From: Ben517@aol.com
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2008 4:55 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: MAIL CALL NO. 1679- 517TH PRCT-DECEMBER 19, 2008
 
 
 70 Pleasant St. Cohasset, MA. 02025 ,781 383 0215 * Mail Call : Ben Barrett  Ben517@aol.com 
 
Hello,
 
 
 Please let me know if you want to receive Mail Calls or if you have a problem receiving them. You can always read back 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

517th Annual Florida Mini-Reunion January 17,18,19, 20, 2009

Banquet on the 20th (Tuesday) and Departing on the 21st (Wednesday)

Hosted by: Leila Webb, Location: Ramada Hotel & Inn Gateway

7470 Highway 192 West

Kissimmee, Florida  34747

Tele: 1(800)327-9170          FAX 1(407)396-4320

Contact: Leila Webb, Helen Beddow and Lou Darden

4155 Kissimmee Park Road

St. Cloud, Florida       34772

Tele:(407)892-3595

Room Rate - $65.00            Registration Fee - $40.00


                                                                  National Reunion

Palm Springs, CA                                                Salt Lake City

West Coast Party                                                July 2009

April 20-24, 2009


Lory Curtis
 
Lory, I commend you for chairing the the Salt Lake reunion.  With your keen talents and hig qualities of leadership I know that the reunion will be one of best reunions.  As concerns my being the guest speaker, I am honored that you have asked me to fill this important role.  However, I must decline. I think you have in the Utah National Guard Commander an ideal guest speaker.  No doubt he has deployed troops to harms way and give our 517th people some interesting comments.  Again, Cory the Association is fortunate to have you chairing the reunion.  Dick Seitz


-----Original Message-----
From: Lory Curtis
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 3:23 PM
To: seitz2@webtv.net
Subject: Salt Lake Reunion

Dear General Seitz:

I am emailing you in hopes that you are planning on attending the annual reunion in Salt Lake City, July 9-13, 2009.  You may know I have been asked to host the reunion, and I am making plans for various activities.  My request to you sir is, will you be our guest speaker at the banquet on Sunday evening, July 12th?  I know I would be trilled as would all others if you would speak to us about the 517th.  I unfortunately didn't attend the Savannah reunion and missed your excellent remarks.  It would be a great honor for all of us to here from you again.
Also, the jump demonstration team will not be able to travel out west for the reunion, so I have contacted 19th Special Forces Group to do a jump for us.  I have also requested their 23rd Army Band perform a concert, and finally I have invited the Commanding General of the Utah National Guard to attend our banquet, and give some opening remarks.
Thank you so very much for your consideration of this request.  I hope to see you and your family again in Salt Lake City in July.

Yours very truly,

Lory V. Curtis 

John Bucynski--John Alicki's nephew
GOOD MORNING:

WHILE WE STILL HAVE POWER TO USE MY WEBTV I WANT TO WISH YOU ALL A MERRY
CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.  LET'S HOPE 2009 PROVES TO BE BETTER
THAN 2008.

THERE IS A LARGE BLANKET OF SNOW HEADED THIS WAY (NEW HAMPSHIRE) AND
ANOTHER ROUND OF FREEZING ICE.  I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS AS I AM
A WARM WHETHER TYPE OF GUY.  IF I WAS SMART, I WOULD BE RESIDING IN
HAWAII.  AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS.

SEMPER FI,


JOHN.......................

"FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU"


Gina Votti
A Soldier's bravery lives on in the eyes, and hearts, of his grandchildren...

http://www.grayeagles.org/video.htm

Lori Curtis
Ben,
    My Dad also, saw the American soldiers murdered at Malmedy.  This
is what he told me, that I put in the book Letters Home a Paratroopers
Story. 

"The Battle of the Bulge ends with the capture of St. Vith, Belgium on
January 27, 1945.  All battalions are now ordered to rejoin the 517th
Regiment located in Stavelot.  Bud and others learn of the Malmedy
massacre where German SS troopers gunned down approximately 90 U.S.
Soldiers.   Bud hears of the
massacre and wants to see what happened.  Without telling anyone he
leaves Stavelot and walks through the snow approximately five miles to
Malmendy.  There the dead American soldiers were placed in a barn.  Bud
walks into the barn and no one notices him.  He walks through the barn
looking at the dead American soldiers.  Bud described, “All of them
were still frozen with the hands over the heads.”  Bud still says
today, “They were surrendering and the Germans murdered them.”
After seeing these bodies Bud leaves the barn and walks back to
Stavelot.  He does not tell anyone where he has been and they didn’t
notice he was even gone, but Bud would remember for the rest of his life
what he saw in that barn."

Lory Curtis, son of Bud Curtis, HQ, 1st BN
Fred Scheurwater
Hello Ben,
 
We have last weekend near by Bastogne in the place named Flamierge a remembrance for the fallen soldiers and specially to the 517th Airborne.
Look for the photo's.
Persons present where Joe Bossi, WWII Veteran Maurice Sperandieu (Pattons 3rd Army) and a lot of other people.
 
I wish you all a merry christmas and a happy new year.
 
Kind regards,
 
Fred Scheurwater
Tom McAvoy

 

Subject: THE STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE: LEST WE FORGET

http://www.wtv-zone.com/Mary/STORYBEHINDTHEPICTURE.HTML


Bob Barrett

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/yourtown/content/local_news/epaper/2008/12/15/a1a_bulge_1216.html


1941: Hitler becomes army commander

Adolf Hitler announced today he had stripped Field Marshal Gen. Walter von Brauchitsch of his command, assuming the position of Commander-in-Chief of the German Army himself. "The German nation heard its most grievous news since Adolf Hitler put on his gray uniform Sept. 1, 1939, to wear to victory or death, when it was told last night that its fuehrer had cast aside the man to whom he had given command of his armies," explained the Winnipeg Free Press on December 22, 1941. NOTE: Hitler had reportedly fired Von Brauchitsch when the former Army commander opposed a plan to immediately invade the British Isles.