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

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

517TH ST. LOUIS REUNION BEGINS:

THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2008 THRU MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2008

THE BANQUET WILL BE ON SUNDAY JUNE 29, 2008.

Good morning, Ben -

Bob Cooper

Ben

I have been notified that the Weather Channel will be showing.

When the Weather makes History The battle of the Bulge On January 13th at 9:00 Pm.

I and some of the members of Central Indiana Chapter 47 Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge were interviewed for this Program

Ben i have been putting together a display of my medals and ribbons for my grandkids, and was shocked to find out no military store in the country has a Belgian Croix De Guerre and no reason for the lack there-of. Does anyone have an answer and perhaps a -place to locate one. I really cant believe the Belgian government stopped issuing. Hope to get an answer, Thanks Bill Christian Hope to see you in the Springs in April.

Dear Howard,

Its my pleasure to look after the grave of Woody Robert Woodhull.

I wont forget the price all the men and woman paid for out freedom.

The book about the 517 PRCT i got from Ben and you all, i did read several times.

You said the 82nd and 101st were great Airborne outfits, but hey don't forget the 517 PRCT.

I did not know much regarding the 517th PRCT but thanks to the book i know you were a mighty fine outfit also.

All the best

Ronald

Jerry Wofford

Hello Ben, it's good to have you back in port. You did a super job of mail call considering you were using your lap top during your travels. I don't think you skipped a beat the whole time. As for the photo's I sent, you may dispose of them as you see fit. Uncle George was listed on the Christmas 1944 Roster as PFC George William Cavnar of Regimental H. Q. He was also a member of Boom Boom's Demolition Team. He spoke of being a driver for a Lt. Clark of the 517th also. The photo of him standing behind the Ford was probably taken at Camp Mackall as the license plate reads "1944 - North Carolina". He said that the white scarf he is wearing with his dress uniform in the other photo was made from his old parachute.
However the photo that I really wanted to send to you is missing. It is of Uncle George driving a Jeep load of his 517 trooper buddies straight up some giant steps in front of a large municipal bldg. and they appear to be feeling no pain. I questioned him about the snap shot and he said it was taken in Nice France. I don't want to get him court-martialed at this stage of his life but he also owned up to always carrying an extra Jeep rotor button or two just in case of an emergency. Thanks Ben for grinding out those "mail calls" plus the work you guys put in to the 517th web site. I enjoy reading them and Uncle George lives for them. I have sent him"mail call' thru the month of December. He seemed very saddened by the passing of Don Fraser. They had photos made together at the Wash DC Reunion. Thanks for all you do.
                                                                                          Jerry Wofford
                                                                                          Nephew of a Buzzard

Don Sliker

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha
Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in
Little Rock , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of
school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the
principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks
out of her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they
discovered that there were no desks.
Looking around, confused, they asked, "Ms. Cothren, where're our
desks?" She replied, "You can't have a desk until you tell me what you
have done to earn the right to sit at a desk."
They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades."
"No," she said.
"Maybe it's our behavior."
She told them, "No, it's not even your behavior."
And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third
period. Still no desks in the classroom. By early afternoon television
news crews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren's classroom to report
about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.
The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found
seats on the floor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said,
"Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she
has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily
found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you."
At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom
and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms,
walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets
began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over
and stand alongside the wall.
By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those
kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives,
just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.
Martha said, "You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These
heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's
up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be
good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you
could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it."
This is a true story….
If you can read this - thank a teacher!
If you can read it in English - thank an American soldier