From: Ben517@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 7:22 PM
To: Ben517@aol.com
Subject: MAIL CALL NO. 1771 -517TH PRCT- APRIL 14, 2009
70 Pleasant St. Cohasset, MA. 02025 ,781 383 0215 * Mail Call : Ben Barrett  Ben517@aol.com 
 
Hello,
Leave for California tomorrow night, visit Howard Hensleigh Thursday, meet Allan Johnson at San Francisco Friday and go to Lake Tahoe. Leave Sacramento Monday with Allan for Palm Springs Reunion
 
 
 Send contributions for Film Project to.
  
                                         Leo Dean             

Update on the                  14 Stonehenge Lane

517th Film Project            Albany, NY  12203

 
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

Recent website additions:
Reunion info:                                                

Irma and Arnold Targnion

 

Dear Ben,
We are very excited about your visit. We are ready to help. you may rent a van in France or you may come by train. From liège or from Luxembourg, all the trains have a stop in Trois-Ponts. Our friends and members could transport you all with their own car and visit all the places you wishes in this area. We could also organise some ceremonies at the US monuments and meeting with the Mayor and people. It would be nice if we could know the dates in august. We wish to have you as guest at home. Warm regards. Irma and Co
Pat Seitz and Allan Greer
 
To Bob Barrett:  Great job with the updated photos of Howard Hensleigh.  Thank you.  Howard's life exemplifies the fact that the 517th men were stellar in battle and when they returned home to civilian life.  We are so blessed to have this site and the opportunity to be connected with these heroes. 
Pat Seitz and Alan Greer
Grace Spano
 
TO: HOWARD HENSLEIGH....YOUR E-MAIL IS SO MOVING.  I APPRECIATE YOUR KIND WORDS AND WILL SEND A COPY TO EACH OF OUR CHILDREN WHO WERE ALWAYS SO PROUD OF THEIR DAD AND LOVED HIM SO MUCH.  I WILL KEEP YOUR LETTER ALWAYS.
THANK YOU AGAIN.
 
MRS. GRACE SPANO
Nancy Fraser Armand

Dear Ben,

On behalf of our family (Don Fraser) I am planning to go over for the 65th anniversary, but am not sure how this will work. I would like to plan to go to Belgium, as well as to France. There is a chance Eileen Broudy may also make this trip.

I will contact Claire tomorrow as well as pass on her email to Vanessa, as she is studying in Paris at the present time. She is also trying to email Lizzy and Michael and they have not responded (for the past year). We hope we have the right email address.

Talk soon,

Nancy Fraser Armand

Merle McMorrow

Ben:
 
I am interested. With a bus and our own driver we could go where we want to when we want to.
 
                                       Merle
Dennis Sura
Ben what are the details for the reunion in France this Summer of 2009?
 
Dennis Sura
Dennis Sura
Howard, I printed out and read the report of the engagement detailed by Capt. Roland Gohment on the attack of the 3rd Battalion of the 517th referenced above.  On page 12 there is reference to someone set of a trip wire flare that caused enemy machine guns to open up from several positions.  My dad had told me this story about engaging the trip wire and taking a step away and hitting the deck.  He mentioned his relief that it was a trip flare.
 
In his story he also said he and George Monkhouse came upon a embrasure (pillbox) and Monkhouse went in and killed everyone inside. He beckoned my father in but dad said to come out to insure Monkhouse was not indeed captured.  Monkhouse came out was stressed out from his face to face encounter and they got back to their own lines.
 
The reason I am telling you this is to try to verify that this story was related to this report.  Dad was a scout and it seems that this incident was too coincidental to be repeated in another engagement.  I thought that Monkhouse and Sura got to the pillbox before dad set off the trip flare.  Dad was wounded as he lay in the mine field on 2/6/45 where his company was under machine gun and mortar fire.  Dad mentioned that medics laid gauze strips through the minefield to get troopers our safely.  On page 15 of the report it was stated the engineers laid the path through with engineer tape.
 
I am just trying to relate dad's story to me back in the 1950's to what seems to be the actual facts as recorded in this report.  Can you help to verify this or reference to someone who can.
 
Dennis Sura son of Michael Sura, H Company, 3rd platoon, 2nd squad.
Lory Curtis
Ben,
My brother Tim is heading for Belgium next month and asked me to put this on Mailcall for him: 
   "Since I don’t know how to respond to mail call can you send out a note, that I will be in Brussels Belgium on May 29th. Please ask if anyone can give me directions to any plaques or memorials to the 517th in the area."  
 
Any help anyone can give me to forward to Tim would be greatly appreciated.
 
Jeff Barrett

Dear Mr. Dean:

 Please accept the enclosed contribution of $1000.00 toward the 517 Film Project in honor of my father Benedict J. Barrett, H Company.  We would like to dedicate this gift to the 517th from his grandchildren Casey, Liam and Shannon.  We look forward to seeing the final project and appreciate all of the hard work that will make this venture a reality.

 Sincerely,

 Jeffrey, Kathy-Jean, Casey, Liam and Shannon Barrett