E Company at Camp Toccoa, GA

Lt. E.F. Brooks, Comdg.
 

Attached find a photograph of several men, Company E, that indicates it was taken at Camp Toccoa, Georgia.  I believe the caption also indicates that the Commanding Officer is Lt. E. F. Brooks.  My Step-Father, Chester A. Wells, is in the middle row, last man on the right. 
 
I took the original photograph to a professional photographer, Kim Pezeshki (who's husband is enroute home from Afghanistan!), who cleaned it up.  It was preserved in .jpg format and should open with any good photographic software.  Because it was photographed at 30x the original, it can be enlarged several times without loss of detail.  
 
I have no idea who else is in the picture, or if this group is even associated with the 517th; I'm assuming it is a photograph of men assigned to the 517th.  Any information you, or readers of Mail Call, have would be appreciated.  I have noticed that on the far right of the picture there appears to be a "statue" several yards behind the group; possibly facing a open field.  This might help jog memories as to exactly where the photograph was taken at the camp.   
 
I am almost finished with the information I intend to send in on my father, and this photograph will be included.  But, wanted to send it out now so that others may determine if anybody in it is one of their relatives.   -- Mike Wells

Here is what the photo looks like at 12% size:

Here is the photo at 50% size: It is very big and will take a while to load, but this size has the best quality to see all the faces. You will have to scroll left to right to see it all.    Even bigger version

Note:  Each company in the 517 had a picture like the one that you fixed up for Mail Call.  Each picture was taken at the same place at Toccoa.  I pulled up my company picture, Hq. 2nd Battalion and at first I thought it was the same picture you sent.  What you thought was a statue is the smoke stack on a barracks building just behind the picture.  It does not show on the picture you sent but if you can read the printing on the bottom of the original it will identify the company commander and probably the company name.
 
As I remember all of these pictures were taken just before we left for Jump School.  I am sure I was not happy getting dressed for a picture after living in shorts and shoes for 17 weeks.  -- Darrell Egner

From Mike Wells

Received October, 2007


Updated May 12, 2020 ;   Originally this picture was thought to be of H Company.  It has been corrected to note that  it is of E Company at Camp Toccoa.