Hello,
Please notify me if you are not on my 517 email roster but
would like to receive "Mail Call". This applies only to new
guestbook entries and new friends that have made inquires in
recent email messages.
Ben
Howard Hensleigh
Dear Ben:
We have the reprinted Paratroopers’ Odyssey in sufficient quantity to handle
your orders. This is the official 517th Regimental Combat Team
history, originally published by the Association some years ago. It was popular.
We were sold out, hence the reprinting. The only difference between the old and
new versions is that the new one is a very good paper back, rather than hard
cover. The front cover is the same, including the gold parachute wings. We also
added an introductory page honoring you unsung heroes.
We had a pre-publication price of $22.50 with the idea we would raise it to
$25.00 after publication. After conferring with Donna Hilliard who is
responsible for the reprinting and Bob Christie, our treasurer, we have
concluded that we can make out with the price of $22.50, postage to US addresses
included.
If you have wanted a copy of the Odyssey for yourself, some member of the
family, or a friend, send Bob Christie a check for $22.50 and Donna will see
that it is in the next mail.
Howard Hensleigh
Kathy McIntosh
HI BEN,
WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO THE AIRPORT TO GO TO FRANCE. WE WILL TAKE LOTS
OF PICTURES FOR THE WEBSITE AND TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT. AUG 15 TH IS A VERY
SPECIAL DAY TO DAD AND HE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE ALL THE PEOPLE THAT HELPED HIM IN
LEMUY DURING THE WAR.
KATHY AND JESSE
Tom McAvoy
Ben have you seen the latest copy of The Purple Heart Mag. page 23
upper
left hand corner is a medal called Currahee, I wonder why the 517
don't
have one, we certainly made enough trips up & down
Currahee to Qualify
for one???? I think this one was for the 506 from the
looks of it?? Tom
McAvoy
Lou Darden
Ben Jesse received the following story from Gary Poole
in 2002. He
has not seen it on the web site and would
like you to add it to the web site
if it is not up
somewhere that he did not find it. Lou
Explosion in
the barracks at Camp MaCall, North
Carolina.
Do you remember the big
troublemaker they called
"Swede" He brought what he thought was a
practice
bazooka round into the barracks and he along with
some others
were dropping it on knots in the flooring
and saying, "bombs away".
Someone threw it to Don
Sims who was sitting on his bunk shining his shoes.
It dropped between Don's feet and blew both legs off.
I was over in the
latrine shaving or I probably would
have been one of the casualties as I
slept in the bunk
above Don and it blew a hole in my bunk about the
size
of a basketball. Wilcox and I cam running in
from the latrine and
started trying to help the
injured. Someone else tried to help Tommy
Loggins
but he refused help and said, "help the others, I'm
beyond help".
He was right, he died in just a few
minutes. We were using belts for
tourniquets and
pillowcases to plug wounds. Many of the injured
were
men who were our medics so the rest of us were filling
in the best we
could. Ralph Meyers also lost a leg.
He, Tommy Loggins, and Don were
the main ones I had
close contact with so they are the main injured that
I
remember. The rocket burned holes clear through that
coal stove we
had in the barracks. I still do not
understand how the thing blew Don's
legs off and blew
the hole in my bunk without killing Don.
Tommy
Loggins was two bunks further down the barracks and it
blew a hole
in his stomach about the size of a
grapefruit.
As I mentioned before, don,
Ralph Meyers, Tommy
Loggins and any others of the injured were not in
your
group photo of the HQ. Battery of the 460th. I was
not in it
either. As one of Don's best friends, I was
asked to go to the hospital
to help don cope with the
loss of his legs. Written by Gary
Poole
Thanks Ben, If Jesse finds anything else we will send
it.
LOU
Sandy Baker
Hello!
I am writing at this time for my father
who was a paratrooper in WW II and was interested in getting a medal, patch,
t-short, etc., with the symbol as shown on the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat
Team Roster 2004. His name is Charles G. Leli.
Please advise me if
these items are available and if so the prices for each so I may order them for
my Dad.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Sincerely
yours,
Sandy Barker
Michael Arterburn
Hi Ben,
For clarification if you can - - The
517th was awarded the Croix de Guerre with a Bright Red Star according to the
certificate discussed in the last Mail-Call. Did the words with Star
of Bright Red refer to a bronze star that is worn on the medal awarded to
regiments? Or was this a special star not normally issued by the
French?
Thanks,
Michael N. Arterburn
210 Marywood
Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
Capt Mike
CaptMike97@aol
Merle McMorrow
Ben:
Why is it you don't hear much from the infantry men who were the
real heroes and have some real stores to tell? That is why I would like to
compile stores about 517th infantry and those from other units so they are
preserved in one place. That is what your website does but there are so
many people without computers.
We leave in the morning for Nice.
Merle & Mardy
Tom Reber
Dear Ben & Bob
Barrett,
Mr. Bob Christie and Ms. Donna Hilliard
(copied on this e-mail) have been very busy dealing with roster changes. I
believe I have them all and it is time for an update to be posted.
Returned copies of the Thunderbolt that are marked with bad addresses will fall
off of the T-bolt mailing list, but I will continue to show them on the main
roster, but with the date the address was identified as "bad". If anyone
can update us, then I will restore them to the mailing
list.
Since it is August 10th, I wanted to be
able to make the Mail Call that will mark and celebrate the 60th anniversary of
Albatross/Dragoon. All of America and the free world will forever be in
your debt for your service and sacrifices. I sincerely wish you all a very
safe, healthy and peaceful 60th anniversary.
Best regards,
Tom Reber
son of Lt. Bob Reber (HQ
3rd)