Administrivia:

¨     If you have trouble reading this MailCall, or seeing the images, you can read it online at http://www.517prct.org/mailcall/1992.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”.

¨     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.

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:

Robert Kennedy, F Company biography

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

I am going to send out a short MailCall tonight just to get it out.  I was traveling for work last week, then home briefly just to turn around and head to DC for Ben’s service this past weekend.  I am home now unpacking and packing again to head back on travel all this week.  There is a lot more stuff to post and I will get to it all.  Some interesting stuff to come.

Bob Barrett

PS:  Thanks to everyone who attended Ben's service in person or in thought.  It was a very nice tribute.

Dear Barrett Family:

I wish I had the fortitude to speak at the memorial of how much your father meant to me. Unfortunately, I do better at cocktail parties! I feel so blessed to have known your father. He was the most decent man I have ever known.  I felt he treated me as a part of his family. He was an example for all fathers. I wish I had a opportunity to have met him earlier. The words that were spoken upon his tribute was very moving, and yet I am glad that when Bobby spoke he unintentionally broke the ice and we all had a good laugh. I truly feel Ben is in heaven slapping the backs of all the fallen heroes. They are looking down upon us, and they know that we are grateful of their sacrifice.

I respect you all and hope to continue to keep in touch.

Ben's groupie,

Teresa Messina 

From: Brad Posey [mailto:bposey@t-online.de]
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2010 2:52 PM
To: webmaster@517prct.org
Subject: Private Bailey Bednarz - 517th PRCT

Hi,

I am helping a friend of mine research his cousin, who was a member of the 517^th PRCT and killed in action on 21 September, 1944.

He is planning on visiting his grave later this summer and would like to have as much information as possible. Evidently the family did not keep anything and we are trying to find out as much as we can about Private Bendarz. Any help would be most appreciated. It would be very helpful to know where he was killed.

So far we know that he was in the Regimental HQ Company.

Here is the other information:

Private Bailey Bednarz (Service # 18104461) was born in Schulenburg, TX on 20 Sep 1924 and was killed in action on 21 Sep 1944. He is buried in Plot A, Row 2, Grave 26 at the Rhone American Cemetery at Draguignan, France.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Brad Posey

SSG, USA (Ret.)

From: Bob Thompson (CRPUD) [mailto:bobthom@opusnet.com]

Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 2:51 AM

To: webmaster@517prct.org

Subject: Gordon Nickell, KIA 8-feb-1945

Dear Sirs,

I was visiting the Sullivan Cemetery in Winthrop, Washington (approximate population 350 persons) where many of my ancestors are buried. While there, I came across the grave of Gordon Nickell, please see attached photo. It indicated Gordon as PFC, 517 PRCHT INF, 13 ABN DIV, WORLD WAR II. With his birthday as 21-dec-1923, and date of death as 8-feb-1945. In researching your site's Casualty Reports, I found that Gordon was KIA 8-feb-1945, and was assigned to A Company.

Other than the casualty report, I did not see any other mention of Gordon on the 517th site, and wanted to send this bit of information in hopes that Gordon be entered in the 517th Honor Roll.

Please accept my thanks for your serving the United State of America.

Robt. C. Thompson

St. Helens, Oregon

Bob,

Thanks for the info.  That is unbelievable, that you managed to find a 517th soldier who was not on our Honor Roll until 65 years later!  What a great find for us!

You are correct, in that PFC Nickell was listed as KIA in the Morning Report, but was somehow overlooked in the counts later.  I will certainly update our Honor Roll, and note that we have now identified 253 KIAs from the 517.

Notice the large number of A Company men who were killed or wounded in the same battle:

http://www.517prct.org/records/feb45_a.jpg

Also see here the General Order awarding Jack Dallas a Silver Star for his heroics on the day when he gave his life in that battle.

http://www.517prct.org/documents/1945_july_27_medals/1945_July_27_medals.pdf

Thanks again for sending us this information about Gordon Nickell.

Bob Barrett

webmaster@517prct.org

Bob 

Once again some has their wires crossed D Co took Hill 1098 Lt Starky's platoon was attacked a top hill 1098 late in the evening or afternoon was able to send down a runner Pfc Woody Kenemer. second and third platoon climbed all night. Just before starting the climb we had received mail we arrived at Lt Starkys position just at dawn I positioned my self at the base of a big tree and started to read my mail when the Germans attacked machine guns were firing high I rolled over on my back and could see the bullets raking the tree leaves high up in the trees.  I was a scout and had tracer bullets in my rifle.

The men started to fan out and firing at the attacking Germans.

Sgt Thorn was killed Pfc Anthony Fabric was also killed Fabric was a machine gunner he was hit two times close together in the stomach He was running up to position the machine gun He was just to the left of my position.

(Sgt Thorne was at the time not a Sgt he came to us as a replacement

And was reduced in rank as it turned out he was Regular Army and could not be reduced in rank for the reasons stated.                                  

Come on some of you D Co men stand up for us

Bob Cooper