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Hello,

The Brenner Assignment book by Patrick O'Donnell will be published October 6, 2008.

The Palm Springs Reunion is less than a month away. Register soon !

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

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 theThunderbolt 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.

Information and Registration Forms:

formatted pdf forms simple Web Page format

Reunion schedule of Events
517th Reunion Registration Form Reunion schedule of Events
517th Reunion Registration Form

Recent website additions:

517th Victory in Europe Prop Blast - May 19 1945

Toivo Moisio (?), Company D

Blue Book Magazine articles - 1947-1948
George W. Cavnar, Reg. HQ

The Thunderbolt - August 1943

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

Ruth Rick

This is something I didn't want to do but please delete us from your mailing address. Bob has Alzhemiers and we won't be able to come to any of the reunion meetings anymore.

Thanks so much

Ruth Ann Riek

Bob Riek

RThanR@aol.com

Tom McAvoy

Just after WWII I married and moved to Chicago, our Landlord  put up there flag up-side down. They were pretty quickly informed this was definitely not proper and should be corrected or taken down right away. It was   Tom McAvoy

Heather Riley

Hi Bob and Ben,

The addition is wonderful. You did such a good job. If you ever ammend it, would you please list my son, Justin Riley as the photographer? He worked really hard on those shots for me. I was surprised to see both the photos and the script. It truly is a piece of history. Daddy had everybody read it. He would be so proud to see it now.

Thanks so much,

Heather Cowan Riley

1947-1948 - Blue Book Magazine articles



Combat Team
by Col. Rupert D. Graves

single page jpgs:

Cover

Pg 52

Pg 53

Pg 54

Pg 55

Pg 56

Pg 57

Pg 58

Pg 59

Pg 60
This three-part serial ran in the popular Blue Book Magazine* on December 1947, January 1948, and February 1948. This was the first account of the 517 to appear in a nationwide publication.
For many years, people have confused the 517 Parachute Combat Team booklet, published at the war's end, with these Blue Book magazine articles. Thanks to Heather Riley, daughter of Ian Cowan (B Co.), we now have found copies of the original Blue Book magazines, reproduced here. It turns out that these are not the same as the unit history as recounted in 517 PRCT booklet. They are unique stories written for the magazine.

Thanks to Heather Riley, and also to Steve Gomez for getting us great scans of these articles. I have published them mid-size jpg format to read a page at a time. For higher quality and to be able to zoom in and print the entire articles, use the pdf formats.

                                                                                                             Bob Barrett

Bill Christian

Palm Springs Reunion. Join these people.

Harold/Jean Roberts

Jerry/Bettye Davis

Alex/Vera Sierra

Ponnie Davis

Gene Friece plus 2 guests

Leo Dean

Vera Anderson plus 1 guests

Brent Moore

Gerald/Maribeth Markle

Jay/Rita Castello

Ben Barrett

Elaine Markle

Virgina Jorgen

Virgina /Harry Wells

Bill/Marian Brannan

Bob Dalrymple

Marv/Cathy Williams

Bill/Marge Conger

Lud Gibbons

Marty Donahue

Bill/Sophia Christian

Vince/Pat Podrasky

Bill/Gloria Hudson

Billie and Lucky Heirs

Hello Ben. Lucky and I experienced a serendipity last evening while watching "Shoot Outs." This had to include the portion of the 517th and the connection was deeply moving. Do you have "at your fingertips" the information on how to get the film/DVD/VCR, etc... from the responsible persons?   Lucky couldn't sleep last night because it made it all so real again.   If you can't I will begin to pursue another course from the beginning. Whichever, Ben, we do appreciate your work.

NOW ... I had wondered why I was getting any mail calls. I hope that doesn't mean you're ill.   Asking techs for information can be dangerous ... I've discovered. I specifically asked two questions of the tech: (1) will this make me lose my address book? (No, trust me ... he sez.)   (2) Will I be able to keep my original screen name? (Yes, OF COURSE. No problem.) I'm sure he was sincere!

TO THE POINT: Please forgive me if I did not tell you that I had to change my screen name.

It is: LuckyBille22@aol.com.

(The change meant removing the last "i" in Billie; and also making the "2" into 22.)

Thanks for all your help.

Billie and Lucky

                                                               **********

Hi Billie,

To get the DVD go to www.history.com. Click onto Shop (on the right side of the top bar) and then search for  Shootout-The Battle of The Bulge. Its $24.95.

I do need your new address in order for you to get Mail Calls. I will take care of it. You can always read back Mail Calls by Clicking on  www.517prct.org/archives

Ben

formatted pdf forms	simple Web Page format
Reunion schedule of Events 517th Reunion Registration Form	Reunion schedule of Events 517th Reunion Registration Form