Hello,
Every once in a while, I get false information about a virus.
If the email message starts out by saying" I usually dlon't fall for this but my brother in-law who is an expert etc. etc. etc. FORGET IT !. Experts don't send a warning via email. Information about a true virus will be on national news. You can't get a virus from email unless you open an arttachment. Never open an attachment from someone who you don't know.
Ben
Website------www.517prct.org
Mail Call----Ben517@aol.com
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Subj: Re: Mr. Goodman
Date: 7/26/2003 8:04:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: reber83@insightbb.com
Dear Ben,
Mr. Goodman was aptly named and I feel privileged to have had the chance to meet him in Florida in 2002. My best wishes, thoughts and prayers to his fine family.
I also wanted to let the Mail Call group know that I have indirectly tied Mr. JB Walton (F Co.) into the Mail Call. We live only a couple of miles form each other in Lexington, KY, and since I met him in OKC, I felt that he should be connected to Mail Call somehow. Over the past two weeks I provided plenty of homework for Mr. Walton. He has 3/4 of all of the Mail Calls since #105 in printed form (about 150 pages). He is enjoying them immensely.
So if anyone wants to indirectly keep him in touch, I will be making periodic "Electronic-Thunderbolt" deliveries.
Summer greetings to all 517th'ers, friends and family.
Regards,
Tom Reber
(son of Lt. Bob Reber, HQ 3rd)
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Subj: Re: MAIL CALL NO. 516 517TH PRCT July 26, 2003
Date: 7/26/2003 8:33:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: Crosswc
Ben, I was looking around a used book store today and found a history of Operation Dragoon entitled, "The Second D-Day", written by Jacques Robichon. The book was traslated from French by Barbara Shuey for the Army Times Publishing Company in 1962. It was first published in France under the title "Le Debarquement de Provence" (15 Aout 1944). It was first published in the United States by Walker and Company, Inc.
There is a terrific section that outlines the aborted mission of Sgt.Joesph Blackwell and his men to capture Gen. Neuling and his staff at Villa Gladys and describes in some detail the action of 1st Battalion at Draguignan. Good mentions of Gen. Seitz, Col.Boyle and Gen Zais. There are also interesting accounts of the airlift.
I am passing along to my Dad so that he can read and put in a little context for me, I am sure he will share with the unit historian. It was a a great find, written so close after the action that the recollections are fresh. There are also some pretty interesting recollections from the German side.
Best wishes, -wayne
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Subj: Jeep and Truck Requisition
Date: 7/26/2003 9:41:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: Ge517ne
To: Ben517
Several times I have seen mention of jeep or truck "requisitions" by men of the
517th. The most official one being in Paratroopers Odyssey where Col. Graves reflects on a letter from the Commanding General of the Rome Area Base Command, directing him to report to that headquarters on August 15th to explain why we had so many unauthorized vehicles. Our jump into France, saved him from a possible chewing-out, and apparently pleased the Colonel. We did have a few which brought with them some interesting events. On one occasion I was with two or three other boys who drove a jeep into a German machine gun nest area. We escaped but lost all of our personal items left in the jeep as we quickly got out of there on foot. Never saw that jeep again. We found another one while camped in our tent city in the olive grove near Rome. One day three officers had a "meeting" in Rome and directed me to take them in the jeep. I first drove them to the Catacombs, by way of the Appian Way, where they visited the famous site while I sat in the jeep talking to a lovely young lady, which I thought at the time, was more exciting than seeing the ancient burial site. Then I took them to their meeting at a nice apartment like office with instructions to return for them at a given hour. While waiting to return I picked up a couple friends and drove around St. Peters, the Colosseum and other interesting places. We only stopped to have a few glasses of wine as we nearly drained the gas tank. We spotted a driver sitting in an officer's jeep and ask him if we might have his can of gas. He looked at us and decided that he didn't need it. Soon it was time to pick up my passengers. Fortunately I had the address written on a piece of paper which might as well been in Greek, because I had little idea where the place was. After a long search I finally ask a Roman Gentleman if he could find the place. Yes, he said and sat on the jeep fender and took me to the building where some very upset officers were waiting. After a proper chewing out I was relegated to the back seat and one of the gentlemen drove us back to our olive grove city.
Gene Brissey, E.CO.
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Date: 7/27/2003 5:59:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: hhensleigh@earthlink.net
Dear Ben:BOOM BOOM. Thanks for your complimentary remarks. You also have good communicative and leadership skills, as all readers of Mail Call know. Chaplin Brown once told me that when a man paints a picture of another, he reaches into himself for the colors. I think you did that. As a team (the old 517th way) the Officers and Directors will do our best to make the next two years memorable ones for the 517th Combat Team family. Mail Call and the Thunderbolt will help.ALICE GOODMAN. Alice has been part of the 517th family since Tennessee Maneuvers. She spent a good part of her honeymoon there while Al logged umpire duty. He claimed that umpire detail kept him from going AWOL. We all share Alice’s grief. He will be missed, but not forgotten.LES ARCS R TRACKS. Those rail road tracks keep coming back to haunt me. John M. Pastalenic called to say that he made the trip over the tracks too and was badly wounded on the other side. Later when the rest of the outfit got on the other side by going through an underpass, his buddy from H Co. called his name. John was so badly wounded in the mid section that he couldn’t yell but could whistle. After a second name call and whistle, the buddy got a medic to stop the blood flow and get John to a meat wagon, saving his life. Mel Zais got a silver star for giving the order to cross the tracks. John who went over got a purple heart. THE FOOT. For those who might wonder, I did not shoot myself in the foot. The skin graft (of June 25) stuck but I still have to keep it elevated to prevent swelling. I refused to let them knock me out. So, while the doctor did his stuff, I talked with the good looking young anesthesgest (sp?) who stood by just in case. She and her husband had lived in Northeast PA, Frank Fenton’s home town. Frank was the machine gunner who carried a BAR for his individual weapon. He and Zawicki poured BAR and bazooka rounds into the house where the Kraut fire was coming from as I came back over the tracks.
Howard
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Subj: Don Sliker Co E 517th
Date: 7/28/2003 12:02:13 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: TOPY1@aol.com
To: mailcall@517prct.org
I am hoping to learn some information about my dads service with the 517th. On June 10, 1996 he passed away. He rarely spoke about it except to mention some of his freinds O'Dell a Sgt. Dave Hines and others. I have a copy of the photograph shown in Mr. Brami's contribution showing my dad just above and to the right but know little else about this period of his life. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could fill in some of dad's personal history.
Don Sliker Jr.
PS: I followed in dads footsteps and got my wings also.
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-Entry of Jul 28, 2003 at 13:13 [EST]
Name: Diane Haverin
Unit:
EMail: dhaverin@yahoo.com
How I found the 517th page: From a search engine
Comments: My father, William M. Branch, was with the 517th. Unfortunately he was seriously wounded June 18th, 1944 in Italy. I would love some advice on how to get his medals replaced(they were stolen) and would love to know if anyone has any photos taken in the few short days he was there. I do know he was awarded the bronze star, purple heart w/ dbl. oakleaf cluster,etc. I am trying to get some things together for his grandson to have. Thanking you in advance.