From: Ben517@aol.com
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2004 7:06 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: MAIL CALL NO. 636 517TH PRCT--FEBRUARY 6, 2004
Hello,
 
Check the website for new photos and information.
Ben
Website                                   www.517prct.org
Mail Call                                   Ben517@aol.com
Mail Call Archives                 www.517prct.org/archives
Roster                                      www.517prct.org/roster.pdf


2004 West Coast Party
April 19-22, 2004
Palm Springs, CA

Howard hensleigh

Dear Ben: Your order in Mail Call is always cricket  But the lowly cricket has come under artillery fire, now from the 460th, and the 596th.  As you say, despite any controversy about details,     WE WON THE WAR.  Howard H.
Jay Littlefield--Don Fraser's grandson

Sure thing, I will definitely tell him.  My sister and I (his grandchildren) made them for all of his buddies.
JJ

Florida mini-Reunion photos

Click on the above hyperlink or go to the Contents page on the website to view excellent photos of the Kissimmee reunion taken by Don Fraser's grandchildren.  Be sure to click on the thumbnail photos to get the enlargement -Ben

Jim Lathers

Jim Lathers. Company C - Five One Seven  
 
Hi Ben, Having read the inquiry from a grandson of Sgt. William Delaney on mail call No. 628 I would like to and will respond  to him in due time with anything I can remember about his grandfather. Sgt. Delaney was my squad leader from Camp Toccoa until that tragic day of December 24, 1944, when he was K.I.A.  Hopefully there is someone still out there with a better memory than mine that can be of some help to the grandson. Lt. Roland Beaudoin and Sgt.Standley Brown were also lost during this engagement, same time and place in a little farm community in Belgium. It's still not clear to me in which of these two little towns this incident took place, Lamormenil or Freyneux, but in any case the actual site was a building just outside of one of these towns and it was during the daylight hours. It was a cold day with snow on the ground, a high overcast but I don't recall any snow fall. Needless to say, the loss of these three outstanding leaders was devastating both to the Company and their friends especially during this period of the conflict.  
 
I have tried over the years to focus on this one small incident of the war, including many hours on your very informative website with not much success. I realize it is pretty late in the game but there is always the chance that someone out there on Mail Call can provide some details, no matter how small. Anything will be helpful and appreciated.
 
A brief sketch of my memory: I was part of a group assigned to approach this building just outside of a little farm community <> no enemy resistance was encountered during the initial phase <> when within a few feet of the front entrance of this building incoming fire was received, I have always thought it was some sort of cannon fire because of the shrapnel it dispersed but oddly I never heard it coming in time to get down, received some very minor nicks but it did put some holes in a perfectly good G.I. overcoat <> entered the building, encountered no enemy, Sgt. Brown Was stationed at a lower floor window looking out on the road next to the building, others were roaming around the interior of the building and this is where I draw a complete blank, who were the others? <> I think there was a stairway leading to a second floor which we had occupied <> Some time during this period we started receiving small arms fire from the enemy outside the building and even more disturbing  was some sort of large caliber automatic machine gun fire that was penetrating and passing through the building, yes, the tracer rounds were visible as they went from room to room <> Things did quiet down rather quickly and we withdrew back to town allowing time for some tweezers work, sulfur powder, and Band-Aids.  
Hoping for conformation, addition, or revision- -Please!  
                                                                Jim Lathers 
PS 
NOLAN: Were you in the neighborhood during this time period? Have you seen a morning report for this date? Did you by chance get to this area on your Belgium trip? 
 
EDDY - BELGIUM HISTORIAN: Have these two little communities survived and grown?
General Seitz
 
Ben, I haven't experienced any problems in receiving your fine " Mail
Call."  I just can't find the words to tell you how much I appreciate
receiving Mail Call. It is the greatest thing to happen to the 517th
family since the great war.  517th all the way.  Dick Seitz
PS My daughter, Pat really thinks the Mail Call is great . 
_________________________________________________________________
Ray Hess
Greetings to you Ben! I want to get my cricket heard. We in "F" CO, the first and finest company had crickets when we jumped Ray Hess
 

Letter to Wives and Mothers

from Capt. Dalrymple, 596th PEC

This is a copy of a letter sent to the family of each soldier just before they were sent overseas: