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

 

Hello,

 

We will let all know when the 517th film is available.

 

Please send links  when possible. It saves me for searching for the link and saves space on Mail Call.

 

Donations for whatever program involving the 517th should be sent to our treasurer Leo Dean at 14 Stonehenge Lane,Albany 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

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Website                                www.517prct.org  
Mail Call                               Ben517@aol.com
Mail Call Archives                 www.517prct.org/archives
Roster                                  www.517prct.org/roster.pdf

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Recent website additions:

More photos from Europe trip 2009 - Parts 5 and 6

Myrle Traver, F Co. biography

Michael A. Sura, H Co. biography

St. Cezaire and Les Arcs today

 

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Barbara J. (Johnston) Fei

 

Dear Mr. Barrett,

 

I just noticed on the up-dated Web-site for the 517th that several of you were in Europe last month and went to St. Jacques, Belgium.  You very kindly enclosed some photographs you had taken while there, and one of them included the base of the candle stick on the alter in the little church which had been engraved with my husband's name, Milton W. Johnston.  This is the first time I have learned of this and I wonder if any of you "vets" knew Milt, if any of the Belgians knew him, or, anyway, how or why was his name chosen to be on one of the candle sticks?  We were never told very much about Milt's death, although his good friend Joe Williams (now deceased) did come to see me and Milt's mother soon after the war was over, but, as I found from others, he didn't want to talk very much about the horrors you brave fellows had been through.  I have been trying to tell my daughter (whom Milt never got to see) and her two sons, all that I can remember about those days in Toccoa and Camp McCall.  At age 85 I am a little hazy on details, as I'm sure you understand.  And so, if you have any information about Milt that you could share with us, we would be most grateful.  Milt's mother died years ago but his sister just died 3 months ago and I know she would love to have known about the candle stick with Milt's name on it.  In the last few months of her life she spoke frequently about her "little brother" and how the dirty Germans had killed him.

 

Thanks to all of you for all you have, and continue to do for the rest of us.  One of Milt's grandsons is involved with the computer business and is "blown away" by the magnificent Web-site that the 517th has and keeps up to date.  We have a copy of "The Paratroopers' Odyssey" and we will added the movie to our memorabilia when it is distributed.

 

Sincerely,

 

Barbara J. (Johnston) Fei

e-mail:  bjfei@comcast.net

 

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Milton was in B Co. Can anyone helps us find the necessary information? I have contacted our friends in Belgium. Ben

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Merle McMorrow

 As many of you know a number of members from the 517^th Association and Auxiliary visited Europe in August 2009. Ben Barrett and family, along with Lud Gibbons and Marty Donnahoo flew to Brussels on Friday August 7^th. They met the Frice family in Manhay on August 9^th. These two families had a busy two days visiting monuments, presenting plaques, handing out hundreds of pins and website cards, visiting cemeteries and greeting and visiting with old friends. Some of the more important friends were Marie Gaspar, Irma and Arnold Targnion and Eddy Monfort. During this time, Ben, who was wounded near Bergevel, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, attempted to find the location where this incident happened.

That evening there was a garden party at the home of Patricia and Roland Orengo’s home located on the edge of Sospel. There was a huge amount of French food much of it prepared by Patricia’s mother. The following morning a tour of Sospel, a meeting and lunch with the Mayor, presentation of plaques, copies of the Paratrooper’s Odyssey for the library and others and a trip into the country to view the south end of the Maginot Line where it terminates near the Italian border. I had heard so much about this defensive installation during the war but never really understood what it was. Now I saw a part of it first-hand.

Following World War I the French military were certain that the German anger over the Versailles Treaty would all but guarantee Germany would seek revenge. Not wanting to ever suffer such appalling damage to property and loss of life as that suffered in the period 1914-1918, the French military favored adopting a strategy that would prevent any future German invasion. There were three schools of thought:

1. France should adopt a policy of offense. Some saw this as offensive and would probably cause a German response.

2. France should base its defense in a line of small heavily defended areas from which a counterattack could be launched if required.

3. France should build a long line of fortifications along the entire French-German border. They didn’t believe they would need to extend it through the Ardennes area since that was considered impenetrable. As we know that is exactly where the Germans went in 1940 and again in 1944.

Marshall Petain favored the long border defense. In the south end it was nothing more than series of large forts. The steep geography like that around Sospel and the Rhine River provided its own defense between France and Germany. It was at one these forts that hot, sunny August afternoon that we were able to understand the concept of the defensive measure intended to protect the country.

The large forts were 9 miles apart and housed 1,000 men each. Each fort had the necessary firepower to cover the two nearest forts north and south. Between these large forts were smaller forts housing between 200 and 500 men each depending on their size.

The fort we entered had sleeping quarters, and tunnels leading to power facilities, medical rooms, ammunition stores, supply stores and anything else necessary for living underground for extended periods of time. All very interesting but not very practical since it obviously was not mobile.

Friday morning August 14^th we left for Le Muy by way of Col de Braus. We stopped at the Cafe and presented Philippe and Elizabeth Barralis with a plaque for their 517^th Honor Wall. The city of Le Muy had planned a 3-day celebration for the 65^th anniversary of their liberation. There were plaque presentations made to the Mayor, Eric and Mickael from the Museum, copies of Paratrooper’s Odyssey presented to library and others.

The laying of a wreath at the city monument in Le Muy took place on August 15^th and the French Legion of Merit was presented to Ben Barrett, Lud Gibbons, Allan Johnson, Leo Dean Hal Beddow and Gene Frice. It is one of France’s highest awards. The three days were a series of luncheons, parades, films, concerts and fireworks.  The Barret name was displayed on a building that many of you may have seen in the pictures on the Internet. We found out later the family owning the building was named Barret.

A ceremony at the Rhone-American Cemetery in Draguinan was held during our visit and was very emotional. A lady I had met during a visit to Draguinan in 2004 sought me out at the cemetery. She had come from Duluth, Minnesota prior to marrying a Frenchman and now was a teacher of English in their school system. She told me they refer to Ben Barrett as The Darling of Draguinan. Ben doesn’t appreciate or recognize the good he has done for America by his communication with the world through the Internet. He deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his meritorious contribution to the security or national interest of the United States and world peace.

One of the nicest things that happened to Mardy and I during our trip was getting to know Ben’s family. We did have the opportunity to know Fran years ago at the Kissimmee meetings. We always told her she could have done so much better than Ben. Both Ben and Fran have a family that reminded us of the Cleaver Family in the TV program “Leave it to Beaver”. Their children are helpful and show respect for each other and the grandchildren have that childhood of innocence that can only be displayed when happiness exists.