos I came across the same photo, so I knew this was my Father and not a look alike. I guess the name on the photo should be corrected and wanted to send the correct info to the right person. Please contact me at any time.

 Cindy LaMontagne

Anne Valliere

alvalliere@msn.com 

I would like to know when would be the best time to visit between June 27th and July 2nd? I want to bring my Uncle Carroll Eckert to the affair, who was wounded in WWII at the battle of Col de Braus, but we will only be able to attend one day. We will be leaving from the Maryland/Pennsylvania area. Thanks for your help.

I didn't read all your information, but I'm sure we need  to fill out a form to go to this dinner. There will be four or five of us attending. Do I just go into registration to find the right form?
 
Anne
Boom Boom Alicki


The best yet....I totally agree.   This soldier video is
new and different.   It is moving and heartwarming.   Enjoy and pass it on!


       http://www.flashdemo.net:80/gallery/wake/index.htm