Ben,

Attached is a generic press release that troopers, families, or auxiliary members may want to use to help advertise the 517th and the monumental accomplishment to have the Vice President honor our Paratroopers. I'm not an accomplished journalist, but a very proud daughter and friend of men that need to be honored. Our little town paper prefers to have the information given to them in this form instead of trying to drag it out with an interview. Attach the appropriate names for any pictures that are submitted and in the article. Adjust how much to want to add to it in reference in seeing the sights of the city, etc.

Thanks again for all the hard work that you and your son have given to the venue.

Bonnie Fraser Littlefield

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Thanks to Bonnie Littlefield for the above summary of the reunion. I need a good photo of the head table with the Vice President showing all members that were seated at the table. I do not have a photo showing Bill Boyle and Melvin Biddle - Ben

XXXXXX Attends 517^th Paratrooper Reunion Where VP Cheney Spoke

(Photo taken by Chris Giblin, Lance Anderson, or XXXXXX)

XXXX & XXXX attended the 517^th Parachute Regimental Combat Team Association Reunion in Washington, D.C. June 27^th - July 2^nd. There are two or three reunions each year, on the east and west coasts, and usually somewhere in the middle of the US, in camaraderie support of living and deceased paratrooper buddies and their families. This reunion was special in that Vice President Cheney came to speak at the Farewell Banquet Dinner. Cheney spoke from the central podium. On the left of the podium was (left to right) Col. William Boyle, Major Don Fraser, Melvin Biddle (Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient), 3-star Retired General Dick Seitz (2^nd Battalion Commander of 517^th), and Frank Ramos (brother of deceased paratrooper and former White House contact). On the right of Cheney was the other guest speaker, Patrick O’Donnell, author of Beyond Valor, (profiled the men of the 517^th) and We Were One, Chaplain Fred Brown (company chaplain), Ben Barrett (organizer of the 517^th website, www.517prct.org), Darrell Egner (President Elect of the Association), and Gene Frice (outgoing President of the Association). Head table guests were checked with a high security clearance check and were the only people to shake hands with Cheney. Claire Johnson Giblin worked tirelessly and the Armed Forces Reunions, Inc. (Molley Dey) also assisted to achieve the feat to have the Vice President as a speaker. In fact, the AFR had never had such an accomplishment, and it was the second time the Doubletree Hotel had the honor of such a dignitary. Jean Michel & Eric, guests from the Airborne Museum in LeMuy, France came to honor the veterans where they have memorabilia on display from the unit.

Giblin reviewed Cheney’s speech, “The Vice President delivered a speech filled with praise for the accomplishments of the men of the 517, and it was a heartfelt tribute to the unit. I was quite impressed by the level of research and knowledge his remarks delivered. He was well received, and it was such an honor for the unit to be recognized by the Vice President! I was so happy to hear all of the 517’s history and successes detailed by Vice President Cheney. It was indeed a fitting tribute, and the men of the 517 deserve this recognition at that level…Even the Secret Service had obviously done their homework on the 517; I heard them sharing information with each other as our guests moved through the entrance to the ballroom. They were quoting casualty statistics when I walked by….We presented, through his aides, a copy of Paratrooper’s Odyssey, which had been signed by many of the troopers.”

The 517^th Parachute Regiment Combat Team Association had paratroopers, spouses, widows, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, relatives, and friends that attended the main annual reunion from all over the country, including Alaska. This reunion had about 100 paratroopers and 150 auxiliary members attended the activities, and a total of about 300 attended the banquet. Some were first time attendees and had not seen their comrades in 64 years. The auxiliary members (non-paratroopers) are organized with a special breakfast to discuss the three main goals which are: 1. to secure the history of the 517^th, 2. to assist veterans in attending reunions, and 3. to defray veterans’ registration costs for future reunions. The most important task is to secure the history of this outstanding unit and hopefully secure the legacy of this combat team in school history books. This is done by obtaining oral and written histories, archiving and protecting photographs, and in time, caring for memorabilia. A variety of personal artifacts and materials are put out on display to share. PowerPoints and DVDs are shown, pictures taken, and tape recordings of humorous and serious memories are documented.

Giblin and AFR planned and organized a diverse group of activities for the attendees. The following is their description of what they planned. On Friday, a driving tour of Washington, D.C. included seeing Jefferson Memorial, National World War II Memorial, the Mall, Capitol Building, Washington Monument, Lincoln Monument, White House, and other notable monuments and federal buildings. Lunch was at Union Station. Friday evening was an Evening Parade at the “Oldest Post of the Corps” Marine Barracks that was established in 1801. The Parade has been the tradition of Presidents and past Commandants of the Marine Corp that included ceremonial Drum and Bugle Corps, Silent Drill Team, and the US Marine Band.

On Saturday at the Manassas Regional Airport, the Liberty Jump Team executed a static line jump from a C-47 wearing authentic uniforms from the 517^th Operation Dragoon jump. In a lunch hospitality area there were static displays of WWII airborne memorabilia, WWII vehicles, and army equipment. A light lunch was served by the Liberty Jump Team. On Saturday evening, the group had the opportunity to attend “Shear Madness” at Kennedy Center. Everyone said it was a hilarious whodunit murder mystery that changes each show.

Sunday afternoon was a two hour lunch cruise with live entertainment, narration, and a bountiful lunch buffets onboard the Spirit of Washington. The cruise boat had three levels with climate-controlled decks. It cruised on the historic water of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.

Besides the reunions and the website, a quarterly magazine, Thunderbolt is published by Bob Christie. It includes history and day reports from Clark Archer, emails, and articles of interest to the veterans and auxiliary. The sincere interest in the 517^th, 460^th, and 596^th Parachute Teams has helped to perpetuate this legacy.