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

Hello,

Someone at the Reunion had an email stating that Cameron Gauthier ,C460 had passed away. Cameron was a past president of the 517 Association. I have had no further information.

Leo Dean informed me that Charles Derbin, Reg.Hq. past away last week.

I sent out Mail Call No. 1573 with illustrations. Many could not get the illustrations because it depended on their provider or restrictions place on email by the recipients and that is why I choose not to send attachments in Mail Call when possible .I try to select links with the same information. However, this patriotic theme was sent to me by Frank Ramos, a great friend of the 517 and brother of Ismael who served with H Co. and I was not able to find a suitable link

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

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

Mail Call Archives www.517prct.org/archives
Roster www.517prct.org/roster.pdf

517th PRCT Auxiliary Mission Statement

517th PRCT Auxiliary Member Application 2007-2008

517th PRCT Auxiliary Officers and Committee Members 2007-2009

Claire Giblin

Hi, Ben -

Wow!!! What a FANTASTIC time we had in St. Louis!!!

It was great to meet so many new faces, and renew old acquaintances. That's how reunions work: new faces from DC in 07 are now the old friends in 08!

Bev Strothkamp and Chris Lindner did a most excellent job for our best ever reunion! They had a squad of volunteers that did not quit, and everyone was happy to be there! A dinner of pulled pork and beans appeared one night; yummies were always available. It was absolutely best ever!

Morris McDowell, thank you so much for the wonderful PowerPoint presentation honoring our fallen heroes. It was great and I know it ran at least three times.

A big thank you to Wade Gilbert, who lent us AV equipment and had it shipped to St. Louis. Wade is a great friend to the unit, and the 517th is grateful to him.

Terri Marrone and the Commemorative Airborne Jump Team did a great job! They jumped in the tiniest patch of good weather (we had all been chased back to the busses by the rain whipping across the fields), and it was beautiful. I first saw them last year, and it's not just the jump; it's the spirit behind it. They are a great bunch of people, eager to hear stories from our guys. They put all kinds of weaponry, uniforms and other WWII artifacts on display in the Hospitality Suite, so that young kids could hear about it from vets. It's wonderful.

Rob McDonald and Mary Lloyd McDonald came and filmed interviews with our vets. Professionally done in Hi Definition, the few minutes I've seen are incredible. Stay tuned for the dvd! Interviews were conducted by Pat O'Donnell, a longtime friend of the unit who has written books including history of the 517th and specializes in oral history. It was a solid step to preserve the history of the unit and to secure its legacy.

Lt. General Dick Seitz gave a beautiful tribute to Major Don Fraser, who died just seven months ago. His speech and that of Ralph Manley were the banquet highlights. Ralph Manley was with the 101st and jumped into Normandy; it was wonderful to meet him.

Many families came without their loved ones; at least two widows told me that it was their first reunion since their husbands had died, and they were so glad they'd come. It is a chance to honor their loved ones and help gain perspective on their war experience. Don't let a reunion go by; this is the chance to let your children hear stories from the mouths of our heroes.

We are especially grateful that three Auxiliary members have come forward to help host the 2009 national reunion: Robin Sperry (Al Sperry's daughter), Lory Curtis (Bud's son), and Barbara Herrmann (Ernie Gilbert's daughter). We are investigating where the 2009 reunion will be, and keep you posted on Mail Call and in the Thunderbolt. The 2009 reunion commemorates the 65th anniversary of the 1944 jump into southern France. Be there! Bring the kids! This is the chance to meet history, and we have so much fun!

As you may have gathered, there is interest in a trip to France next summer for the anniversary celebrations. Stay tuned; I am already contacting tour operators. If anyone has a friend or family member in the industry that should be offered the chance to give a quote, please let me know at clairejgib@comcast.net.

More next time, but remember: we have three reunions ahead of us in 2009: Kissimmee in January, Palm Springs in April, and the National Reunion in June or early July.

Stay tuned!

Claire Johnson Giblin

daughter of Allan Johnson

President, 517 Auxiliary

Tom McAvoy

Great listing of letters from people that appreciating the reunion Ben Tom McAvoy

Andrew Hill

Hi Ben,

My grandfather was Harry Hill (517th Company B). Please keep the mail calls coming to this address (andyhill72@yahoo.com). If possible, could you add my work e-mail address as well? Sometimes it's hard to read my personal e-mail but since I seem to always be at work I'd love to read the mail calls on my break. My work e-mail is andy.hill@usis.com

C.D.Murtaugh

The 517PIR has lost another. PFC Billy E. Dailey, Co.A, First Battalion, passed from this life on June 30,2008. He served his country well, first as a member of the 517th.,then over twenty years in the U.S. Air Force.

C.D.Murtaugh, Step-son.

Susan Wheeler Brock

Ben,

All the photo’s you sent in the mail have been removed at my end due potentially unsafe attachments. I do pray for our servicemen. Thank you so much for reminding me to remember our men and woman who are fighting for our freedom and those men who have fought in past wars and given their lives. I’m forever grateful.

Susan Wheeler Brock

Bob Barrett

There is a picture of “Hood” with D Company in the Mike Kane photos, Group 14.

http://517prct.org/photos/d_company_files/kane_company_d.htm

(L to R)- unknown, Hood, Featherston

Here is the story from Floyd Polk that mentions Ralph Hood. Note: William “Chuck” Thorng was KIA in Col de Braus: http://517prct.org/documents/thorng_silver_star.htm

Entry of Oct 01, 2005 at 16:56 [EST]
From: Floyd Polk , D Co.
Subject: Pathfinders

Read in Mail Call awhile back you said if any one knew about pathfinders to write you. I wasn't in the pathfinders but two men from my squad, Ralph Hood and William Thorng, was and I can tell you what they told us after they came back to the squad after the jump. There was three groups of ten that jump and I believe they only jump an hour before we did. Thorng and Hood's group landed on a hill side and they had no ideal where they were at. They started looking for the 517th and hadn't found anybody late in the morning. They were in deep woods when they came across a ditch and took a break. The Lt. in charge put Hood 30 ft. up the path from the ditch on guard. He said he was sitting their with his legs crossed and his Tommie gun laying in his lap when all of a sudden a German appeared on the path with a burp gun in his hand.

Hood said they saw each other about the same time and both were startled. Hood went for his gun but the German got off the first burst, the German missed but he said he believed his first bullet hit him right in the chest and that was the end of one good German. Hood jumped back in the ditch as fast as he could with the rest of the men and it wasn't but a short time before they were completely surrounded with Germans. One of the men got hit right in the middle of his hamlet by a German and when the helmet flew several feet in the air, Hood said he never heard such a horrible cheer in all of his life. The Lt. told them that they were going to start running down the ditch and everyone was to fire their gun, the first eight men got away and the ninth one was captured and the one that his helmet flew off was dead. The group kept traveling in the wooded areas and late in the afternoon they join up with some British paratroopers. I don't know why it took them so long but it took two weeks before Hood and Throng caught up with the squad.

P.S. Ben, I thought of one thing that might be of interest to you. Hood said everybody had tommie guns and all of them had taken the regular springs out and put machine gun springs in there place. It didn't take them but about two or three seconds to empty the twenty bullet clip.

Floyd Polk

Kathy Mcintosh

claire,

please let us know regarding the 2009 trip to LeMuy. i would love to take my dad, Jesse K Davis, B co. when we went in 04 that was the best time i ve ever seen him have. Especially the dinner in the town square with the 40's music. and he is 93 and still going strong. i am pretty sure he has 1 more trip to look forward to.

thanks kathy mcintosh

Susan Wheeler Brock

Dear Ben,

Yes, I would like to receive Mail Call. My address is brock45820@Bellsouth.net.

Thank you,

Susan Wheeler Brock (daughter of Richard H. Wheeler “B” Battery 460^th)

President Darrell Egner

Ben

Boy you recover fast from our great Reunion. Helen Beddow received a letter addressed to me at her home. She brought it to St. Louis and gave it to me un opened. I was a little busy so I put in my briefcase and found it when I unpacked. I didn't get home until late last night so I spent the day catching up.

The letter and a generous check was from James Dover. I found him listed in the last roster and he was in "B" Company but no E-mail address. Hope fully he is on Mail Call and will see this, otherwise I will Snail Mail him a copy of this and send his check on to Leo Dean.

He mentioned that he ran into Sam Povich during their military careers. James, Povich was at the Reunion. He also sent a message to Cameron Gauthier in the letter. James I am sad to report that Cameron passed away last week. I am taking the liberty of passing on a story he told regarding a night on the town in Florence, SC with Cameron. They had to get back to N.C. for a night jump so they borrowed a car from a local citizen and got back in time for the jump.

James I don't have a direct line to heaven so I could not get his permission to tell this great story. Hope this meets with your approval. We are already planning our 65th Reunion, the city has not been selected but hopefully the information will be in the next Thunderbolt which I hope you receive. If not please contact me and I will get you hooked up.

Thanks again for the nice check and I will expect to see you there.

Regards,

Darrell Egner