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
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
