From: Ben517@aol.com
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 2:53 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: MAIL CALL NO. 661 517TH PRCT--MARCH 22, 2004
 

Hello,

 
I have a long and rather personal email from Chris Liddell. However, Chris has asked that it be passed along. Any request from Chris will always be granted if possible.
 
"And now for the rest of the story".
 
It is unlikely that there would be a 517 website or "Mail Call" if a young man in Alabama had not sent email to people in Belgium  a few years ago requesting information about his grandfather, Sgt.  Bobby Liddell "F" Co. 517, and  a Silver Star recipient. The request was forwarded by our a Belgian friend to me to see if I could help Chris. At that time I was just learning how to turn a computer on and so I asked my son ,Bob, how to find the information on the internet. The result was the website and later "Mail Call".
 
We have been able to help many relatives find information about their fathers, grandfathers and uncles, but have not been able to be of much help to Chris. We did contact one person in "F" Co. who briefly remembers Bobby Liddell and when he asked him what he did to get the Silver Star, Bobby Liddell's reply was something like "just doing what I was suppose to do".
 
We would like to find  a way to get Silver Star citations or any citations on the internet. Any suggestions?
 
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

Joe and Marie-Louise Spencer
 
To Gene, his children and grand-children........
We send our sincere condolences and our love.
We will miss her in Palm Springs.
Joe and Marie-Louise Spencer
Juliette and George Spears
 
DEAR GENE & FAMILY.
 
JULIETTE & I SEND OUR DEEPEST SYMPATHY.   MAY YOU FIND PEACE IN THE MEMORIES OF TIMES PAST AND COMFORT FOR THE FUTURE.
 
AIRBORNE REGARDS,
 
JULIETTE & D.G. "GEORGE" SPEARS   F CO.
Chris Liddell

    Hi Mr. Barrett,
      I'm sorry that it's been such a long time since I've sent you an e-mail to say hello and hope that all is going well with you and your family.  I am so sorry to hear about Mr. Frice's wife passing away. (although I am glad to hear that they had so many years together and, unlike so many deaths, they were able to say goodbye to each other.  I know that point seems very trivial under the circumstances, but there are so many things that are left unsaid when someone close to you dies.  Although I was only 8 yrs old when my grandfather, Bobby Liddell- Proud member of the 517th F. Company, passed away, I wish that I would have been old enough to realize what he had given to his country and that he represented the Liddell family with pride an honor by fighting in "the Bulge" with such bravery.  I just wish that I would have been able to say "Thank you", as I've always expressed to all of you who are still with us. Also, my other grandfather who served aboard the USS Raleigh (Destroyer that was hit pretty bad but stayed afloat) during the attack on Pearl Harbor passed away when I was 17 yrs. old.   Although he knew how much I loved him, (he was my all time greatest "Fishing Buddy" who I spent MANY hours with him on the water at his retirement home on Weiss Lake in North Alabama running his trotlines, fishing for cats, crappie, largemouth (bass), and stripes (bass).  I spent most of my summers and every "spring break" fishing with him.  He wasn't just my grandfather but, more... he was my close friend.   This began to take back-seat to girls, partying with my friends,  deer hunting, and all of the other "new experiences"  that come with the freedom of being a teenager.  The last time that I spoke to him, which was while I was rushing to pack my truck for a 3-day bass fishing trip with my friends to Miller's Ferry in South Alabama.  He was leaving the following day for Leesburg, Florida (w/ Nanee) to camp with their "camping club".   He was talking with me on my driveway and he mentioned that he would love for me to come up to the lake when they return from FL and do some fishing with him.  I told him that I would but I could see it in his eyes that he was coming to grips with the fact that I was a teenager who no longer had the time to fish with his grandfather, or at least like we used to.  Although the hurt in his eyes made me feel really bad, I remember thinking that I would "fix it when he got home by going up there for a few days and doing some fishing".  He died 4 days later in Leesburg, FL of a massive heart attack while he was on top of their motor home closing a vent.  Although I am truly thankful to God that, unlike my other grandfather, we DID have some really GREAT memories together.  I do very little fishing now, although it was my life back then, because my "fishing buddy" is no longer here to fish with me.  Fishing is simply not the same without him..  Still, that one day, the hurt in his eyes seems to outweigh all of the good memories. Although I KNOW FOR A FACT that he didn't blame me because he was a teenager once and he made a comment one day while we were fishing that, "that day would come when I would become a teenager", although i assured him that it wouldn't.  I still could see that it didn't make it any easier on him.  There were no other grandsons who were DEDICATED to fishing like he was.  Actually, he always said that I "wore him out when I came for a visit" because I never wanted to reel in the lines. :-)  Anyway, I long for just one more fishing trip with him, or, at leaste the opportunity to tell him how much those days on the lake meant to me.
       Although Mr. Frice probably doesn't see it now, I'm sure that having the opportunity to tell Mrs. Frice how much he loved her and leaving no stones unturned.. 
        Mr. Frice and his family will certainly be in my prayers and he's already on the "prayer list" at my church.
       Your friend,
       Chris Liddell
       Your adopted "517th Grandson"
       PS: Please tell Bob that I said hello and ask him to drop me an e-mail sometime if he gets a chance. (and same for you Mr.B) :-)
        liddelldesigns@cs.com


       PSS:  I almost forgot.  GREAT NEWS!!!!  (This shows how nature works sometimes.)  Although the loss of Mrs.Frice was  a very sad situation and I'm not trying to make it seem any less than that,  my wife and I just found out that we have been "bumped up" from, December to November then, from November to October and now from October to September, to leave for China and pick up our little baby girl that we're adopting!!!!  Although the 517th members are loosing one of their loved ones, another member of the 517th (Bobby M. Liddell) although he will only be looking down from heaven, a "517th member's grandson is adding a new "member of the family". Although the Sept. travel date isn't set in stone, (assuming that the Chinese Dept. of International Adoption simply continues to send out the files on time) the chances of the receipt of our file, which INCLUDES a picture of our baby girl and her birth info. in August and traveling in Sept. is 99.5% in our favor.  You can count on receiving more pictures than you can stand, after our 15-20 day trip to China so you may want to delete free up about 75% of the memory space in your computer. :-)  Tammy (my wife) and I have been trying to have a child for aprox. 5 or 6 yrs. (1-2 years of "natural" attempt, 2 years at "Fertility Clinic #1" , 2+ years at "Fertility Clinic #2", and about 11 months of red tape, background checks, psychiatric evaluations, FBI Searches, Finger Printing, Letters of Recommendations from almost everyone that we know,  IRS Tax Returns from the past 5 years,  and, since I'm a small business owner, 5 yrs. of financial statements w/ a notarized letter from my business accountant, 5 years of business licenses  and bank statements, etc. etc. etc. involved in an international adoptions.  NOT TO MENTION THE $$$$$!!!  We figured it up a few days ago, and we spent an average of $24,000 per year (x 4 and 1/2 yrs.)  (and,  fert. clinics are covered by NONE of even the best med. insur. cos) and, the adoption, including travel, will end up costing a total of + or - $34,000.  NOW THAT's A HELLUVA' LOT OF CAPS, T-SHIRTS, PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS and LOGO DESIGN? FREELANCE GRAPHIC ART!!!)  :-)  So far, we have been very blessed because it seems like God has came through for us EVERY SINGLE TIME that a big payment is due on the adoption or when we were going through infertility, by giving me an unexpected order of jackets (which are very "big profit" items) or some kind of order that leaves us with (sometimes almost to the penny) the money left over after the bills, to pay our payment on time.  That tells me that God wants us to be parents ALMOST as bad as we do... :- )  This is a happy ending of a dream that Tammy and I have been working towards for years.  I can't express how EXCITED we are!!!  Just thought you might like to get an update.

Bill Boyle

This was forwarded to us by Bill Boyle.

"Under God" key phrase for court this Wednesday.-Ben


A Penny

You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live.
the husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She causally mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words "United States of America."
"No, not that; read further."
"One cent?" "No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?"
"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold.. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful.
When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful!
And, God is patient...
Have a blessed day!!

The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:

1 cross
+3 nails
--------
4 given