Members of the Board, Officers and other interested Troopers:
All comments on the four objectives of the Association for the next two years received to date have been favorable. Briefly states the objectives are: promoting the reunions, getting an associate membership branch up and running, supporting Mail Call and the Thunderbolt, and assisting others who wish to publish items on the Combat Team. So, if there are no objections or additional suggestions, I will get the objectives out in Mail Call and the next edition of the Thunderbolt and ask members to start making them happen.
Bob Christie needs a startup budget (I recommend $500.00) for equipment and services to get the Thunderbolt started. He needs a scanner for pictures etc. and some technical support to get the news items in publishable shape. He says that the newspapers in his locality would charge a bundle to print Thunderbolt and that he would have to pick it up and take to another vendor to get it mailed. He has chosen to work with the outfit that prints the roster who will do the whole job for less. It may look more like a Bill Lewis edition. In my view content is more important than format so we should approve Bob’s recommendations.
If you can give me an ok on all this we will move ahead. If you reply, send Bob a cc. If there are any suggestions we will be glad to hear them. Your ideas are important to us.
Airborne all the way, with a soft landing thrown in, Howard Hensleigh
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Hi Ben
Joe was my best friend from the time we met up in our little Observer Group.
We went through the jump in Southern France and then through his battle
field commission. Later on he was wounded and evacuated to the US.
We kept in touch as he became a well-known novelist and then a writer for
Sports Illustrated. His assignment had to do with race tracks and horses!
His untimely death was a real blow.
Anyway, among his books, The Freeholder was published in 1949. But his
all-time best work was Stars in My Crown, published in 1947 and made into a
movie starring Joel McRae. Great! I think it is still available on VCR.
Joe was the best story teller I ever knew whether it was about Alabama or
about his reporter's life in Manhattan. He was a true spellbinder.
He also had one helluva temper!
Best
Jim Mortensen 460th
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Howard and Bob,
Current at my home (real home in San Luis Obispo) after several months of national travel and establishing a 2nd command post in Bend, OR. So, at least for the moment-back to 517th business.
Howard, all of your recommendations are in the best interest of the association and of course I approve.
In view of our likely life blood "associate" membership, I recommend the following:
1. Bob or Ben-Produce a roster of those individuals identified as likely candidates for Board or Presidential approval. In that most of those individuals are kin to 517th members, we likely would have to avoid duplicate and costly mailings. Those that are dedicated individual 517 supporters, friends, and camp followers would obviously call for individual mailings. E-mail, if available to that person is one simple solution. It would be appropriate and a courtesy for those associate members to receive an honest to goodness associate membership card. I would be happy to be the coordination point for associate 517th member coordination, communication, or whatever.
2. Bob-As I mentioned a week or so ago in Ben's mail call-while in DC I obtained from Dick Kramer (Dick Kramer Studios, Inc) several copies of his art work. One is of a Jump Master in the door and the other of a stick standing by for the green light. He is a personal friend of many years and has done our organizational (Tactical Response-Military and Law Enforcement) training and publications (TREXPO). He is a gifted artist. He gave me permission for publication of his drawings (the ones I obtained) as long as they were not in a form that they would be copied in other than our publication-Thunderbolt. Not that he is striving for additional sales-but, we could make that means available if troopers desired to purchase them. Even tho he is a personal friend I think I should obtain his written permission. If I can get my blasted scanner to work I will send you copies for our pub.
Gene Frice ______________________________________
Congratulations Ben,The Barretts are the first to register for our Florida mini. Last year,the Boyles were first.Things are looking up down here. Finally back to sunshine. We got lucky.We only had about 21/2 inches of rain instead of the 5 inches predicted.Bob Christie
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Dear Ben: We have a lot of illustrious people among our members and descendants. I would like to welcome Pat Seitz and her husband Alan Greer into the flock, if they haven’t been there all along. You should know that Pat with her father and mother’s upbringing and genes along with her professional skills has reached certain enviable goals. Several years ago she was president of the Florida bar. She now sits on the Federal bench as a judge. Whether she is a Federal District Court judge or enjoys the greater honor of being a member of the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, I am not sure. One thing is certain though. If the ACLU attempts to remove those crosses in Flanders Field (where poppies grow, ‘neath the crosses row on row) or in that cemetery in Draguigan where our valiant troopers were laid to rest, I am sure Pat will know instinctively how we feel about it. Pat, we know we should never anticipate what a judge will do, and we promise never to guess if you are nominated for a seat on the Supreme Court. Our congratulations to you an your achievements, one of which is delighting a proud father. My best, Howard Hensleigh