In the Infantry School they taught us that a short pencil is better than a long memory. Apparently we didn’t write much about crickets in 1944. We sure made up for it in 2004! Sorry you didn’t get yours, Tom. Major Vella could have loaned you his. He didn’t need one because he was a non combatant. Those Jerries might not have recognized that medical insignia though, in the dark. Howard H

Boom Boom

Ben you can add this song to "Blood On The Risers" etc. to the website:

                The New Infantry Song
                                        chorus
                                Airborne we fly the sky
                                Paratroopers do or die
                                Speed troops like the wind we go
                                We're sons o'guns. We're sons o"guns!
                                We won't take "no" for an answer,
                                Can't stop those paratroopers,
                                Jumping down into the fray.
                                Oh' its not the way it used to be,
                               A bigger and better infantry comes in by
                                                 Air today!

                                It used to be the infantry did nothing
                                         but march all day,
                                Dusty guys, with mud in their eyes,
                                Went slooping along the way.
                                But times have changed and now we range
                                         the sky and sea of blue,
                                We fly a bit and then we'll hit the silk
                                         Of a parachute.   Oh!!!

                                             Repeat the Chorus

This was issued to me on 2/15/43 after I completed Jump School on 1/16/43, and started Demolition Training.


Gene Frice

Ben-my letter to the President regarding his service record (and allegations to the contrary)

February 11, 2004

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C., 20500

Dear President Bush,

     I have followed (with interest and anger) the controversy relating to your military service with the Air National Guard (ARNG), and allegations relating to that service.

     I feel the attacks made upon you, and your military service, is an insult to all who have served with the National Guard or the Army Reserve (USAR). In my case, I served honorably for many years with the United States Army Reserve (USAR) as well as a WWII, combat veteran with the active military service.

     Further, my Reserve service following WWII, was during the Korean conflict as well as the Viet Nam period. I would like to point out, my service with the USAR, was as a commander, at various levels of command, of volunteer members (and units) of the U.S. Army Special Forces (USAR).

     During the above period, I and all members of my command, were volunteers in well trained and highly sensitive units. As all members of the ARNG and the USAR we were subject to call to an active duty status at any time to serve our country. We were available (as you were Mr. President) for that call for many years. Other than during the Korean conflict, and to few ARNG or USAR units, that call did not come until the current time in Iraq.

     I deeply resent the implication that any member of my Special Forces USAR unit, or any member of the ARNG (or you Mr. President), was shirking or avoiding his duty by membership in those units.

     We, and current members of the above units, serve proudly knowing that we were available to assist our country in time of need and not to avoid such service.

     Respectfully,

     Gene M. Frice, Col. AUS, (Retired)

John M. Davis

Ben thank you for the quick respones, I know I should be able to find this info on my own but, I just got this computer and I really don,t know how to get around very well. If being on the mail call roster will help me get more info on I Co. 517 or if thats where I need to be posting Olens inquiry then yes I would like to be on the roster. Ben I don.t mean to bother you personally with my emails its just nice when I can,t surf correctly to ask you, you always steer me to the right answer. My father inlaw is 83 now and on Sundays on the porch he will talk about the war sometimes I feel privileged when he does, because his wife and daughters say he hasn't for almost 50 years. I respect any man that picks up arms for his country , But there's just something special about a curahee 517 combat soldier. It make my day to bring him some information that seems to satisfy his years of curiosity. I don't know why but he said he was not interested in the Thunderbolt.

                                                         Thank You !

Bob Barrett

In Mail Call #640, John Davis asked about Arthur Riddler (Ridler?). Just by poking around the web site reports I found some info:

There is a 1st Lt. Arthur W. Ridler listed with G Company in the Casualty reports as RTD on July 30th. (but not yet KIA by the end of August records). But he is on the KIA list in Provence. (See the Honor Roll, and also the December Memorial booklet).

So if the minefield incident was early on in Italy, he must have survived that. Unfortunately he was killed somewhere in France.

Also, last December, in Mail Call #594, John Caylor sent in some notes from his father's notebook, which included the following entry:

"Lt. Ridles or Riddles was 2nd platoon commander, he had a sister to mail me chewing tobacco, was later killed while I was in the hospital near the town of Calea?" [Callian?]

Lory Curtis

Okay, here is more about the challenge and password.

My father (Bud Curtis, HQ, 1^st BN) did not have a clicker, but was only given the challenge and password. He told me last night 2-11-04, when he jumped into southern France all of the information he was given didn’t match. The moon was suppose to be on his right side, with trees on the left. He said it wasn’t. All he saw was clouds below. With the moon shinning on the clouds my dad thought it was water. He began to try and release himself from his harness. He didn’t want to drown. The harness was too tight and he couldn’t get out of it (thank goodness for him and me!). When he landed, it was on a terrace. He still couldn’t get out of his harness and had to cut himself free with his knife. He said it was pitch black and he couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face. He said he must have landed right into a German patrol of 5 or more men. He said he took a couple of steps and fell down the side of the terrace to a lower terrace below next to a tree. There were leaves on the ground and every time he took a step it made a crunch sound. He heard someone and so he quietly said, “Democracy”, the challenge. Then waited for the password, Lafayette. It never came. Just then he could see the silhouette of a German soldier though the haze, about 100 feet in front of him. He also heard other Germans off in the distance to his right crunching on the leaves. The German to his front raised his rifle. In that split second my dad was going to shoot him, but remembered his gun powder flashed and the German’s gun powder did not. He knew if he shot the German to his front, the ones to his flank would shoot him when they saw the flash from his rifle. He didn’t shoot but dove to the ground just as the German to his front shot. My dad heard the bullet wiz by. He laid there quietly until the Germans walked off in the other direction, I guess thinking they killed him because they heard him fall. He then got up and took off in the opposite direction and heard someone else. He said “Democracy” quietly, now answer, head said it louder, DEMOCRACY! He next heard an American voice say, “Shut up your going to get us killed.” He did and was very thankful to find another American Paratrooper, of which to this day he never knew his name, but they sure took care of each other on that day.

Now there has been great information about clickers and the password Lafayette. Does anyone else besides my dad remember using the word “Democracy” as the challenge??? Also does anyone remember using the word “Billy the Kid” if you forgot the challenge and password?

Thanks for your input and great comments about your experiences. My Dad is loving every email. Especially about this subject.

Lory Curtis