From: Ben517@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 7:09 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: MAIL CALL NO. 1449 517PRCT- DECEMBER 12, 2007
70 Pleasant St. Cohasset, MA. 02025  *781 383 0215 * Mail Call : Ben Barrett  Ben517@aol.com    http://bands.army.mil/music/bugle/calls/mailcall.mp3< Click on
 
Hello,
 Pease let me know if your email is not to be included in Mail Call by inserting FYEO.
 
You may at times have a problem viewing photos. However, we place most photos on the website under Training and WWII Photos .
 
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


Palm Springs, CA

April 13-18, 2008


 517TH ST. LOUIS REUNION BEGINS:
 
THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2008 THRU MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2008
THE BANQUET WILL BE ON SUNDAY JUNE 29, 2008.

Recent website additions:

The 551st Attack on Trois Ponts, 2-7 Jan 1945
River Crossing and Attack at La Roquette, 27-28 August 1944
Howard B. Goodman, Service Company

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


December, 1944

 
President Darrell Egner
 
 
To all Troopers, friends and families
 
As most of you know from reading the Thunderbolt and Mail Call our foreign friends have been wonderful to all of you that have traveled to France and Belgian.  From what I hear they drop whatever they are doing and escort and tour the 517 members to what ever sites we want to see.  In other words they go all out to make sure all 517 members are treated royally.  We owe these people a great deal for keeping our history alive.  They are passing our deeds and history on to the youth in their countries that were not even born when we were there.  They do this so there young people will also appreciate what the 517 did during the Big War.
 
By now your wondering what is Darrell up to this time.  In a few days I will be sending out an invitation to our overseas friends to attend our St. Louis Reunion.  By no means do I think we will raise enough money to cover half their expenses but we sure can try. Their brief time they spend at our Reunion is a small price to pay for what they have done and continue to do for the 517.
 
I am asking all of you to please send whatever you can afford to Leo Dean at 14 Stonehenge La.  Albany, NY 12203 marked VISITOR'S FUND.  This money will help defray some of their costs to attend the St. Louis Reunion in June 2008.  I hate to admit it but years ago I felt this was a waste of money and did not contribute.  After hearing what these folks do for the 517 and our folks that made it to their country I changed my mind.  We couldn't buy this kind of loyalty and support.
 
Just a reminder, Ben needs more E-mails for Mail Call.  I once asked him how does he do so much and keep up with it.  His answer went something like this, "It keeps my mind off the un-pleasant things and it keeps me young".  What would we do without him?
 
The following are the dates for the up coming Reunions.
 
Kissimmee        Florida Mini        January 20 - 24, 2008
 
West Coast Party      Palm Springs, CA   April 13 - 18, 2008
 
St. Louis Reunion        St. Louis, MO        June 26 - 30,2008
 
Hope to see all of you at the above reunions and thanks.
 
Darrell Egner
President

Jerry Wofford

 

Hi Ben I am the nephew of one of your fellow troopers from Regimental Hq.517th PIR Pfc George  Cavnar. I have a couple of photos that I will mail to you if you can give me an address. He suffers from Macular Degeneration and the V A has provided him with a machine that allows him to read "Mail Call".  I copy each Mail Call and send it to him once a month. He really gets excited about reading Mail Call.  He made it to the DC reunion this year and is looking forward to attending the St Louis get together as well. He has always been an optimistic person and continues to be.
I get Mail Call from the mail call archives currently, can you add my name to the daily list?                                                                      

Thanks Jerry Wofford


Howard Hensleigh

 

Dear Ben: 

A great write up on Mel Biddle, but we weren't in Reims, France sitting around listening to Berlin Sally waiting to go home.  (Maybe you could say we were always waiting to get the war won and go home, but I'm not sure you call the attacks we engaged in "waiting".) 

Accurately, we were recovering from a long forty and eight train ride from southern to northern France preparing for our winter offensive, which was planned for after Christmas.  Our weapons might not have been in the best of shape after almost 100 days on the lines in S. France, but we sure as the devil had not turned them in. 

As we all know the Germans beat us to the punch by attacking December 16, 1944.  We were on the defensive for a few days but it was not long before we embarked on our winter offensive that turned the Bulge inside out.  Mel did his part in that operation.

Its good to be home for Christmas.  Howard Hensleigh


Clare (Mitacek) Erber
 
Dear Ben,
I am Clare (Mitacek) Erber.  My dad was PFC Richard Mitacek from Company H.  I started surfing the web 4 hours ago looking for the 517th and have been reading ever since.  Please add me to mailing list.  I will update you of my father's life in the near future. 
Thank you.
 
Clare

Jerry Wofford
 
Ben thank you so much for the quick reply. The Yahoo account is my address at my home computer and it has been on the blink for a couple of months. If you could change my e-mail address to:  yeoldjerry@aol.com  : It would be very appreciated.  I have talked with Unk about me attending the St Louis reunion with him this coming summer. I have had several knee surgeries this year due to an auto accident and in fact I had a knee replacement last month. Hopefully the knee will come around soon so that I can walk without that dang walker I have been using for a year. I want to thank you and your son for all the hard work and time spent in order to make 517th Mail Call and the web site possible. I feel like I know a lot of you guys just from reading the stories on Meet The Troopers. I would love to meet you guys at the reunion if the good Lord is willing.                                

Sincerely Jerry Wofford