Dear Rick,

Many times the relatives of a trooper write us asking if anyone can tell them what their father, grandfather or uncle did in the 517th.  Sometimes someone knew him well and can give a good personal account and that is satisfying.  Whether or not we can do this, an interested person can learn much from historical accounts as you have done by reading this report on the Bergstein attack.  So, I will pass on this suggestion to those relatives and friends who are interested in knowing what a particular person did in the outfit.  Having a copy of the Odyssey is a must because it is a chronological history of the 517th.  They are still for sale at reunions and by mail if you send Leo Dean $22.50 for a copy.  Even if the person in which you have an interest is not mentioned by name, his company or battery will be covered.  You can get a clear picture of what he went through by by realizing as you read that he took every step and faced every hardship endured by his unit.  Rick, you have done that very well in reading the Bergstein report, getting a copy of the 13th Division history and other historical documents. 

There is one item in all that I have read that needs better explanation--the experience of being exposed to the enemy flares as the 2nd and 3rd Battalions made that Bergstein night attack.  As the author of this report states, all the troopers were bunched up in a column of companies.  We had to be in step with the guy in front of us and close enough to reach out and touch him in order to keep contact and not get ourselves lost as well as everyone that followed us.  Our being bunched up presented the enemy with an excellent target for small arms of all types, artillery and mortar fire.  But we were safe as it was a black night and no one could see us.  Then we heard a small pop and seconds later a flare burst high in the sky making it bright as daylight.  This lasted several minutes that seemed like hours.  We froze in position, as any movement would make a bad situation worse. But, there we were out in the open in plane sight with a feeling of being naked in public with the lights turned on.  This happened several times as we headed on down to the valley in which the targeted dams were located.  A few verses of the 23rd Psalm ran through my mind, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death", but it took real trust of fear no evil on that night.  I may not have explained it well, but this is my best shot and I am sure all the troopers who were there will remember. 

So, read the historical documents with your relative in mind which will give you an idea of his experiences, as Rick has.  We had a lot of fun too and laced everything we could with Humor and a laugh.

Airborne regards,  Howard Hensleigh