Dear Ben,

I read the following from Howard Hensleigh in  MAIL CALL NO 1908  with a complete agreement and appreciation of the problem; however, the oversights of historical coverage are not limited to the larger organizations in the military.  I often wonder, although nods of appreciation appear now and then in these Mail Calls, at the infrequent references to the Service Company of the 517th .   As I understand it personnel of the Service Company, as well as others, were often assigned for short periods and then  returned to their home company .  While  so assigned their small group or individual contributions, even those occurring after scattered drops delayed reassembly, were seldom acknowledged and were usually attributed to the larger Company  involved in the action.   Perhaps I have missed such acknowledgments; however since my now deceased father in law, listed in the 1944 Christmas Roster,  was in the Service Company from North Carolina to Germany, with time out for wound recoveries, I search carefully for Service Company references as I read current and archived Mail Calls.  As an example, he was wounded during the Bulge Battle, but I am unable to discover whether he was with the first or third battalion.   If I am wrong and there are frequent references I would appreciate knowing their location so that my informal notes will have more meaning for his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

My point:  If it happened within the 517th PRCT, even in the press of combat conditions, where administrative control was in place it will inevitably and unfortunately happen when arm chair historians seek to deal with such sweeping actions.  Correct information usually requires research and dedication.  Most readers do not take the extra steps to identify the particular participants.

Harris Johnson