From: Ben517
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 3:14 AM
Subject: MAIL CALL NO. 903 517TH PRCT.--MAY 19, 2005
Hello,
 
You can always read back Mail Calls by clicking on www.517prct.org/archives
 
Ben
Website                                  www.517prct.org
Mail Call                                  Ben517@aol.com
Mail Call Archives                 www.517prct.org/archives
Roster                                     www.517prct.org/roster.pdf
2005 Biannual Reunion
August 15-19, 2005
Savannah, GA
Registration due before July 10, 2005!
 
Boom Boom Alicki sent us this photo.

Soissons, France

Home to the 517th from Dec 9 to Dec 21, 1944.
Marty Donahue
 
Hi, Ben~~
The video of the jumpers with combat equipment
played very well on my machine.  Music and all.
Looking forward to seeing you in Savannah.
Marty
Bob Dickson
 
Hi Ben, Thanks for the email.  Please add me to the mail call list. 
Bob Dickson
Howard Hensleigh
Note to Fred Beyer:

On one occasion we had assistance from Navy battle ship guns. The Navy ships were in the Mediterranean in the vicinity of Nice. This happened after Capt. "Mac" McGeever was killed and Lt Terrell was wounded leading Terrell’s I Co. platoon to rejoin I Co. with the rest of the 3rd Bn. We mustered a concentrated Bn. attack on the German positions between Ridge X and Mt. Scandeous to complete the link up. These positions overlooked Sospel, France. The Navy guns hammered the enemy positions for some time, along with the 460th 75 mm guns. When the artillery lifted, the bazooka men took over to keep the Germans in their holes until we could toss in white phosphorous grenades. As far as I know the Navy shells may have been as big as bathtubs and probably sounded like it. However they sounded to us, I am sure the sound was worse for the Germans.

At that same time Lt. Col. Paxton had his forward CP in a small building in Col de Braus. Heavy enemy mortars lobed over Ridge X landed in the vicinity of Col de Braus at all hours. They were huge and made s whooshing sound coming in. You knew they were coming in but couldn’t outrun them and didn’t know where to run. The detonation shook the earth. In battlefield humor we remarked that the only casualties they caused were two German POWs.

Fred, this was long ago and far away from where you lost your arm at Manhay.

Boom Boom Alicki

Ben, No luck on this end.     Airborne Jump with Combat Equipment    Click here

Don Gentry

Ben, I could not get this site on aol but used Netscape and it loaded as:
 
 
It is a large file which can be downloaded to your PC.
 
Richard Baysingers (B Co) cousin Don in Wenatchee, WA
                                          **************
Don has given us helpful hints in the past.-Ben
                                                      
Kathy McIntosh
 
hi ben,
yes that is the flag and i can read it too.  thank you so much.  no we can't come to savannah.  dad was under the weather for palm springs.  we had just come back from colorado, where my daughter moved too. he likes to stay close to home.  i am so glad he did so well going to france last year.  that was such a wonderful trip for him......i just finished printing 400 of the 700 pictures i took while there. i have to work all of august in the cardiac cath lab where i am in charge.  last year was almost impossible to get off to go to France, but i wasn't going to miss it or let him go alone.  so i had 1 week to get ready, including getting a passport.  it was great.......i will definitely go again .  we have many friends in Lourges and LeMay and new friends in Videbaun.  i would like  to take my grandsons when they are older. we have a wonderful friend who is a historian on ww2 and he took us step by step thru the jump of so france and the whole battle and it was so interesting.  he had all the maps and all the correspondence from all the units.  he lives near Lourges and is a professor and works in england.  he is going to start a tour just for the invasion of so france.
kathy mc intosh....
Bob Cooper
 
Ben:
Had no trouble seeing this video.
Bob Cooper
 
Neal McAfee
 
Ben,
 
I wanted to write and thank everyone that has helped me gather information about my Great Uncle (Cleo Nelson Browning). I still have a number of unanswered questions. I will continue to work on this. If any of the 517th family are ever in Western Washington I'd love to meet you and dinner is on me.
 
Thanks again,
 
Neal McAfee
Jean Loup Gassand
 
I was reading the mail calls about the p 38 dropping a
bomb at Manhay. My friend Marvin Moles was in I
company and told me he was wounded by a p 38 bomb at
Manhay. Does anyone know if this is the same event
where Browning lost his arm , or was killed?

Jean-Loup Gassend
Jay Sutcliffe
Mr. Barrett,

For those who can not view the video, right click on the screen and then select “Play”

Thanks

Jay

Michael Carrillo

I just viewed the jump video. I was amazed at it. I think I would have messed in my pants. You guys were tough. Funny I just can't see my dad (Beaver) jumping. He was 126 lbs. and 5'2". I am very impressed with the 517. I will miss you all at the reunion.....but I start my teaching assignment on the 16th of August. My best to all and my sympathies to Mrs. Turco.

Charlie Cook

Ben- Just to let you know that we now have email again.
New email address:  cookak@mtaonline.net
Also-
New address:  PO Box 879565
                            Wasilla, Ak
                            99687-9565
Telephone number:  907/376-0443
Looking forward to the emails again.
Thank you,
Charlie Cook
Scott H.
 
Hello,

I am not sure if you are keeping records or not, but William "Bill" Frieze
passed away in 2003.  I spoke with his daughter last week.

Thanks for your help.

Scott H.
 HosierWarRoom@hotmail.com.
 
Bill Frieze was in Hq, 2