The race is on to see who will have the most paratroopers (not counting the people they have with them) at the Reunion.  As of tonight, July 5th, the leaders are.......................tied for 1st place are Hq 1st Bn and Hq 2nd Bn.  Coming in a very close second, there is a tie between F Co. and I Co.  For third place there is a  3-way tie with Hq 3rd Bn, D Co. and 460th C Bty.  Keep those registrations coming in.  Get in touch with your friends, and get them to come to this great party.  

Here is an updated list for those that have sent Registration Forms to me.  The first list is my "Pending File" list which means I need to get some information to you or call you for information.  You will be hearing from me either by email or phone.  The lists do not include spouses, family members or friends coming to this Reunion.

Pending File List

                   Anderson, Vera                                           Barrett, Ben
                   Brown, Silas                                               Cason, Jack 
                   Christman, Robert                                       Cook, Charles  
                   Cross, Tom                                                 Davis, Gary
                   Davis, Bettye J. Nash                                  Ehly, Erle
                   Egner, Darrell
                   Fraser, Don                                                 Kennedy, Robert
                   McMorrow, Merle                                         McSpadden, Phil
                   Riddle, Flora                                                Riek, Robert
                   Smith, Daniel
                   Spears, Donald                                            Walbridge, Jack
                   Welle, Cyril                                                 Zinszer, Charles
                   Ziolkowski, Floyd "Zip"         

Regular File List

                  
                   Anderson, James                                        Armbruster, Stephen
                   Backus, Eugene                                          Barnes, Bob
                   Berrena, Louis                                             Boyle, Bill
                   Broudy, Bruce                                             Bucher, Roselyn
                   Case, Ted                                                   Castello, Jay
                   Chestnut, Bruce                                          Christie, Bob
                   Cobble, Teresa                                            Cooper, Robert
                   Darden, Jesse                                             Dallas, Frank
                   Dean, Leo                                                   Frice, Gene
                   Fulton, Harold                                             Gauthier, Cameron
                   Gibbons, Ludlow                                          Gordy, Carl
                   Harmon, Fred                                              Hensleigh, Howard
                   Huckabee                                                   Janes, Armond
                   Johnson, Leroy (Lee)                                   Kachalsky, Richard
                   Linder, Chris                                               MacKenzie, Dorothy'
                   MacRae, William                                         Madison, Lyle
                   Meador, Burton "Tex"                                   Mehegan, Florence
                   Morris, James (Frank)                                  Mortensen, Jim
                   Miller, Wm. R. (Dick)                                   Moles, Marvin
                   McDaniel, John                                           Olson, Ernest
                   Orengo, Roland                                           Paciotti, Al
                   Perkins, Les                                               Perkowski, Walter
                   Polk, Floyd                                                 Powell, Nolan
                   Pratt, Charles                                              Royer, Jim
                   Rupczyk, John                                            Scaringi, Louis
                   Seitz, Dick                                                  Smith, Walter
                   Sperry, A.L..                                               Traver, Myrle
                   Vaught, Robert                                            Vesco, James
                   Vukovich, Paul                                            Walton, J.B.
                   Welborn, Guy                                              Westbrook, William
                   Wheeler, Richard                                         Williams, Nita Jolly
                   Beddow, Hal     
                                             
If you do not see your name on the list and have sent in your Registration, please let me know.  Again, these are the Registrations that I have received as of today, July 5.

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Mike Kane

Hi Ben.  Just a note that the archive for No. 929 has a bad link.  I think its because the link presently is to "/9289.htm" rather than "/929.htm". 

I was trying to find the recent Mail Call where the address to order Odyssey was noted. Been meaning to order a copy. I think it was 931 or 932.  I'll get it when they are posted in the archive.

Have a great reunion.

Best wishes to all,

Mike Kane

  **********We  will take care of the archives this weekend-Ben

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Jean-Loup

Thank you Mr. Hensleigh for your detailed response
about the battle at St. Cezaire. I had already read the
517th history and what it says about the attack, but
each individual remembers specific details, so it is
interesting and revealing to get as many points of
view as possible.
What I regularly do with local civilians and veterans
from the southern France campaigne is have
conversations with them, and record what they say, and
then write that down, so that people in the future
will be able to hear an other version of what occurred
either then the official history.
I have only been to St. Cezaire twice though, to do a
bit of reconnaissance, and I haven't done any taping
there yet. I did speak to several people though. They
remembered that a civilian woman was killed by a piece
of shrapnel to the neck as she was hanging up her
laundry. One person told me a dead German was lying in
a wheel barrel (probably used as a makeshift
stretcher). One elderly man remembered that several of
his friends and a German deserter were all killed in
the explosion of a mine the day after the liberation,
as they were de-mining a field.
The inhabitants of St. Cezaire themselves didn't tell me
much about the 517 troopers, but civilians in other
places the 517 went thru said that the paratroopers
were completely wild, all huge, and that the Germans
were afraid to put up any opposition to them. Several
were also under the impression that "they were all
guys liberated from Alcatraz". I heard a couple of
stories of Hawaiian troopers liking to use their knifes
in combat.
Anyways, thanks again for your reply, and when I will
have written down taped accounts about the 517th, I
will forward them to Ben.
Unfortunately, I study in Croatia, and am rarely back
in France, so I cant spend as much time as I would
like to recording the local history...

I would like to thank all the troopers who replied to
my enquiry about St. Cezaire. If anyone either than
Gene Brissey have any recollections about La Roquette,
they would also be welcome.

JL

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Kenton Floyd Immerfall