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Mail Call Ben517@aol.com
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Ben,
Could you send
me Mike Kane’s e-mail address? I
would like to send him my condolences on the passing of his mother. Daddy and I spent a few days with the
Kanes when we were on what I lovingly call “The Great
Foxhole Tour of 1976.”
Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll
be in
********* Mike Kane's address is mjkanejd@comcast.net
Dear Ben ; Fine Mail Call. Great work as a result of you and Bob's outstanding dedication to our CT Assn. I can never repay you for urging me to "get on line" ,about five years ago at Palm Springs . The reunion seems to be shaping up as one of the best .Garnet and I will surely be there in spirit . In A/BBL (Airborne Brotherly Love) . Bob and Garnet Dalrymple
Hi Ben! My best to you and yours. It seems as if my Dad and Mom (Beaver and Andrea Carrillo) are not going to the reunion this year. He is having a hard time walking and when he does it hurts. It is his hip. I wish you all a wonderful time. My best to all of you!
Michael S. Carrillo
Eddy MONFORT
15, Rue de la Gotte
B-6960 MANHAY
BELGIUM
Email: e.monfort@belgacom.net
When you visit St. Cezaire please give its citizens our best regards. We
remember them and cherish their memory. If any of them would like to be in
touch with us, please tell them how to do that.
In response to your comments on the reputation our men left in Southern
France, I want give you an accurate idea of the character of the men in the
517th Combat Team. The fact that we scared hell out of the Germans was a
positive thing in the context of our Southern France “visit” in the summer
and fall of 1944. If the Germans thought we all escaped from Alcatraz and
that helped end their occupation of that picturesque landscape, we were all
for it then and still are, even today. However, we were from all walks of
American life. Our bluest blue-blood was probably Nicolas Biddle, an
officer in the 460th Parachute Field Artillery. Nick was from the “Main
Line” of Philadelphia. His forbearers have been prominent in the history
of the United States going back to the time when Andrew Jackson was
president. Then another Nicholas Biddle had a political battle with the
president over the charter of the Second National Bank. Andy Johnson won
that one by taking his arguments to the common people of the country. We
had another Biddle in B Company of the 517th PIR who earned his fame the
hard way. Melvin Biddle helped stop the surge of the German army in the
Battle of the Bulge in the Soy-Hotton area of Belgium. For his gallantry
there he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Truman. Mel Biddle
was typical of many of our men, young, clean living former high school
athletes. If some of our men did celebrate a bit, as Kipling said, “Single
men in barracks don’t grow into plaster saints.” A very few of us were
released from prison to join the paratroops.
Our leadership did its best to utilize the abilities of each individual to
be very best advantage. I submit that they succeeded.
Name: Joe Berish
Unit: 1st COSCOM
EMail: joseph.berish@us.army.mil
How I found the 517th page: Heard from a member of the 517th
Comments: My Grandfather was Lester Murphy Co. F, He recently passed, I would like to hear any information anyone has on him. Being in the military myself, I would like to know more about him and his service, Thanks--
Ben,
Thank you for these email addresses...I have been in contact awhile back with Stevin and Eddie...
And plan to do so again soon...I have saved many questions for them both. Hopefully my plans
Will iron out soon. You are doing a super job with your website. I cannot thank you enough for your work.
Fondly, Terry
Thought this might be of interest to members of the 517th. My cousin Dan
sent it to me.
Lots of things change in this world, but thank God that duty and honor and
reverence for those who serve and sacrifice is still alive and well.
Regards & God Bless,
Jim (Tom Cross' Son-in-Law)
BTW... my uncle (his dad) served with the "Blue Devils" (88th Combat
Infantry, 350th Infantry, company G). His company commander was Capt.
Robert E. Roeder who won the medal of honor at the same battle (Mt.
Battaglia) that my uncle lost his leg and won his purple hearts in 1944.