70 Pleasant St. Cohasset, MA.02025 *781 383
0215 * Mail Call : Ben Barrett Ben517@aol.com
Hello,
We have reached our quota of hotel reservations for the
reunion. However, you may still be able to get rooms since there is likely to
be some cancellations and it is very important that anyone canceling should
notify me before you do so.
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
. Banquet Sunday July 1. Depart Monday July
2
Ben
Recent website additions:
300 photos of John Harte and B
Battery, 460 PFAB
Pvt.
John S. Hopkins
Jesse Darden and 460th PFAB in
Southern France
Frank Ramos
Ben:
Sounds like someone significant may show
up. Brian used to work for the Vice President. It could be also that
some significant representative of the White House may show up to acknowledge
the event. It could be a message either from the President or this
time from the VP, like the President's letter I brought to
the Savannah reunion.
I told you Brian is a good guy and will make
the effort to do something significant, if he can.
By the way, Brian was with the provisional
government (CAP) in Iraq with Ambassador Bremer at the onset of Operation Iraqi
Freedom and he is mentioned in Bremer's book as one of his hard working
staffer. Brian was a Presidential appointee staffer
to Kenneth Krieg, Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and
Logistics, when I served in that Office as a Director. It would be nice to
recognize his contribution to the service of his Country if he shows up. I
will be there.
Good Luck.
Kath and Jessie Davis
Dear Boom Boom,
may your journey be a peaceful one. my dad and i will send
prayers up for one of the best LTs in the PRCT 517th. i have never
met you, but from 40 yrs of hearing all the stories about you, i feel like i
know you and you have been a part of my life for a long time. i
will have my dad recite, once again, all the great stories he told us as we were
growing up. i would hate for them to be lost. i want my girls and
they're sons to know about their grampa and Boom Boom. you are a national
hero and you will always be in our hearts. you are our hero and my
father's. he has always had a great deal of respect for you and for
getting him thru all of your experiences and just getting him through one of the
hardest and most memorable events of his life. that time of my dad's life
was the most important to him and he never lets us forget it. i am so glad
i was made to listen to all the stories. i have heard them so many times
that i can just about recite them myself, but dad always adds flare to
them. i salute you Boom Boom. God Bless You.
kathy and Jesse K davis
Lyn Vickers ( Widow of David Vickers G Co.
)
Hi, Ben...you don't need to put this
in the MailCall... but I am traveling again. Thinking of you guys as I am at
the Toccoa exit in Georgia & saw some signs for Currahee. I am
traveling with my girlfriend who is 86 & taking her up to her son's house in
Belmont, NC. Weather is hot & lotta sun here & red dirt. Gas
is about 285, tho I understand in South Carolina it will be
cheaper.
How is the gas price up there where
you are?
Hope your Dad's Day was a good
one,
Love,
Lyn
Burton-Vickers
The
Widdah Lyn, Cocoa, and Poopin Pepper the Crappin Cajun
Robert Reber
Dear Ben & Bob Christie,
Attached is another update of the roster. I imagine it may be
of use at the impending reunion.
I have to pay homage to Bob Christie for all of the hard work he
has put in for the 517th. He has worked with me very closely since my
re-introduction to the 517th a few short years ago. I always enjoyed
seeing him and miss my trips to FL, when I could drop in to see him. My
best to you, Bob.
I will unfortunately have to miss the DC reunion. We love to
visit DC and I am certain this will be a big bash, well worth the trip. I
am in a new job with precious little vacation and another major project kicking
off early in July. I am sure you will all have a great time and I look
forward to hearing about it through Mail Call.
Please relay to all, my best wished for a safe and wonderful DC
reunion.
Regards,
Tom Reber
son of Lt. Robert Reber, HQ 3rd
Steve Gomez
Ben,
It sure is! He is standing next to one of his best friends SGT John
(Jack) Harte at Camp Mackall.
His son Don sent me a wonderful collection of his dad's photos that
he scanned and put on a CD!
There are also some of my Mother's brother SGT Joe Sanford who
was my dad's best bud for sure.
PVT Richard Wheeler is also in several and we are looking forward
to seeing him in D.C. next week!
Thanks again for all your dedicated hard work on the web site and
the Mail Call.
Steve Gomez
Nicolas
Arnulf
Hi
!
My name is Nicolas
Arnulf, 26 years old, I'm a french reenactor of 517 PRCT, I live at
l'Escarčne.
I am fascinated by
history, because my grandfather told me the epic of the 517
PRCT in l'Escarčne and "Col de Braus" during the world war two.
He told me that a battery of 75MM howitzers was installed in our fields and that
a young parachutist had been killed there in September,
1944.
This Don Harte's photo
was taken in 1944, in my fields. I have immediatement took a photo of the same
place, today we can see the garage in which I puts my willys jeep of 517
PIR.
Can you communicate me
Don Harte's e-mail address? Can you also pass on to him this message and photos?
It would be with big pleasure!!!
Thanks for all
!
Nicolas
Arnulf
31 rue St
Sebastien
06440
L'Escarčne
FRANCE
TEL : 04 93 79 60
57
Cecil Doty
The Dotys have moved, we are now in Schowalter Villa
Assisted Living unit. Our new address is 200 W. Cedar, suite
139, Hesston, KS. 67062
Our new telephone number is
(620) 327 3523.
Peter Jansson
Dear Ben: Dad is doing remarkably well. I cannot believe the
progress he has made the last 6 weeks. He is home now, and has
commented to me twice about the possibility of the reunion. I don't
believe it can be done, but I did tell him I would confer with his
physician. The doctors at New England Sinai Rehab told the family that
when he first came there in late March that they never thought he would be able
to leave the facility. I guess that shows again the resolve and
determination of the greatest generation, and specifically the 517th.
Although he has much that needs to be done physically and mentally, I truly am
thankful for his courage and grit-- his comeback is part of a great
legacy that he started building even before WWII. Thanks for
everything sir. Pete
Pete is the son of Bertil Jansson B
company -- Ben
