Administrivia:

¨      If you have trouble reading this MailCall, or seeing the images, you can read it online at http://www.517prct.org/mailcall/1987.htm

¨      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. 

¨      If you send me email that you do not want included in MailCall, just label it as “FYEO”.

¨     Who knew that 65 years after the 517^th was deactivated, that there would still be so much news about them to be reported?

¨      I better get this MailCall out today.  It’s going to be a busy week at work, and I might not get another one out until the weekend.

¨      Happy Easter!

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:

Ray Hess, F Company biography

1943 May 10 - Letter to parents of new recruits from Lt. McKinley

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

Re: MailCall No. 1976 - 517 PRCT - March 10, 2010

For William Douglas:  I am curious as how you knew how to spell Ropyak.

For Steve Markle, It is a old MailCall but I would like you to know that I have a lot of info on the 596th that you have to ask me about.  For instance, I know when, where and how Ropyak was KIA.

R W Dalrymple, Former CO, 596th Engrs.

Hello,

Regarding Ervin Daniel SCHMIDT (MailCall #1985), his ASN was 36774777, his enlistment record has apparently been destroyed like many others, but there is an entry for him on FindAGrave.com

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=schmidt&GSfn=ervin&GSbyrel=in&GSdyrel=in&GSob=n&GRid=23600331&

and another one from the National Archives and Records Administration http://www.wwiimemorial.com/registry/wardept/pframe.asp?HonoreeID=1273794&popcount=8&tcount=18

He is apparently not listed in the Christmas '44 roster, at least not in the 2nd Battalion (I checked all 2nd Bn. companies with no luck)

This isn't a lot of information, but I figured you might be interested anyway...

Christophe Mora, from France.

Bob:  saw Wade Gilbert note about being able to load the video interviews onto the site.  You two are outstanding.  Thank you. 

Pat Seitz and Alan Greer

See: http://www.vimeo.com/the517th/videos

Dear Bob and family, 

Happy Easter to the Barrett family and to the families of the 517th.  Many thanks for your service to the families of the 517th.  I am so glad that the Mail Call still arrives.  Your dad was quite a man, I am happy I had the opportunity to correspond with him.  

This spring my husband and I will travel to France, our first visit there, and we will stop in Le Muy and meet with Micheal Soldi and Eric Renoux.  We plan to tour some of the sites that Ben, Howard, my dad and the other brave men of the 517th fought for.  Thank you all for everything you do.

With appreciation,

Lea Bradovich

FYI, Dieter Laes is still in Switzerland, so he is still “tijdelijk niet beantwoorden.” -- BB

Trooper Trivia

Download Midi File

And what does this have to do with the 517^th?

Tell Your Story

I just posted Ray Hess’ biography:  http://www.517prct.org/bios/ray_hess/ray_hess.htm

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