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

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Hello,

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 .

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

Please try to send in donations 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 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

We up dating the Thunderbolt roster. Please send mailing address to Helen Beddow HBeddow@cs.com Please include the name "517th" in the subject box.

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)

Tom Cross

Dear Helen:

The 517th PRCT is now the only Airborne Unit to have an Auxiliary to carry on its traditions, history and private memories. In time other Airborne Units may do the same. You and your Auxiliary Membership are real Trail Blazers in this regard. What you do will be a model for others.

You are the ideal person for this task. I still marvel at the manner in which you handled the Savannah Reunion. You have the organizational ability and leadership to steer this project in the right direction. We who still remain as active members of the 517th PRCT Association now know we and our Comrades who have gone before us will live on in memory for our families and those yet to come. The only suggestion I have is not to let the format be " set in concrete " but change it as needed. Time and experience should lead to whatever changes are needed..

Thank you Helen.

Tom Cross

Helen Beddow

Ben,

Thanks for putting in Mail Call the note for updating the Roster. If you would add to that note to please include the name "517th" in the subject box. I have already received some updated addresses, and I appreciate that very much.

Claire and I have been working very hard this weekend. Yesterday was a very productive day and it is now 9:15, and we have already started back to our planning. I called Bob and Mildred Christie yesterday, and they are doing well. It was very nice to talk with them.........Mildred was in the middle of baking a cake. We told Bob that we certainly missed his wonderful cookies at the last Mini.

Claire and I have basicly decided the design and format for the newsletter. We also spent a good deal of time with a printer, and recevied some very good technical information regarding our publication. We came out of that meeting feeling pretty pumped. Ideas keep popping up, and we roll them around to see how they will work. Today, we will start the writing of some our columns. We have four computers going, and Hal knows that his best bet is to not get run over when we are on the move. Claire and I both feel that we are making a lot of progress.

Please feel free to send in any submissions or suggestions to Claire and myself. Your input is important to us.

Back to work!

Helen

Tom McAvoy

Have the sound on and get ready to bite your fingernails . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFS3KPMqQ8w

Subject: Robert V. Clark

I'm looking for someone who may have known PFC Robert V. Clark, A Battery, 460 PFAB.

Vic Bero fmbero@bellsouth.net

Clare Mitacek Erber

Dear Ben,

I've been reading the latest updates and I feel so humbled and proud to remember, those magnificent men of the 517th who took life with a daily leap of faith, hope and courage, a good way to live by, in order to find the best in each day, heart to heart.

Thank you for guarding this valuable time in history until some of us get around, if ever, to truly feeling the depth of peace and hope it brings to our hearts.

Happy Valentine's Day Ben and Company. Remember to bring a great outlook, to everyday.

Anyone is always welcome in Kansas City, MO, as long as they have Ben's referral.

All my best,

Clare Mitacek Erber

daughter of Richard Mitacek, 3rd Bat, 517th.

Jerry Wolford

           Battle Hymn of the Republic Listen to the combined choirs of 4 high schools.

                 This is beautiful.

                 BEWARE OF IMPENDING GOOSE BUMPS!!

                  http://www.trdaniel.com/Battle%20Hymn/index.htm

Claire and Helen

Hi, Ben -

Helen Beddow and I are hard at work on the next Thunderbolt.

We are actively soliciting submissions and ideas. If you have any articles or short pieces, please submit them to us! Likewise, if you'd like to see a reappearance of an article that ran previously, please tell us and we'll do our best to dig it out.

Email your submissions and inquiries to us at

hbeddow@cs.com

clairejgib@patmedia.net

Claire Giblin and Helen Beddow

Clare Mitacek

Hi Ben,

Should I send all correspondence through you first? I appreciate your time and efforts.

In regards to Jay's request to identifying pictures on the 517th website.

1. In the H CO Mackall.jpg Richard Mitacek is top row fourth from right.

2. I believe it is my dad Richard Mitacek kneeling in this picture

3. The dad mortar squad Rich Mitacek is standing second from right.

4. I believe this is the Doty picture, Top right is Richard Mitacek.

Jay, which picture did my dad sign in your group of pictures?

Thanks.

Clare Mitacek