Subj: jesse update
Date: 12/18/2001
7:16:39 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Ltlpws5355
To: Ben517
today the 18th, i brought daddy home and boy he sure was glad
to be here....resting now. incision closed. still no
pain.
spirits great....kathy
Kathy is the daughter of Jesse
Davis
___________________________________________________________-
Subj: pic
Date: 12/18/2001 7:19:38 PM
Eastern Standard Time
From: Kmeisear15
To: Ben517
I have a close up pic of Edward Meise and if you
give your snail mail address, I will send it to you to scan and post on 517th
website. It's a good pic and someone might recall him in his youth. Ken
Meise
______________________________________________________________________________
Subj: re, juluis & george
Date:
12/18/2001 8:31:29 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: artann3447@juno.com
To: Ben517@aol.com
Mathew, this is certainly a long shot chance,
First, In our Regt. we
had 3 Btns. each had a Hdq, Comp. plus
There was also a Regt. Hdq
Comp. So we are talking about a hundred or so
men in each Company, I
don't know of any machine Gunners in Regt. Hdq
Company So that leaves
about 300 men in the 3 Hdq. Companys, I
was in regt. Hdq Co. in Toccoa
Ga. beginning Mar. 1943, I knew of only
one set of brothers in our
outfit, Certainly doesn't mean there wasn't
others, But in my
recollection, I was injured critically on the jump into So.
France (broke
my back in 5 places), I lived with the French underground for 6
days
before they could get me out & back to the American lines. I was
placed
in a body cast and sent to Naples Italy, Army General hospital?? after
30
days they planned to send me home, On the day before shipment I was
told
that a set of brothers in my outfit One had been severally injured
and
was not expected to live till he got back home , His brother had
been
brought to Naples ,to accompany him home, It would be necessary for me
to
wait an extra day before shipment home. Did I mind??? Of coarse
not,
Really I was so surprised they even bothered to ask me. And I can
imagine
it would not have made any difference what I said that was what was
going
to happen, The only thing I remember about these men they
were both
from Texas, Could this possibly be your uncle??? Tom
McAvoy
E-mail
artann3447@juno.com
____________________________________________________________
Subj: Pictures
Date: 12/18/2001 9:50:41 PM
Eastern Standard Time
From: williamgustin@sprintmail.com
To: mtrjvarner@netscape.net, Ben517@aol.com
File: mike5.jpg (292045 bytes) DL Time (TCP/IP):
< 1 minut
Ben, I have been wanting to get these to you for awhile,
finally found a friend with the capabilities plus the know how. Hope these work
out and many of the men enjoy these pictures. My dad Jim Varner would be happy
to know they are going to good use instead of sitting in a scrap book under the
bed. God Bless to all and Merry Christmas.
Mike Varner
We have placed the photos on the
website.
Ben
______________________________________________________________________
Subj: Re: Virus warning
Date: 12/19/2001
12:30:25 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: gdp@oregontrail.net
To: Ben517@aol.com
Hi Ben:
Thank you for the virus hoax information.
Just list me as "Clueless". I
don't pay all that much attention to all this
stuff. That Icon WAS on my
C drive when I checked and I dumped it. The
"warning" was waiting for me
when we got home from a trip last
night.
Please put me back on mail call.
Thanks again for filling me in on
the Hoax.
On our trip to the midwest didn't turn up much new stuff as far
as
genealogy was concerned. On the way we stopped in Utah and saw
Owen
Burnham who was in Hq. Battery of the 460th. Age and arthritis
have
shrunk his frame about 6 inches but he is in fair health otherwise
and
is keeping busy and interested in life.
Regards,
Gary
___________________________________________________________________________
Subj: contact
Date: 12/19/2001 3:45:48 PM
Eastern Standard Time
From: hhensleigh@earthlink.net
To: loskmrfm@lsouth.net
CC: Ben517@aol.com
Dear Russ,
Good to hear your voice
last night.
The Mail Call address is above and the Website is:
members.aol.com/prct517/
By copy of this letter, I'm asking Ben to put you on the
Mail Call list.
I got a Christmas card from Whitey Hillsdale.
Ben, Russ and Whitey were
B Co. men. Maybe we can get some B Co. input.
MERRY CHRISTMAS,
HH
__________________________________________________________________________-
Subj: Re: contact
Date: 12/19/2001 6:43:54
PM Eastern Standard Time
From: hhensleigh@earthlink.net
Ben:
Russell Flynn Miller.
He joined the outfit on November 10, 1943 and was with B Co. through all the
combat and until we were placed in the 13th Division where he was the Division
Recon Plat. Leader.
I have had a bee in my bonnet to write a squib which should
be called: "Camp Mackall--a parting shot".
We had been through squad,
platoon, company, and battalion training and then operated as a Regiment on
Tennessee maneuvers. We were pulled out to become the 517th Regimental
Parachute Combat Team. We were back in Camp Mackall preparing to go to
Camp Patrick Henry, VA and then overseas. The last few days were spent in
training on crew served weapons and then packing. This was on one of the
last days there.
We had 60 mm mortars in every rifle platoon. The 81 mm
mortars were in Bn. Hq. Co. In the 3rd Bn. that platoon was led by Bob
Reber, who was severely wounded south of Stavelot, Belgium.
I was assigned to take all
the 60 mm crews of the battalion for a full day of range training where we used
dummy rounds propelled with something like a twelve gage shot gun shell. The
training schedule called for us to do this on the parade ground. We did
more calisthenics on the parade ground than we did parading. As the day
wore on the crews got better and better at hitting the mark. By the end of
the day we were really good. As we left the field a young trooper said he
had one shell left and asked me if he could fire his last shot. I had a
good idea what he was going to do and agreed. We didn't want to turn in
any unused ammo.
There was an elevated stand all the way across the field used
to direct the push ups etc. by the person chosen to inflict the body building
torture. The young trooper did his adjusting for range and direction, then
dropped the round down the tube and off she went. A few seconds later
there was a resounding crash as the round hit the middle of the exercise
stand and turned it into a pile of splinters. Cheers went up from the
admirers of this training feat.
Don't put me in for
destruction of Government property and a statement of charges!! The next
outfit to occupy Camp Mackall needed a new exercise stand anyway.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, Howard
Hensleigh
_______________________________________________________________________
Subj: Edward Meise
Date: 12/19/2001 6:47:02
PM Eastern Standard Time
From: reber83@mindspring.com
Dear Ben,
Could you please forward to
Kmeisear15 ? I lack the full
e-mail address.
Hello,
I noticed in the 517th's mail call today
your e-mail and the name "Reiber"(?). My Dad was Lt. Robert (Bob) Reber of
HQ Co., 3rd Bn. This may have been who your father was referring to.
My Dad was a Toccoa man and was hit on January 14, 1945 south of the Ambleve
River and Stavelot, Belgium.
I would appreciate it if you could confirm
with your father if he remembers my Dad and if he could possibly share any
memories of him with me. I lost my Dad when I was 17, on 12/4/76, he was
only 54 but had been through one too many operations.
What rank did your
Dad hold and which unit was he in? I do not recall your Dad's name, but I
have met the following guys who were buddies of my Dad: Hank
Wengrzynowicz, Reed "Stinky" Terrell, Ben "Sweet Pea" Renton, Howard Hensleigh,
Dick Spencer, Russ Johnson, Newton "Scott" Hampton, Father Guennette and
others. Maybe your Dad would recall some of those men.
I look
forward to hearing from you! Thank you for your time.
Best
Regards,
Tom Reber
son of Lt. Robert Reber, HQ 3rd
Lexington,
KY
e-mail: reber83@mindspring.com
________________________________________________________-
Subj: CHRISTMAS 1944
Date: 12/19/2001
7:52:02 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: BoomBoomAlicki
To: Ben517
CHRISTMAS 1944
Remember! At the
fall of Manhay to the German Panzer Division on CHRISTMAS EVE when General
Ridgeway turned to his Corp reserves the 517th PRCT at Ferrieres. The call
came on CHRISTMAS DAY for the 3rd Battalion of te 517th together with the 7th
Armored with specific orders of retaking Manhay, and to "Hold at all
costs."..........THEY DID.
The rest was history, and General Ridgeway no
longer had to put up with demands and directives to retake Manhay.
"Today
the village, fixed like a terrace
On the side of the green mountain where
violent winds blow
Has forever found peace, let us hope forever.
Manhay
"Cost what it may," The alarm has sounded...and the order
has come
down--
Hold at all costs- "Tenir coute que coute."
From the poem "Manhay" by Emile Pirard
..