Mail Call: MailCall@517prct.org
Hello,
For the time being, I will continue to read and send all 517 MailCall news. I certainly won't be as prompt or as tactful (or as cynical) as Ben managed to be, but I will do my best. Please continue to send us news about yourself and any items of interest to the 517th family. Ben would expect nothing less from all of you.
Bob Barrett
Administrivia:
Please note the new address for MailCall: MailCall@517prct.org I will also continue to search Ben's gmail and AOL accounts for a while as well.
Donations for any programs involving the 517th should be sent to our treasurer Leo Dean at 14 Stonehenge Lane, Albany NY 12203.
If you want to be removed from the mailing list, just let me know. I won’t take it personally until everyone drops off.
If you have trouble receiving MailCalls, it's probably your own fault. But you can always read back MailCalls by clicking on www.517prct.org/archives
I am trying to clean up the format of MailCalls, just to make them simpler to build and to read. I may try a couple of things, like changing the background colors and borders. But I also know that you all use lots of different email systems, and some cannot see images or download attachments easily. I will make only small changes, but let me know if you have any issues. Is this font big enough? Let me know.
I am still struggling with gmail. It wants to change my fonts and colors for me. I can see why Ben complained all the time about computers. I can't even tell if this is really going out to the right group of people.
I am sorry for the long length of those last 2 MailCalls, but I wanted to get caught up as quickly as I can.
Now please start sending news.
Bob Barrett
Website www.517prct.org
Mail Call MailCall@517prct.org
Mail Call Archives www.517prct.org/archives
Roster www.517prct.org/roster.pdf
Recent website additions:
John Bradovich, HQ Company, Demo Platoon
Le Muy infos magazine - selected pages of the August 2009 celebration
Kenneth Goodbrake, Reg. HQ, Demo Platoon
Just a few more notes for Ben:
Très touché par cette triste nouvelle je vous adresse à tous mes très sincères condoléances.
Une page de l'histoire vient de tourner, dans cette histoire nous pouvons y lire qu'un jour, le 15 Août 1944, ils sont venus chez nous pour rendre à nos parents cette Liberté qu'on leur avait volé...Merci à eux, on ne les oubliera jamais.
Bon courage à vous tous,
Guy Agnello, à Draguignan, France
Translation:
Very touched by this sad news. I send you all my sincerest condolences.
A page of history is turning in this story, that on August 15, 1944, they came to us to give our parents the freedom that had been stolen from them... Thanks to them, we will never forget.
Good luck to you all,
Guy Agnello, Draguignan, France
To the Barrett Family,
At times like these it is so hard to find the words that convey my feelings. I loved Ben Barrett, he made me, my Dad, and my brother feel like we were family. I will miss him forever. I remember him asking me if I would consider hosting the last reunion in Salt Lake City. I said Ben if that is what you want then that is what we will do. I am so glad we had the reunion in Salt Lake City where I once again was able to visit with my friend Ben Barrett. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). I look forward to one day being at another reunion with Ben Barrett, my Dad, and all the other 517th troopers that have gone on.
Lory Curtis, son of Bud Curtis, HQ 1st BN
Dear Bob: thank you so very much on behalf of all of us who love your Dad and the 517th. A beautiful Mail Call. I know your Dad is proud, pleased and very grateful to have a son like you.
PS I will switch to the new email address. BTW, Dad will be making the presentation to Adm. Mullens referenced in this Mail Call this coming Wednesday at Kansas State's Landon Lecture Series. He is very grateful to Howard Hensleigh for the information to inscribe in the Paratroopers Odyssey. [See Darrell’s note below.]
Pat Seitz
Dear family Barrett,
We are very sad and upset as we lost a great friend, a great man. Please, accept our sincere condolences, our thoughts are with you. Thanks to God because we had the honour to spend a few days with him and his wonderful family during his visit in Belgium last august. We shall keep those days in our hearts with emotion and affection. We would like to send our sympathy and a warm greeting to all the men of teh 517th. A Mass will be celebrated in ST Jacques in his memory; our prayers are with all of you. God bless you, God bless America.
Arnold and Irma TARGNION, Maria GASPAR and the members of the CADUSA;
Thank you for notifying us.
Some of the members of the jump team live in the DC area and would be honored to
pay last respects at the funeral.
From all of us on the jump team
and with sincere condolences,
Commemorative Airborne Jump
Team
We are still receiving messages of condolences from many people (like the few above) as the word continues to get out about Ben. I won’t include many more here, unless they also contain some other news. But be assured that we are reading and saving them all for the family. The number of messages is astounding in itself. Thank you everyone.
Bob Barrett
Other MailCall news:
Attention Howard H
& Gen. Seitz (I'm sending this through Mail Call as Howard's
computer blocks mine).
Howard this has been a confusing issue from day
one. After my term as President ended, I had to shed two file draws of
paper so I will have to try and reconstruct this problem from
memory, and everyone know my memory is not half as good as
yours. I do remember you sending in $50 to the 517 Treasury.
I had
Dick Seitz sign two Odyssey's at the St.
Louis
Reunion in 2008. I
requested in Mail Call for anyone to give me mailing addresses for the two men
you suggested we send the books to. Frankly I don't remember their
names. As I didn't receive any reply to my requests all of this went on
the back burner. Prior to the Salt
City
Reunion, Pat Seitz was in
contact with Gen. McCaffery and sent me his mailing address.
He suggested to Pat we should send a book to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
Gen. Eric K. Shinseki. I then mailed both McCaffery and
Shinsek the two signed books. By the way I mentioned sending these books
and there names in a Mail Call I wrote July 14,
2009
Needless to say, Adm. Mullens and his Uncle did not receive
a book. Sorry for the screw up. After my term was up I shipped all
the books to Leo Dean so he has plenty. If you would provide a mailing
address for these gentlemen I am sure he would be most happy to send each of
them a copy of the Paratroopers Odyssey.
Airborne,
Darrell
Egner
Meet the Troopers:
I am still looking for more biographies (and autobiographies) about 517th troopers, so that I can put them in the “Meet the Troopers” section of the web site. It is an important part of the 517th history. There’s no time like the present to make a few notes about your life. Start simple. You can always add more info and more photos later.
http://www.517prct.org/bios.htm
Material submitted is completely up to the soldier, or to their family and relatives. Take a look at the biographies already submitted -- Jesse Darden's bio is a great example. So is Merle’s, if he would send me some better pictures. http://www.517prct.org/bios/merle_mcmorrow/merle_mcmorrow.htm
But feel free to be as creative as you like. It's your story. This information can be as long or as short as you like. We would like to see any or all of the following items:
¨ photos - then and now
¨ memories from 517th training and WWII
¨ biography - before and after the 517th
¨ comments, philosophy, opinions
¨ anything you want to say to your friends and relatives
Bob Barrett
Send more news!