From: Ben517@aol.com
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 8:12 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: MAIL CALL NO. 1427 517TH PRCT-NOVEMBER 09, 2007
 
70  Pleasant St. Cohasset, MA. 02025  *781 383 0215 * Mail Call : Ben Barrett  Ben517@aol.com
 
Hello,
 
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


Recent website additions:

paras en Provence: Le 517th PRCT Dans Les Alpes Maritime
       from Armes Militaria Magazine (cover, article)

Hal Jeffcoat - Baseball in Wartime

Flave J. Carpenter, I Company - bio

58 photos of D and H Company men


Lory Curtis
 
Ben,
     A friend here at work knew a World War II paratrooper who he
thought was in the 517th.  His name was Kenneth Dent.  How would I find
out if he was in the Unit?  I have used the search block on the 517th
website, but nothing came up.  Thanks for your help.
Lory Curtis, son of Bud Curtis, HQ, 1st BN 
                                                                                  ************
Check out December 1944 roster -- Ben

Robby Scruggs
 
Ben, can't verify but looks real, does anybody remember this?
 
Robby Scruggs
 

WWII Secret

To those of us, who were raised in the San Fernando Valley and are familiar with the size of the plant, the magnitude of the project can be full appreciated. 

To those of you, not familiar with the area or who or perhaps were not even on the planet during the time, may find it an interesting footnote to the home front effort during WWII 

 How To Hide An Airplane Factory

          It is true. Click on  Think or Thwim » How To Hide An Airplane Factory

Tom Mcavoy
 
I have missed about 30 days of Mail call Ben  how do I catch up with it?? Tom McAvoy I heard Fred Harman passed away during that time Tom

Tom McAvoy
                                                                     ************
Click on    www.517prct.org/archives

Gene Frice
 
Ben,
>  Another request from the children...a request from "Lois" about her
> dad. Looking at the material she sent to me-he may have been in the
> 13th or some other org and later assigned to the 517 for return to the
> US-or assigned to 517 after it arrived at Bragg?
> I could not find the 13th Assoc on internet-I have seen it at one time
> or another. I noticed from the below that he was assigned to F Co. We
> had a Kennedy in F Co (I think), but not him.
>  Anyway-below is what she sent me.
>  Regards,    Gene Frice
 
Lois Kennedy
 
 Gene,  Thank you for the quick response.  I thoroughly enjoy reading
> the history.  I'm sure with your help we will find the history on my
> Dad.  I sent you a fax tonight, around 8:30 P.M.  The only medal I
> have is Dads' parachute pin. (silver)  For some reason I always kept
> this in my jewelry box, as a child.  I have never cleaned it and do
> not plan to.  I want it to keep its' antique look.  I have one 8 by 10
> picture of him in uniform.  On his left arm is a patch of a parachute
> and a glider above it.  Would Dad have received the unicorn patch,
> when he arrived overseas?  I will not place my order until I hear from
> you.  Here is the inf, in case you did not receive the fax.  3 years
> of service.  Dec 11, 1943 to Dec 13, 1946.  Final Cert of Honorable
> discharge-James R. Kennedy 33-901-305  TECH FIFTH GRADE (T5).  Troope
> E -3rd - calvalry reconndisance squadron.  Separation pt- Fort George
> G. Meade, MD Dec 13,1946 ended.  First Honorable discharge certificate
> - Private CoF-517 parachute infantry reg.  Fort Bragg N. Carolina Oct
> 30, 1945.  Dad was paid $50 to reinlist and he did.  A lot of money
> back then.   (Gene, keep in mind, my Mom wrote all this down, a few
> yrs. ago.  I have no cert.  I'm not sure where she received all the
> inf.  Maybe Dad told her all this.  Mom passed away March 4, this yr.
> with breast cancer, age 77.  Dad did say one time, he got tangled up
> in a parachute with another guy while jumping out of the plane.  I do
> not know where this occurred.  I remember him saying, if you did not
> jump, you were pushed out.)   I will continue:  Special cert.
> qualified parachutist.  Jan 26, 1945.  7 JUMPS.  (SOMEONE TOLD ME IN
> TRAINING YOU ONLY NEEDED TO DO 4 JUMPS.  I DO NOT KNOW WHERE DAD
> JUMPED THE OTHER 3!!!!)   Service from Dec 11, 1943 to Oct 30, 1945.
> Fort Benning, GA.  4 weeks first training armor and
> artillery-mechanics sch. Fort Knox Kentucky- (award).  Special letter
> from Harry Truman on special service of country & people of U.S.
> Special cert of proficiency of armored school-May 25, 1946.  CLEANED
> AND TOOK CARE OF WEAPONS.  Cert-Record & report of separation.
> Cert-Honorable discharge- World War II Victory Ribbon.  Parachutists
> badge-M04M1 rifle badge.  SERVED IN BELGIUM AND FRANCE, DURING WW II.
> He spoke some French.  Gene, I pray that this helps you.  I will be
> putting a small shadow box on the wall, with Dads, medals, ribbons,
> and patches.  I may place his uniform picture above the box.  My 3 boys
> and 3 Grandchildren never got to meet him.  Although, Dad, did get to
> enjoy my oldest son, as a baby, until he 14 months old.  (then Dad
> died, 1st heart attack.  Gone in 3 hours.  Mom was left with 4 kids to
> raise)  Good Luck!  Thank you, again for helping me.        Your
> Airborne Gal,      Lois
Lois Kennedy

Mr. Frice,  BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!  That's' Dad.  Thank you so much.  This is
wonderful!  I just now printed out Dads' record.  Oct. 31, 1945, Fort Bragg,
N.C., 2 years of high school, private 1st class, resident is MD,  year of
birth 1923, branch code 10 - INFANTRY.  DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE CODE 10 IS?  Do
you know where to go from here to see if he was in the 13th or 517th for
sure?  God has shown me to be patient and he will show us the answers.
Please, also, tell Ben, this is AWESOME!!!!    Your Airborne Gal,    Lois
 
Ben,  I just now printed out Dads' record.  YES, that's' him!  This is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I just emailed Mr. Frice too.  I wonder if there is proof somewhere on Dad being in the 13th Airborne?  Do you think there are copies of certificates somewhere?  I know there was a fire, years ago in the archive files in MO.  I have NO cert. to prove Dad was in the 13th.  Keep all suggestions coming.  I love it!      Your Airborne Gal,     Lois
                                                                      *********
I sent Gene Frice the enlistment record of her father, James R. Kennedy - Ben

Howard Hensleigh

Ben,  Those recent pictures, as everyone suggests, are of the road from Col de Braus down to Sospel and the "Sospel valley".  There were other mountains to the east that we took, a little bit higher.  Although the road pattern is interesting, take a look at those mountains we had to take with the Germans shooting down at us.  A recent article I was given gives an account of General Ridgeway's turn around in Korea.  He said in effect, you are infantry, get off the roads and take the high ground along with a few other choice directives.  Taking this "high ground" the pundits called the Champaign Campaign was what it was all about.  Howard Hensleigh


Don Gentry

Hello Ben, here are a few photos.
 
HQ 2nd Bn
 
Men from Aberdeen, South Dakota:
 
L-R Floyd Weber, Eddie Carlson, Edward Kraft and Chesty Widden.