Administrivia:

¨     If you have trouble reading this MailCall, or seeing the images, you can read it online at http://www.517prct.org/mailcall/1988.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 said I might not get another MailCall out until the weekend, but the messages have been piling up. 

¨     I now understand how Ben could get confused about what he already posted and what he didn’t.  If I miss something, please just send it again.

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

Bobby,

please put the following into mail call 

Hello all,
 
Here is the final updated plans for Ben Barrett's service.
 
Thursday April 29 2010
 

1:30pm    meet at the Arlington National Cemetery Administration Building (behind the Visitor's Center).  All must be in cars and and our group will be escorted to the grave site
3:15pm    burial reception at Woman's War Memorial Building (across from the Visitors Center)
 
As many are staying at the Holiday Inn, we will be gathering at the Vantage Point Restaurant in the hotel at 6:30pm.  All are welcome, but if you are interested please let me know so I have a headcount for the reservation.

thank you 
Joanne

addiejb@gmail.com

781 383 8088

Bob,

At the 517th National Reunion in Salt Lake City this past summer, Gene Frice, and Bob Dalrymple gave me copies of maps of the battles the 517th participated in.  They were wanting this information to be put into the Library of Congress for history purposes.  I have those maps, but having past experiences with the people at the Library of Congress, I am not sure they will just accept maps without them being put into a book format that can then be cataloged and put into the library.  My question is this, does anyone have an ability to put these maps into a book format and have them bound into a book.  I am willing to help on this project and it is an important one to complete for the history of this great unit of World War II.  Any help would be appreciated.

Lory Curtis, son of Bud Curtis, HQ, 1st BN 

Hello Bob Barrett and Nolan Powell,

My condolences to the Barrett family. Your father (and you now Bob) have done a fantastic job on the 517th website. It is by far the best WWII unit site I've seen. I have spent hours upon hours on this site and have looked at just about every other pir sites there are. I would like to be on the mailing list.

I've been researching my Uncle and his service. His records were destroyed in the NARA fire. He was discharged as Cpl Stephen R. Stepek 33703201, CO. C, 517th pir, 13th Div. As my aunt puts it, he was one that came out a different person than he went in. He passed away in 1975 of cancer.

I am trying to find more information, like, was he with the 517th the whole time he was in the service (3 sep 43 to 13 oct 45). Where was he wounded? In what battle? How long before he rejoined his unit? I am trying to find his medical records while serving. I've attached his picture, probably right out of training, and his discharge papers. You can post his photo, I'd rather you did not post the discharge papers, yet.

If anyone knew him, I'd love to hear from them, or if somebody just remembers him being in their unit. That's why I'm copying Nolan Powell(co. C). I love watching the "cut above" video.

Here's what I know:

¨     His purple heart Jan 16, 1945. He is listed on the summary Co. C casualty report but not the January report. My aunt said he was wounded the first day of the bulge, but this date would be more like the last day of the bulge.

¨     His name appears in "A Record of Company C" on page 36, as Pvt Stepek, as a replacement. It seams around the time he was wounded.

¨     He is not on the 1944 Christmas roster.

¨     He was a Sgt in December 1944, we have a xmas vmail that is signed Sgt Stephen R. Stepek. My 90 yr old aunt recalls that he was busted down for yelling back to an officer, not sure exactly when or if he was with the 517th. He did work back up to Cpl by the time he was discharged.

¨     My aunt also recalls him saying he served under Marks...so I'm thinking Lt. Sidney Marks.

¨     She also recalls a another name he served with...Bortzy aka Charles A. Bortz.

Any information that anyone of the 517th could provide, I and my Aunt Mary would be grateful. I also have some autographs that I could send a pdf of.

Thank you,

Jamie Evanish

Dear Bob, 

First of all we thank you for keeping Mail Call going.  With your full time work schedule, we know it is a labor love as it was for Ben with some sacrifice on your part.

Note for Frode Steine.  In this Mail Call you will find Gillis's pictures of the family picnic in the Col de Braus area.  I mention this as an item of interest for you as Col de Braus is the small village closest to Hill 1098 and Ridge X.  You can get a good idea of the landscape in your area of interest by looking at these pictures.  The road that runs through Col de Braus towards Sospel was the boundary between the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 517th as we faced east looking down on Sospel in the valley below.  The 2nd Bn. took hill 1098 overlooking the valley and the 3rd Bn. took Ridge X and the mountains to the south in the tough struggle before we were able to take Sospel.  We called 1098 Listener Hill as Johnny Lissner's company took it so many times from the Germans.  I was with the 3rd Bn. all the way and could answer some questions about the area and the attacks.  The big guns in the French forts held by the Germans reached 1098 and we had nothing that would silence them.  Bob's suggestion of reading from the Odyssey is a good one. 

Highest regards, 

Howard Hensleigh

Dear Bob:  Those are great pictures of Col de Braus and Betty Cross' Mulligan Guards card signed by my godfather John Lissner meant a lot.  Thank you for that and the great job you are doing on Mail Call. Pat Seitz

Pictures from Marc Paoli.

Dear Bob,

The following 517th pictures were recovered in France and are totally unpublished.

I have been able to identify a few officers in the pictures but some still need to be ID'd and have put yellow numbers so make it easier for the mailcall.

Here are the pictures,

Kind regards Gilles

Here are my latest videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHwHJoVUcd8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMfLao6AOIE

Kind regards Gilles

Tell Your Story

I recently 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.   Families and friends, please get after your troopers to get their story in.  Just get a few words down.