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

Hello,

Arrived home at 5:00 Am. Prepared Mail Call. AOL ate it. Second attempt. May be incomplete or lost. Was planning to send it out in two parts. Forget font and color AND COMPOSITION

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:

Pvt. Harry A. Hill, B Company - 200 photos and clippings

Pvt. Richard L. Lynam, H Company, KIA

Operation Dragoon After Action Reports

Mail Handling Procedure During the Invasion of Southern France

Photo from St. Cezaire

Click on National Reunion

Salt Lake City

July 9-13, 2009

Tom Copsey

Thanks Ben but unless others sign up for the En France Tour I may not make it. I meant for you to put my notice about En France still willing to do the tour if at least 3 other folks sign up in the newsletter

Lory Curtis

Ben,

The reunion in Salt Lake is only 70 days away. I hope as many as possible are making plans to attend. Get those registrations in ASAP! I want to know how many individuals would like to purchase paratrooper jump wings with the combat star in the risers? What makes these wings special is the combat star in the risers. This recognizes the combat jump of the 517th into Southern France on August 15, 1944. There are very few soldiers that have the honor to have a combat star in their wings. Our local Army PX can get these wings with the star for me if I let them know in advance. I think many sons/daughters, and friends would like to have them as a souvenirs. Please let me know through mailcall if you would like me to order you these wings. They will cost $10. I will have them for you at the reunion in July.

Lory Curtis, son of Bud Curtis, HQ 1st Bn.

Lory Curtis

Ben,

I have been receiving telephone calls from around the nation about the national reunion in Salt Lake City. Apparently, my name and phone number has been listed in the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) magazine. I have received some wonderful calls from 517th Troopers. They are Marion "Bud" Busch (Last name Funkenbusch when in the 517th) of F Company. Bud lives in Tacoma Washington. He told me he is not well enough to attend the reunion, but sends his greetings to his 517th brothers. Also Sherwood Carter, I Company, 517th. Sherwood lives in San Diego and will try to attend the reunion. Neither of these two troopers have email so if you any of you want to contact them please let me know through mailcall. In addition Grant Doherty, of Phoenix, AZ, son of Edward Doherty contacted me about the 517th and the reunion. His Dad has passed on, and he does not know which company his Dad was in. Can you tell me if you know which company his Dad served in?

I hope everyone is planning for to attend the National Reunion in Salt Lake City, July 9-13th. Get your reservations in there are only 70 days left.

Lory Curtis, son of Bud Curtis, HQ, 1st Bn.

Tom McAvoy

Hey Bob Vaught Good to hear you are coming along? I had mine 3-4 years ago A piece of cake?? Now I am having so much trouble with my hips goodness I had my right hip replaced 2 years ago that was also a piece of cake compared to the both knee replacement/?/ Tom McAvoy

Don Gentry

Hello Ben, I would like to contact Andy Hill regarding his B Company photos. There are many photos that I can provide time and place for him and would like to get him squared away. I am on my second pass through and can start breaking these photos into several categories and dates. Would be nice to have a copy of his discharge papers.

Andy is just a days drive from here. We might get together depending on where we can meet, maybe is Spokane. I would like to get some real high resolution scans of some of these pictures.

Please pass this to Andy. I could not find an address for him.

Andy, my cousin Richard Baysinger was also in B company.

And Thanks for your service to everyone. Richard and I will be planning our trip to SLC soon.

Don R. Gentry MSG Ret.
US Army Security Agency
3110 2nd St. SE
East Wenatchee, WA 98802

509-884-2245 Leave a short message and I will return the call.

Nancy Fraser Armand

Dear Ben,

Plan to see you in Salt Lake with my sister Bonnie Littlefield (daughter of Don Fraser). She will not be planning to go on to Belgium and France as her husband lost his job. However I will plan to go to Belgium and France in August, but I need to know if you are going with the EnFrance Tour or not?. Eileen Broudy is talking to me about meeting up in France. This weekend I will plan to call you. Please send me your phone number. How is Claire after coming back from Mexico?

How is Colonel Boyle doing?

Talk later,

Nancy Fraser Armand

Dan Curtis

Hello Ben to all the troopers and families,
I will be going to Washington DC with my son on May 28th-29th for his eigth grade trip the week of Memorial Day. We are both named for my Uncle Danny Ogniewski Co D.KIA, and look forward to the trip. I know the class teacher is planning a trip to Arlington and the World War II Memorial. Is there anything special you all can share with me to make this trip even more special then I know it will be? You all mean so much to me and my famly, God Bless you all for all you do to keep all the memories and sacrafices alive!
Thanks Dan Curtis
Danny Og's nephew

Thomas F. Finley,III

Ben,

This is for Andy Hill regarding his grandfather's photos. I spent time in Nice in August 2007 before and after the Liberation Celebration and recognize some of the locations. My son and I took several hundred photos in this area.

Photos 18 through 37 were taken in the Nice area, along the Promenade d'Anglais, which turns into the "Blvd of the United States" Many of those buildings and the landscape have not changed a great deal. There don't appear to be any soldiers in them, and from the composition, my guess is they were purchased. Perhaps your grandfather had a pass to Nice sometime after 15 August and picked these up to remember.

#18 Nice looking from the north to the south with view of the "Old Port"

#19 Along the Promenade

#20 Along the Promenade- beachside casino, not there today.

#21?

#22 Nice- the Promenade, little north of the Hotel Negresco

#23 Nice- the "old town" area near the base of Cemetery Hill and the Cours Saleya. Same women as in #37

#24 the Promenade

#25 public park on the Promenade, still there. Adjacent to the current Hotel Meridien (don't stay there)

#26 beachside casino in # 20, taken near the park

#27 Nice beach including #19-26 looking southward. Photo taken from the side of Cemetery Hill about where the current Hotel Suisse is now (best place to stay for view in my opinion)

#28 on the corniche road looking south to the old port of Nice, Cemetery hill, and the beach area (out of sight. Road leads to Cape Ferrat and Monaco

#29 Nice-the Promenade at night, looking to the north and Cemetery Hill

#30 Nice, beach at the Ruhl (still there) and the domed hotel on the left is the famous Negresco (still there)

#31 another shot of #20, not there now

#32 Nice-the old port looking north to where #28 was shot

#33 Nice the Promenade and beach looking north

#34 same bldg as #20 an 31

#35 another view of the park, same as #25

#36 the Promenade looking north, taken about where the Hotel Negresco is

#37 the same young ladies in #23 but taken near the beach, perhaps with the bldg in #20 in background

Andy, I hope this helps you out. I also hope you can see Nice, Le Muy, La Motte, Les Arcs, Chateau Roseline and the American Cemetery at Draguignan and experience the warmth and gratitude of the French in the South.

Best wishes,

Thomas F. Finley,III

LTC(Ret)

Don Gentry

Andy and Bob
Hello Ben, please feel free to edit as you wish.

In a message dated 4/28/2009 4:09:40 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, Ben517 writes:

For Gilles Guignard, Andy and Bob,

Regarding "the WW2 US Army paratrooper ovals, they were fixed above the left breast pocket and the jumpwings were pinned on the "oval".

Gentry comment: Back in the day.....Blue was for Infantry and Red was for Artillery and Engineers. I believe that is still the way it is. On the PRCT home page both the 460th and 596th patches have red backgrounds and the 517 PIR has blue. The Parachutist Badge would be worn within the appropriate oval probably on a dress or class A uniform. I need help here. Comments welcome.

New Topic: Some enlisted hat patches are worn on the left side and officers on the right. Then I see some troopers that are enlisted and have the patch on the right side. I have seen this more than a few times. Most recent is James Perry photo from Wesley Perry.

Early 1944 - Picture with Friend Jim Harrison.

Note: Jump wings and 13^th Airborne Patch

Yellow Unicorn on Blue Patch

Just wondering. Thanks, Don Gentry

Welsey Perry

My grandfather was also with the 82nd during occupation. He was part of the 1st AATF in Southern France and then went on with the 82nd after they disbanded the division. I was wondering if you would like to swap stories, photos, documents or what ever. If so email me at makwaperry@yahoo.com when ever you get time.

Thanks

Wesley Perry