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

Hello,

I have informative correspondence between Howard Hensleigh and Mike Kane in this Mail Call. There is too much correspondence for this Mail Call and so will continued it in next Mail Call. It is best understood if last mail is read first.?????????????

Paratroopers' Odyssey is available for $22.50. Send payment to Leo Dean.

You may at times have a problem viewing photos. However, we place most photos on the website under Training and WWII Photos .

Please try to send in donations by August 15 to Keep the 517 PRCT Association viable. Suggested amount $30.00 to include Thunderbolt. Auxiliary members $20.00 Plus $10.00 if you want to receive the for the Thunderbolt. Send donations to Leo Dean, 14 Stonehenge Lane, Albany, NY 12203. Make checks payable to 517prct. Donations for the Auxiliary should be sent to Karen Frice Wallace 66295 Highway 20 Bend, OR 97701

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

Ben

Website www.517prct.org
Mail Call Ben517@aol.com

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

Snowbird mini-reunion
Kissimmee, FL
Jan 20-24, 2008

Recent website additions:

Matthew Skovera, HQ Co, 3rd Bn.

PFC Anthony S. Celli, I Co. (KIA)

517th Commemorative March 2007- Southern France

Richard Eaton videos - Witness to the War
Madawaska Victory passenger lists
1983 517th Reunion Booklet - San Mateo, CA

Bill Boyle news article

517 PRCT Association Officers

Steve Markle

Ben,

I want to send out a public "Congratulations" to Bill Christian (of the 596 Engineers) and his wife Sophia who are celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary today.

My mom is down in Southern California with them.... here's wishing them many more years of happiness.

Steve Markle

Babbie Boyle

Hi Ben - hope all is well. Bought our tickets for Kissimmee so if all

goes well we should be there in January. Am looking forward to it.

The DC Reunion was great.

Babbie

-----Original Message-----
From: mjkanejd@comcast.net
Sent: Aug 16, 2007 4:34 PM
To: hhensleigh@earthlink.net
Subject: Re: 517th PRCT

Hi Lt,

I know well how sons don't pay enough attention to their fathers. I lived in Denver for many years and most of the phone calls home were with my mom with my dad kind of listening in. She'd fill me in on the details of what dad was up to. But I loved him immensely and I think the feeling was mutual. I moved to Pennsylvania and my folks we outside of Philadephia, so the last ten years before he passed away we saw each other a lot. Got to make up for a lot of lost time.

Glad your daughter is close by. Looks like she's just up the 101.

Well, I'll be in touch. Have a good weekend, Lt. My wife and I are heading to Yankee Stadium for a game this weekend. I know that may be fighting words to a fellow from Massachusetts.

Mike

-------------- Original message --------------
From: hhensleigh@earthlink.net
Hi Mike, Thanks for the book order. I'll read it and give you a report. Daughter in Petaluma, CA, another in Carlisle, MA, and a son, Jonathan, in Pasadena, CA, a movie guy.  We keep in touch, but you know how sons do that. My best, HH

-----Original Message-----
From: mjkanejd@comcast.net
Sent: Aug 16, 2007 2:18 PM
To: hhensleigh@earthlink.net
Subject: Re: 517th PRCT

Hello Lt. Hensleigh,

Isn't that a coincidence! Do you play the number 815 in the lottery frequently? I certainly would if I were you. Then again, maybe having to jump out of an airplane into the fog with 100lbs of gear strapped to you isn't so lucky, but as they say, two out of three ain't bad.

I read the Mail Calls around the time when you wife passed away. She must have been a special lady from the testimonials and expressions of sympathy from the many people who knew her. I was sorry to read about that. Do you have other family? I believe I recall you mentioning a daughter? Is she nearby?

I've ordered a copy of "Operation Dragoon" for you. It's out of print, but used copies are readily available.  I used the address in Menlo Park you sent to Ben back in July (Building 331, Unit C). Hope that's still the same.

The book should be there within about a week, maybe sooner since its being shipped from LA area.  I hope you enjoy it. Please accept it as a small token of my gratitude to you for your service to our country.

When you've read it, you can let me know if the author did justice to the real story.

Well, I better log off now.

Best regards, Lt.

Mike

-------------- Original message --------------
From: hhensleigh@earthlink.net

Mike, It is hard to re-create something, but my main message was how much I appreciated your message on 15 Aug, my mother-in-law's birthday in 1895, you know what in 1944, and my marriage to Jan in 1948. She attended many of the reunions and loved the 517th as I did.

I will try to get the book and see what the author was able to do with all that confusion. I'm sure it looked more orderly to him than it did to your Dad and me at the time.  Your father fought to keep the Germans off the beaches while we got back to help. The 3rd Bn. Lts. deserve a lot of credit for assembling G, H, and Regt. Hq. Companies and getting them on the way to the drop zone pronto. The G and H Co. commanders did not show up for several days.

Highest regards, HH

Dear Lt. Hensleigh,

I just wanted to let you know that I was thinking about you and all the others in the 517th, present and gone, on this anniversary date of your jump. My dad was lucky to have come down in one piece and near the Drop Zone. I know the air corp left your battalion with quite a hike afterward.

I just received a copy of "Operation Dragoon", by William Breuer, written in 1987. I have only finished the first chapter but so far its interesting to learn how the jump on the morning of the 15th fit into the overall invasion plans and objectives. The book also has quite a bit of information about the German units tasked to defend the "Sudenwahl" (southern wall).

Well, take care, Lt. and best wishes on this historic date.

Mike Kane