Hello,
We will welcome and suggestions concerning mail from Howard and Bob about the website .. Those of you that receive Mail Call are familiar with the website and what we want is your help in explaining to others at the reunion why the Website and Mail Call are important for the future of the 517th Association.
Ben
Website----www.517prct.org
Mail Call---Ben517@aol.com
From the website
_Center of Research and Information on the Battle of the Bulge (CRIBA) - from Belgium
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Subj: Re: MAIL CALL N0. 479 517TH PRCT
Date: 5/12/2003 1:00:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: hhensleigh@earthlink.net
To: Ben517@aol.com
Jan and I will arrive a little early for the Oklahoma City Reunion. We will be there on Saturday May 31, late afternoon. All of us should discuss the issues that will face the Association during the next two years during our week’s stay. I am delighted that Bob will be there with his lap top Thursday and Friday. One of our objectives is to get everyone we can to hook up to Mail Call. It is an excellent means of communication. Rather than having a card table and a couple of chairs, we should set aside at least an hour when Bob could explain to all those interested how to get aboard. Jessie and Lou Darden have done a magnificent job of scheduling things. It is late, but we should be able to squeeze it in. Howard H.
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Subj: Re: Howard Hensleigh
Date: 5/12/2003 2:44:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: PRCT517
Dad and Howard:
I still think setting up the table and chairs where people can see and try the web site doesn't hurt. But you may be right -- just leaving a table and setup for people who may not be comfortable with a PC might not get it going by itself. As you suggest, a general overview session might make sense first, then we could still leave the laptop for anyone who still wants to poke around.
If you are interested, I could certainly give a quick overview of the web site and the MailCall (with Ben's assistance). I don't know if it would take an hour, but I could do 15-30 minutes just discussing and demonstrating the website for anyone interested, followed by questions and answers. Ben and I can have some sample printouts (e.g. a sample MailCall, the Table of Contents page, a printout of the 517th Short History?) and hand out the business cards that have the address of the web site and the MailCall.
Assuming that there is at least a small group of people interested, the best way to do this would probably be to rent a projector and screen which I could hook up to my computer for the demo. That's the only to make the presentation big enough that everyone could see. I think the projector rental is probably $100 or so, but I can check. And you would need a room big enough to sit all the people, with a place for the screen in the front of the room, large enough for all to see. I don't know if you have a conference room already available for your business meetings or how many people might really attend. But I'm sure the hotel can set up a room full of chairs for whatever size you want.
Do you have any general meetings scheduled on Thursday or Friday? Possibly, we could do it before or after the lunch on Thursday, even in the same room, and just make it optional for those interested. (An industry group that I've been involved with does monthly luncheons like that -- eat lunch for an hour, followed by an hour presentation by a guest speaker with slides.)
Honestly, I don't know how many people would be interested, but let me know what you think.
Bob Barrett
617-828-0841
webmaster@517prct.org
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Subj: Re: MAIL CALL N0. 479 517TH PRCT
Date: 5/12/2003 1:46:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: JOEMACK610
Hi Ben,
I wish that I was able to attend the reunion in California, but my health restricts my travel. I can only travel short distances, so as soon as a reunion is close enough to home (Waveland, Ms.) I will come.
One thing I notice about the Mail Call,s is that almost every 517th company is mentioned but "I" company. I joined the 517th at Camp McCall, N.C. and was assigned to "I" company and served with them all throughout the war, from the crater area in Naples, Italy to just before they were broken up. Does anyone have any history recollection about the activities of "I" company.
Joe Mackiewicz
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Subj: 460th Photo
Date: 5/11/2003 8:47:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: tslaginadv@hotmail.com
Ben,
I enjoy reading the Mail Call as well as viewing the photographs.
I am the one kneeling in the Mackall 1943 Thanksgiving Jump 460th B Battery photograph.
John Campbell
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Subj: E CO and Other Pictures
Date: 5/12/2003 4:35:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: Ge517ne
Hi Ben.
The Pictures are all very nice to see. I think all the E CO boys are originals. I had seen the picture. The Ones of Brami, P.T. Harris, Lt Whitley I had never seen though I knew the men. Thanks for the note and the pictures.
Looking forward to seeing you and others,
Gene
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Subj: Elite Lawyer Brigade Takes to the Battlefield
Date: 5/12/2003 9:16:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: BoomBoomAlicki
To: Ben517
"While European leaders have softened their anti-American rhetoric following
the swift and decisive war with Iraq, international human-rights lawyers are
busy filing lawsuits against U.S. military and political leaders in Belgian
courts. These suits - naming coalition commander Gen. Tommy Franks,
President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vice President
Dick Cheney and others - are but a preview of a wave of international
criminal cases that will continue to chill U.S.-European relations."
- Columnist David Davenport
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Subj: 517TH PRCT -- thank you
Date: 5/12/2003 10:19:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: VJacob24
Dear Ben,
My father was so suprised to receive the newsletters in the mail today. He didn't recognise any of the guys, he said there wasn't much in there about the service company, but he spent the whole afternoon reading the stories. I've offered to drive him to the reunion, but he figures there wouldn't be anyone there that he knew from the service company.
Thank you so much for sending the newsletters,
Vicki Jacobsen
Daughter of Sgt. Robert (Jake) Jacobsen