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

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Hello,

Just trying to catch up with mail since returning from one of the best mini reunions ever and therefor this mail is incomplete.

We are starting a fund with volunteer contributions to assist our friends from Belgium and France to attend the St. Louis reunion. You can send a contribution to Leo Dean at 14 Stonehenge Lane, Albany New York 12203

You must notify me when you change email address.

Please 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

West Coast mini

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:
When Weather Changed History: The Battle of the Bulge

The Thunderbolt - August 1943

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

Bill Boyle

I wish to honor "Alicki and Fraser " both of them having

done much over the years during and after our existence.

                                                   Bill Boyle

To: Howard Hensleigh
From: Kenton Floyd Immerfall

I just happened to look at the online photo of the 3rd Battalion and also at your mention of the officer names in the front row. To the left of "Stott" you typed a question mark (?). Floyd Andrew Stott is actually the second-in from the far right, in the front row. I also have a copy of this photo. It is still rolled up and I really don't want to damage it but I need to see a historian and learn how to better preserve it. Also, if I understand you correctly, Floyd's Company "I" would be the soldiers in the last row? So, would some of those men be the same ones as in his 3rd Platoon that were KIA about 2:15 AM, 27Dec1944?

Thank you, Howard, for all you do to keep so many brave men "alive" with the History of the 517th.

Kenton

Howard Hensleigh

Dear Kent: Without looking at it I'm sure you are addressing the picture of the whole 3rd Bn. The officers are lined up left to right Hq. 3rd, G, H, and I. I am sure the men behind each group of company officers are the men from that company. So, I would say yes, the men in Floyd's platoon are behind him and the I Co. officers.

Keep in touch, HH
Howard Hensleigh

Note for Theresa Walner about her and her mom's uncle Bob McMahon.

Your uncle was a first class soldier and early paratrooper. A West Pointer, he volunteered for parachute duty when the airborne was in its infancy. When I joined the 3rd Bn. he was the executive officer, a job he held until he was called to command the 1st Bn. after Bill Boyle was injured in the Bulge. I had almost daily contact with Bob during all this time. He was not only good professionally but was always cheerful and interjected his sense of humor into everything he did.

The website has many references to Bob that may be of interest to you. However, if you have any questions about Bob I will be more than happy to answer them to the best of my ability. He was a great guy.

Howard Hensleigh

Jay Sutcliff

Hi Ben,

Hope you’re keeping warm, we are experiencing some nasty weather here in Jersey, I can only imagine what it’s like in Massachusetts.

Mike Wells had sent a picture in that is posted on the website, “H Company at Toccoa”. Could the person 6^th from the right, back row, possibly be Melvin Biddle? I know Mr. Biddle attends the reunions, but I am not sure if he views the website. I was hoping that someone on the site would know. I know Mr. Biddle was a replacement, and so was my father. I’m trying to find out which outfit my father was originally attached to. If that is in fact Mr. Biddle, I was hoping that he could let me know what outfit that picture was with, and by process of elimination, I can scratch that form a possible list I have.

Melvin Biddle was not with H Co. in "Toccoa" - Ben

Also, I watch the Weather Channel’s, “When Weather Changed History”. Really interesting stuff!! Youtube.com has many different videos of the Battle of the Bulge. Most are taken of the German soldiers. Hitler was so confident that he would be victorious that he set up many cameras to use as propaganda later on. Little did he know that he would come against men with the fortitude of those in the 517. Mr. Cooper did a fantastic job, and it was really exciting when the 517 was mentioned. When I watch those types of documentaries, I’m always curious as to how they find the veterans used in the clips. Perhaps Mr. Cooper could fill me in.

Thanks for your time and effort

j

Darrell Egner

Ben

What a great Reunion we had. I will write about it maybe tomorrow when I recover. Came down with a hell of a cold last night. Chris Lindner needs the phone number for O'Donnell if you have it. I'm sure Claire has it but she got away before I had a chance to ask for the number.

Thanks much,

Darrell

Jerry Wolfford

I thought you might find the following article from snopes.com interesting: http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp

Hello!

Someone has just signed your guestbook!

Name: Elaine (Walls) Saunders
From: San Diego CA
E-mail: Elaine_28@cox.net
Website:

Message (without smileys):
Thanks for a great website. My late husband, David Walls, was a member
of E Company, Camp Toccoa, he rarely met any other soldier who had even
heard of it! I appreciate visiting the site, especially the photos, he
was fighting at the Col de Brau and we drove there in 1963. He rarely
spoke of the war and now he is gone we can't query him about his
service.

Lucky Hiers

GOD BLESS AMERICA

A Mother asked President... "Why did my son have to die in Iraq?

mother asked President...  "Why did my son have to die in Saudi Arabia?"

A mother asked President...
"Why did my son have to die in Kuwait?"

Another mother asked President...
"Why did my son have to die in Vietnam?"

Another mother asked President...
"Why did my son have to die in Korea?"

Another mother asked President...
"Why did my son have to die on Iwo Jima?"

Another mother asked President... "Why did my son have to die on a battlefield on a field in France?"

Yet another mother asked President... "Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg?"

And yet another mother asked President... Why did my son have to die on a frozen field near Valley Forge?"

Then long, long ago, a mother asked... "Heavenly Father ...why did my Son have to die on a cross outside of Jerusalem?"

The answer is the same...
"So that others may have life and dwell in peace, happiness, and Freedom."

FREEDOM FROM TYRANNY ... AND DEATH ON THE CROSS HAS GIVEN THE CHANCE FOR FREEDOM FROM THE SINS WE COMMIT. John 3:16