Dear Ben,   I have found some info about Alvin Schultz's unit.   The 517th Port Battalion was a supply unit attached to the Transportation Corps. Constituted 9 April 1943 in the Army of the United States as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 517th Port Battalion, Transportation Corps Activated 4 June 1943 in England Reorganized and re-designated 26 November 1944 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 517th Port Battalion.   The 798th Company was a company of the 517th Port Bn.   The 517th Port Battalion was inactivated 25 June 1946 in Belgium   I haven't found any official history yet as for the campaigns but for sure it has nothing to do with the 517th PRCT.   Here is a little tribute slideshow I put up yesterday showing A Company at the Canino Airfield, Italy, on August 14, 1944.   Here is the link:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN0GMPPkLnU   Kind regards, Gilles Howard Hensleigh Ben, When we had our reunion at Savannah several years ago there were some who said it should be the last one and that with all the troopers dieing off we should fold up or have the reunions in the same place like Benning or Bragg, similar to the way the minis are held.  We got the Auxiliary going and some new energy and ideas along with it.  The reunions are a vacation for some families and the different cities provide varying sightseeing opportunities for attendees of all ages, as demonstrated by Washington, DC and Salt Lake City.  I was happy to leave things to the majority of attendees as we have always done.  Some day there will be no more 517th reunions, but I will let the majority decide when that time comes.  Since my traveling days are over, others will decide.  Howard Hensleigh Frederic Brega (French friend and Historian) Hi Ben,  Thanks for your reply. I understand your / Bob’s position. Relics are interesting when directly linked to a real story (Moles’ helmet, Whidden’s dog tag etc…) I totally agree with you. The pity is that sometimes collectors are focused on the item only, without taking good care of the precious history around it. My suggestion of a virtual museum was to repair this situation, and give back the full historical dimension to each relic. But again, you are right in your observations on which I fully agree. The 517th Association can be proud of the huge work done to gather the 517th family together, and the website is the main tool for that, thanks to you dedication. Few units have such a living memory, you can be proud of it!  Take care, Fred  Frederic Brega Sales Director Frank and  Koral Vella Hello Ben, We hope this email finds you and your family well. This past weekend we had the opportunity to visit the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning in Columbus, GA. It has been open for about 6 months. It is a truly wonderful museum. The exhibits are very well done, especially the WWII exhibit. The museum is not quite complete. They are still working on sections that will cover from the Revolutionary War to the Spanish-American War. The web site for the museum is http://www.nationalinfantrymuseum.com/.  The museum has a “Dedicate a Paver” program along the Soldier Center’s Heritage Walk. We purchased pavers for our fathers. The paver program can be found at http://www.nationalinfantrymuseum.com/?page_id=67.  Thank you for the find job and effort you are doing for the association.  Sincerely,  Karol and Frank Jay Sutcliffe Hey Ben Somehow the best part of the e-mail I sent got truncated! Here’s the video that goes along with the verbiage Thanks jhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx9LVv-icIY Paul Abbene Greetings Ben, First off I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Ben I might be late to the game with this idea but if those in charge  of the 517th film project are looking for outlets (such as The  History Channel) for the film they might contact The Smithsonian  Channel.  I noticed the Smithsonian Channel has been running various  WWII documentaries and "War Stories" films .  I'm sure a contact  could be found through their website. all the best my friend, Paul Abbene Wayne Cross In a recent mailcall, Howard commented how although the 517th was attached to the 7th Armored Division, the task of capturing MANHAY fell largely to the 3rd Battalion.  What follows is taken from an Operation Report of the Headquarters, XVIII Corps (Airborne) dated 19 December to 13 February 1945: (27 Dec 1944)  "The 3rd Battalion, less (1) company, of the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team, with the 1st Platoon of the 596th Airborne Engineer Company and one (1) demolition section, was attached to the 7th Armored Division on 26 December 1944, with the mission of recovering MANHAY.  At 0100 hours, 27 December 1944, the battalion moved south and attacked the town.  By 0300 hours, it had cleared half of MANHAY.  The last pockets of resistance were cleared up and the enemy driven south by 0400 hours.  Identification of prisoners disclosed that the attack on MANHAY had been carried out by units of the 3d and 4th Panzer Grenadier Regiments of the 2d Panzer Division.  The enemy counterattacked against MANHAY at 0430 hours, but were driven off.  The engineer platoon cleared the MANHAY road of mines and enemy obstacles, and a platoon of medium tanks of the 7th Armored Division moved in to support the defense at this point" This action began to turn the tide of battle back to the Allies and is an action worthy of much more attention than historians have focused on it thus far.  Thank God there are still men left that can tell the story based on first hand accounts of the battle or historians might lose the contributions of independent Airborne units like the 517th, 509 and 551st.  The 551st came through the Bulge with around 100 survivors.  One Company of the 551st was down to 6 effectives by the 10th of January I have received the information below many times.  It  is a Hoax.   Isn't is amazing how a film could last so long in a camera without disintegrating?   Fantastic photos taken 68 years ago  PHOTOS STORED IN AN OLD BROWNIE CAMERA Thought you might find these photos very interesting; what quality from 1941. Pearl Harbor photos found in an old Brownie stored in a foot locker. And just recently Taken to be developed. THESE PHOTOS ARE FROM A SAILOR WHO WAS ON THE USS QUAPAW ATF-11O. I THINK THEY'RE SPECTACULAR! PEARL HARBOR December 7th, 1941                                                ***************** A few errors in above mail. It was not a sailor who filmed  the pictures. It was Superman! He would have had to be at Pearl Harbor aboard his ship, on the ground,and aloft in an airplane. All while the attack was in progress. The USS QUAPAW ATF-11O. was not built until well after Pearl Harbor attack The photos are accurate, but have been in news reels and various publications many times- Ben