Bob Chrisite has informed me that we now have 71members and friends indicating that they will be at the reunion in Kissimmee Jan. 19. Some have made hotel reservations but have not sent registrations to Bob.It would help Bob very much if you would register with him prior to arrival. Ed Flannery also doesn't want to under estimate.
Ben _________________________________________________________ Entry of Jan 8, 2003 at 01:48 [EST] Name: Mike Cotton Unit: Royal Air Force (current 15yrs+) EMail: mchlcotton@aol.com How I found the 517th page: From a search engine Comments: Guys, I need help. Does any one know if any members of 517 were involved in the capture of Le Muy with the 509/550th during Op. Dragoon. I want to represent you guys at a military show in full 517 jump kit but the scenario is Le Muy and I need to prove that some of the 517 were actually at Le Muy. Did any of you land on the correct DZ near Le Muy and link up with the 509? Airborne All The Way! Mike *********
Please help Mike if you were in the Le Muy area so that the 517 will get credit due. Mike has promise to send me photos of the event for the website. Ben ________________________________________________________ Subj: Memory Date: 1/4/2003 9:01:23 PM Eastern Standard Time From: hammel@coastalnet.com To: Ben517@aol.com
I dont know how to write this and I am not sure you want to print it but here goes. My memory is very bad and there is a lot of things that I cannot or do not want to remember about service that winter of 44-45. Remember laying in a shell hole with a wounded member of the company for a day untill dark so we could get him back to an aid station. Road block duty on Christmas Eve. Taking some prisoners back to the closest MP point. Eating frozen rations on the back of a truck and loosing my mittens while doing it . Eating pickeled eggs which we liberated. Riding on a tank and hearing small arms fire with no place to hide in the snow. The main thing was the snow ,snow,snow and cold. The great amount of food hat we who were left got for Christmas Dinner after we pulled out of the line. Hope to make it to the Reunion this June.
After the war went back to college and got a commission in the Signal Corps. My first assignment was to the 17th Signal battalion. That unit had a long history and had been deactivated and reactivated several times. Last summer the unit was in Poland. The reunion only had two World War II members. I had joined it in 50 and served for three years with the unit. There were no othermembers from those years present. It was enterestling to see the young members and the Bn soldier of the year and NCO of the year Dick Hammel CO E __________________________________________________________________________- Subj: The Soldier Date: 1/7/2003 5:00:23 PM Eastern Standard Time From: thetraveler@pnx.com To: ben517@aol.com
THE SOLDIER
I want you to close your eyes and picture in your mind, the soldier at Valley Forge, as he holds his musket in his bloody hands.
He stands barefoot in the snow, starved from lack of food, wounded from months of battle and emotionally scarred from the eternity away from his family, surrounded by nothing but death and carnage of war,
He stands tough, with fire in his eyes and victory on his breath. He looks at us now in anger and disgust and tells us this.....
I gave you a birthright of freedom born in the Constitution and now your children graduate too illiterate to read it.
I fought in the snow barefoot to give you the freedom to vote and you stay at home because it rains.
I left my family destitute to give you the freedom of speech and you remain silent on critical issues, because it might be bad for business.
I orpahned my children to give you a government to serve you and it has stolen democracy from the people.
It's the soldier not the reporter, who gives you the freedom of the press.
It's the soldier not the poet who gives you the freedom of speech.
It's the soldier not the campus organizer, who allow you to demonstrate.
It's the soldier who salutes the flag, serves the flag, whose coffin is draped with the flag that allows the protester to burn the flag.!!!!
"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands, Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen." ______________________________________________________________________ Entry of Jan 8, 2003 at 09:53 [EST] Name: Michael Sumrell Unit: 1st Bn.319th Field Artillery, 82nd AB 84-87 EMail: d_e_militaria@hotmail.com How I found the 517th page: Other Comments: I just received a copy of "Paratrooper Odyessy" and couldn't put it down until I finished it. It was inspiring to read about the PRCT from the actual members perspectives. To all 517th PRCT members, departed and present, Thank you for your service to our country! _________________________________________________________ Subj: Fwd: Whats it coming to] Date: 1/7/2003 8:01:54 PM Eastern Standard Time From: BoomBoomAlicki To: Ben517
I saw in the news last week where
The A C L U doesn't want any crosses on Federal Property.
