From: Ben517@aol.com
Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 9:25 PM
To: Ben517@aol.com
Subject: MAIL CALL N0. 1963 - 517TH PRCT- JANUARY 29, 2010
70 Pleasant St. Cohasset, MA. 02025 ,781 383 0215 * Mail Call : Ben Barrett  Ben517@aol.com 

 
 http://bands.army.mil/music/bugle/calls/mailcall.mp3< Click on
 
Hello,
 
IMPORTANT  Have you receive recent Mail Calls? If not please let me know. AOL problem.Click on Archives www.517prct.org/archives to read past Mail Calls
 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
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:

 

Kenneth Goodbrake, Reg. HQ, Demo Platoon
Floyd A. Stott, I Company bio
Gen. Frederick and Col. Graves
NY Times Newspaper clippings, 1945-46
To the Ardennes - Life magazine photo, 1944
 
Karen Wallace
 
Hi Ben,
 
Hope all is well with you and your family.  Sure had a great time with all of you this summer.  When can we do it again? 
I am helping Bill Christian with the reunion this year. I am sending you the agenda and hotel info for Palm Springs.  Please put on mailcall like you always have.  Hope to have a good turnout.  Well will talk to you soon and hope you make it to the reunion.
 
Thanks for all you do,
 
Karen Wallace 
 
Palm Springs reunion April 12- April 16.  Details in next Mail Call.
Tom Reber
 
Dear Ben,
 
I have enclosed a link to the Lexington Herald-Leader, which describes a bit about JB Walton and his long overdue medals award ceremony.
 
Please pass this along in Mail Call.  Orene called us to let us know about it.  The 3rd photo in the photo box, is of JB.
 
I have been getting Mail Calls all along.  You are doing a great job, Ben, and we all appreciate you.
Best wishes to the Povich family and their challenges.
 
Regards,
 
Tom Reber
son of Lt. Bob Reber, HQ 3rd
Gene Frice
 
Ben,
    Thunderbolt coming through fine. Sorry about the continuing computer blips. Tell everyone hello and thanks for everyone's good work. 
    I will send in bulletin for Palm Springs for  12-16 Apr. We return to our old (now new) hotel that we used for so many previous years. The management has contracted to provide all the services (room, food, reservations, hospitality room, etc. at the same prices we received at the Ramada for the last few years.
     Sorry to hear of Sam Povich (and Irene's) injuries. Their strong people. I am quite familiar with people running red lights and broad siding one's vehicle (and I was driving a police car). Very painful visit to hospital.
    Well...the Wallace (Frice) Ski Patroller clan is off to the Olympics, Vancouver, Canada, B.C. (it's work not vacation-to keep the peace and bring the broken bodies off the hill).
    Regards,          Gene Frice
Gene Frice
Ben, For Matt Akers

Matt,
     Thank you for your work on behalf of the 596th Parachute Engineer
Company history. As a 517th ground pounder (infantry), I recall (as
everyone does), several well known accomplishments of the 596th
affecting the missions all 517th units.

     In addition to all the 596 heroic work during WW11, I remember
two specific and difficult tasks that remain in my memory: the
clearing of German demolitions at the Nice Airport resulting in the
death of six of 596th troopers and their most difficult construction
work to repair the long and dangerous road we hiked leading from Nice
into the mountains. The road, due to the enemy efforts, was totally
impassible. Those two efforts were accomplished in addition to all the
general combat engineering work to support the line units of the
517th.

     I have one additional item. A plaque rests at the Nice Airport
paying respects to those Engineer's killed in their clearing of the
airport demolitions (mines) left by the German's.

     Several years ago on a business trip to the area. I contacted the
Nice Airport Police and the Airport Manager concerning the plaque. All
recalled the plaque, however none knew where it was. After a search of
the area by the police it was determined the plaque, in addition to a
second French  plaque, had been removed during construction of a new
terminal and were in storage.

     Ultimately both plaques were located and currently rest at the
(new) front entrance of the Nice Airport. I have pictures of the
Airport Manager and myself taken at the site. As soon as I locate the
pictures I will forward them to you for your program. The pictures
should also located somewhere in the 517th computer link.

     Regards,
          Gene Frice, F Co.
Joseph Clark
 
 I appreciate the hard work you put into our great connection to the 517th  thru E-mail.
Received this connection to (http:/www.virtualwall.org/iStates.htm) the Nam wall and found it very interesting and thought others might also.
Thank you for all you do for the 517th.
Joseph Clark