Administrivia:

At any time, if you want to be added or removed from the MailCall list, just let me know.

Donations for any programs involving the 517th should be sent to our treasurer Leo Dean at 14 Stonehenge Lane, Albany NY  12203.

New address for MailCall:  MailCall@517prct.org  I will also continue to search Ben's gmail and AOL accounts for a while as well. 

Keep sending news.

Bob Barrett

2010 517^th PCT West Coast Party

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:

Officers of the 2nd Battalion at Camp Toccoa, 1943

Arlton Bearden, Demo Platoon, I Company (KIA Italy)

Video of A Company in Italy, Aug 14, 1944

Le Muy infos magazine - selected pages of the August 2009 celebration

MailCall News

Found an old photograph of 2nd Battalion Officers at Camp Toccoa, May 1943. General Seitz was still a Major and my father (Tom Cross) a Captain.  Dad annotated the names of the officers on the back of the photo.  

Wayne Cross

For a larger photo, see the web site:

Officers of the 2nd Battalion at Camp Toccoa, 1943 from Wayne Cross

Bob,

I've been missing these emails since Ben passed.  Please add me to the list.  I'm Don Saunders oldest and a retired Navy Commander.

Thanks,

Mike Saunders

msaunder@verizon.net

Q:  From MailCall 1982:  Can You Identify This Trooper?

And the winner is…

That would be none other than our past President Mr. Merle McMorrow. I bought his book "From Breckenridge To Bastogne". Lot of his pictures there.

Jerry Wofford

Nephew of a Buzzard      

I just added that photo and a few more good pics onto Merle's recently update bio page.  Do you know what sport he starred in during his High School days?  Find out at:  http://www.517prct.org/bios/merle_mcmorrow/merle_mcmorrow.htm

Bob:  your "Mail Calls" are quite wonderful; love your sense of humor.  Thanks so much.  Like the Trooper quiz and haven't seen the photo of the trooper before. 

Pat Seitz and Alan Greer

Here is a picture I have of my uncle that was in your unit. His name is PFC. Arlton E. Bearden of "I" Co.  KIA in Italy June of 1944. Not long after arriving in Italy according to your unit history.

Thanks very much for this website, it has helped me to learn a little about the uncle I never got to meet. I conversed a while back (2006-2007 I think) with a man named Mcavoy? maybe? Can't remember for sure now, I will have to look up the files. He remembered my uncle and told a different story of how he was killed than what our family had heard. Anyone with any memory of him would be welcome to here from.

Thank you, Johnny Ingram

Bob:

I asked your father for Morning Reports that he had in his possession so the information could be transferred to a spread sheet; I received the MR's for G, H and I companies.  H Co. is done; G and I are in the process.  Do you know if he had any other Morning Reports for any of the other companies?

I see an emphasis on getting Troopers stories onto the web site; and that there were over 2,500 men in the 517th.  I think that these Morning Reports would help us to know the names of many of those who served in the 517th; seems like everyone ended up on a MR for some reason or other.

If you father did have any other companies, would you be willing to part with them so we can get them entered into a spread sheet?  Also, if you want me to return the copies for H company, let me know; I'm in the process of scanning them.  Which brings up another question, would you want to put the scanned images onto the web page? 

Thanks for your time and will see you at Arlington. 

Mike Wells

Auxilliary President

[Mike, Thanks for a wonderful job in getting H Company into a spreadsheet format.  It makes for a great, searchable, day-by-day history of H Company.  I will post it onto the web site soon, with instructions.  I was just speaking with my sister Joanne about this.  She still has the remaining reports, and was looking for another volunteer to be the keeper and historian of the Morning Reports.  Should she mail them to you, or bring them to DC when we see you next month? – BB]

Tell Your Story

We’re still waiting for more entries for the Meet the Troopers section of the Web site.  There were 2500 soldiers in the 517^th, and we only have 63 bios on the site!   It is an important part of the 517^th 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.   Where is Leo Dean?  Gene Frice?  Lud Gibbons?  Families and friends, please get after your troopers to get their story in.  Just get a few words down. 

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