From: Ben517@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 3:18 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: MAIL CALL N0 1302 517TH PRCT- APRIL 10, 2007
70  Pleasant St. Cohasset, MA.02025  *781 383 0215 * Mail Call : Ben Barrett  Ben517@aol.com
 
Hello,
 
This may be the last Mail Call for a few weeks. Send mail as I will be able to receive and answer emails. May not be able to send out Mail Call on a guest computer. 
 
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:    Click on these Links for Forms and Information


Palm Springs, CA Mini-Reunion             April 15 - 20

 

Washington, DC National Reunion   June 27 - July 2

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

78 Days and Counting!!

The Washington, DC reunion is fast approaching!  The northeast is finally starting to feel spring-like, and June approaches.  Rooms are steadily filling, and we urge you to make your reservations directly with the Doubletree - Do It Today!  You can cancel up to a few days before if your plans change.

THEN - it is time to send in your reunion reservation forms.  Even if you only plan to join us for the meals and in the Hospitality Suite, it's vital that you reserve now to help us plan and shop. 

Our keynote speaker is Patrick O'Donnell, noted author and historian.  We are very excited to have such a meaningful and high-profile author speaking, and we thank Bob Barrett for the suggestion. 

I have heard from a 517 family member who would like to help record unit history.  I'm putting out the call to others who might like to volunteer to put together a short presentation on the history.  All teens seem to know how to use PowerPoint - let me know if we have any volunteers for this.

Our nation's capital is a must-visit place - come see your memorial and show your grandchildren.  Come do as much or as little as you'd like, but come join your friends for a special reunion. 

Claire Giblin

Reunion co-chair

Merle McMorrow

 Ben:
 
Enjoy your trip and greet those at Palm Springs for me.
We got back from Italy the day before Easter.  It brought back a lot of memories.  We started at Florence and then came south after three days. A short time was spent at Civittavecchia and Gresetto and then over to Mt. Cassino.  We spent 4 days in Rome and then down to Naples and a day in Pompei.  There was considerable walking and it always seemed to be uphill.  I remember we walked to all the sites of interest in 1944 and it never seemed like a great distance. Very people were at the sites at that time.  Now there were people everywhere.  Being it was the week of Good Friday and Easter also accounted for the large crowds in Rome.
 
We go to Washington, DC the first part of May to see the World War II Monument as a  "Thank You Tour" from the local TV station.
We will see you the end of June in Washington.  It sounds like it is going to be a great gathering.  We would be honored to attend the Pugh reception.  It was indicated there was room for 40 attendees.  If there are that many 596th members I would bow out.
Have a great time out west.
 
                                 Merle
Gilles Guignard 
 
Dear Ben and Bob,

I hope you are fine. Thanks for your emails which are
always great to read!

Due to the "private Ryan/Band of brothers/Spielberg"
phenomenon, it looks like there is a great interest
for the 517th among young
historians/reenactors/collectors in Southern France.
Im in touch with these guys in Southern France and
since im more a historian than a collector/reenactor,
they asked me to supply them with ww2 photos of the
517th so they could "get it right" on the uniform and
equipment part...
So I had the idea of putting up a small tribute
website to the 517th which consists of a compilation
of various photos from different sources, memorabilia,
and reenactment pictures. Of course, a lot of pics
come from you website and from the Bruce Broudy
collection. Also a few from ebay and private
collections. I also added a few pics from our
reenactments and there will be much more to come.

The link is:

www.dogface45.skyblog.com

As for my other ww2 researches, I also have a tribute
website dedicated to the 36th Division the link is:
www.dogface44.skyblog.com

and one for the 36th engineer regiment of ww2, a very
obscure unit, which participated in 4 major amphibious
assaults:
www.dogface36.skyblog.com

I hope you and the 517th community will enjoy seeing
my www.dogface45.skyblog.com

with best regards from Switzerland,
Gilles
Don Gentry
 
 
Hello Ben, I told you I would send this file but can't remember if I did. Anyway you have it now to use as you see fit. Have a good time at the mini. Richard Baysinger and I are planning our trip to Washington D.C. this week.
 
MSG Don R. Gentry
US Army Security Agency Retired
Still Serving
East Wenatchee, WA

http://www.517prct.org/documents/selection_of_the_parachutist.pdf

Garry Poole

Regarding the bazooka explosion in the Hq. barracks:
 A man we all called "Swede" (I don't remember his name) was the man who brought the bazooka round into the barracks. He had been dropping it on knots in the floor and yelling bombs away. I don't know why it didn't go off sooner. He threw it to Don Sims who was sitting on his bunk shining his shoes. Don said he didn't see it in time and it dropped right between his feet taking off both legs right below the knee. It left deep pits in the metal of the coal stove in front of Don or it might have killed others on the other side of the barracks. Ralph Meyers lost a leg and Loggins was killed. After we went overseas I heard that Swede got a section 8 out of the army. I know I don't remember seeing him after we went over. Perhaps you can verify that Phil.
 Don Sims was my best friend and I was sent to the hospital to help him with accepting the loss of his legs so I got his story first hand. I had been in the latrine shaving when the explosion occurred otherwise I would have been in a bad spot as it tore a hole about the size of a basketball in my bunk. Along with many others I rushed in to see what happened and then tried to help the injured until some of the officers showed up and took over command of the situation.
 Don was fitted with prosthetics and got so he could get around very well. He married and raised a nice family in the Scotsville, KY area. He has been dead for several years. I never heard how Ralph Meyers got along after losing his leg.
Gary Poole
Hq. 460