Palm
Springs,
CA Thursday
July 9 thru July 13
West
Coast Party
April
20-24,2009
Claire Giblin
hey Ben -
Enfrance Tours is offering a tour for the men and women
of the 517 family.
They are offering several different pricing levels in
an effort to make it available to as many troopers as possible.
Please,
think about traveling to France and Belgium this summer. It is truly the
trip of a lifetime, and it will be really special to visit for the 65th
anniversary.
You can also see Enfrance Tours online at
enfrancetours.com
Join your friends in France this summer!
My best
to all -
Claire Giblin
Tom Reber
Dear Ben,
Welcome back, trooper! It is great to have you back,
large and in charge.
I have heard from Orene Walton, J.B. Walton's wife (F Co.),
that JB has been in the process of recovery, from his recent stroke.
To facilitate his recovery and care, JB is presently established
at:
Thomson Hood Veterans Center
Room 115B
100 Veterans Drive
Wilmore, KY 40390
JB is doing better, but is still confined to a wheelchair and
has difficulty with his speech and the use of his right hand and right
side.
Orene knows that any cards or correspondence to the former F
Company scout would be a major morale boost to this tough trooper. Please
join me in sending JB some mail.
I hope the postal service has a big carrier working this
route, because I know the 517th family will respond with a flood!
Best regards, Ben -- good to have you back on the
job!
Tom Reber
son of Lt. Robert Reber HQ 3rd
Subject: Can you help me?
Dear
Webmaster,
Hello, my name is Daniel Steinberg and I am very interested to
find any
information anyone might have about my grandfather Daniel F.
Bellonio. His
name is mentioned at the website
:
http://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/460/460.html (460th parachute
field
artillery battalion Unit History). The second paragraph said this about
him
March 2, 1943: 84 enlisted men of the 377th Parachute Field
Artillery
Battalion were assigned as cadre to the 460th. April 10, 1943:
Captain
William Ennis, 1st Lieutenant Louis Vogel and eight enlisted men:
1st
Sergeant Joseph Koch. Staff Sergeant Edward Johnson, Staff Sergeant
Donald
Kirk, Tech Sergeant George Hubbard, Corporal John Fuller, Sergeant
Daniel
Bellonio, Sergeant Jack Luddy and Sergeant Joseph Verbosky, were
ordered to
Camp Toccoa, GA for temporary duty in connection with reception,
screening
and assignment of recruits for the 460th Parachute Field
Artillery
Battalion. Men selected were shipped to Camp Mackall, NC
where the 17th
Airborne Division was being formed.
Now in the
Christmas 1994 roster of the 517th PICT my grandfather Daniel F.
Bellonio is
said to be a private in the 460th Field Artillery Battalion as
part of the HQ
battery. I am wondering how he went from a Sergeant to a
private.
I
read something about the 462th PFAB about LT Col Forrest R. Armstrong who
was
also stationed at Fort Bragg like the 460th. It it talks about
Armstrong's
unique disciplinary approach, how in one instance two men who
got drunk stole
a locomotive and derailed it in Hoffman, NC was dismissed
with "boys will be
boys". Now the interesting thing is that my mom told me
once that when my
grandfather was in the army he hijacked a train. This may
be just a
coincidence but is there a way to know for sure that it was my
grandfather
they are referring to. Has anyone heard of this? Could this have
been why my
grandfather was promoted down from Sargent to private?
I have recently
requested some books on the 517th PRCT from the
international library
exchange at my school. I am looking forward to seeing
if there is any
information at all concerning particularly my grandfather.
If there is any
information you may have or a direction you can point me to
help me on my
quest I would greatly appreciate it.
I look forward to hearing from
you,
Daniel Steinberg
**********
Can anyone help Daniel?-Ben
Pat Seitz and Allan Greer
Dear Ben: Three things:
Please thank Wayne Cross for the picture of and
comments about Col. John Lissner. He is in my daily thoughts as I was
blessed to have him as my Godfather (thanks to my Dad, who once said he wasn't
quite sure why he picked Uncle John considering how frequently the two of them
used to get into trouble!). Uncle John's faith was unwavering,
rock solid and his spirit is still looking out for all of us with that old
twinkle in the eye.
A second thank you to Gilles Guignard for the
picture and story about Madame Arnulf.
And thank you to you for sharing Howard Hensleigh's
and Dad's correspondence with Jean-Loup Gassend.
Pat Seitz and Alan Greer
