Interesting world - New friend in Belgium

[Walt's Daughter]

Hi Mac:

 

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a few lines. They mean a lot to me. And thanks for your heartfelt congrats on the anniversary of our site. It is a proud moment for me, not only because of the physical date, a date is a date, but because of the accomplishments and the friends I have made. That is really what it's all about.

 

Our circle has now expanded this morning because Steve has now hooked me up with another new friend from Belgium, Stan Bellens. Here is our exchange this weekend.

 

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Hello, Marion

My first name is Stan, I'am also a old friend from John Mac Auliffe, I knew him in 1984 and drove him in many places in Belgium at several times, Gilbert Stevenot wrote to me Two weeks ago, because he has knew "Mac" in 1996 He had

received some pictures from John, I have a lot of photos from John , taken in Belgium at every come back, he is a good fellow, and honest man. I don't know you, but Gilbert said I must write some words to you.

Best Regards Have Fun Stan Liège/Belgium

 

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Good evening Stan:

 

It is very late here, so I won't be writing too much this evening. Trust me I will write an longer letter later and I'm usually not at a loss for words. ha-ha!

 

It was so nice to get a letter from you and I'm delighted that Gilbert passed along my name and email address to you. John McAuliffe is a dear friend and though I have not had the pleasure of meeting him in person, we share many wonderful emails each month. It is an honor to know both men and I now also look forward to hearing from you.

 

Mac will be delighted that you wrote to me and now all of us can correspond. I'm sure we will have much to share, so feel free to write whenever you like. I hope you will take the time to read about my dad's history and the great histories behind the other men featured on my site. If you are so inclined, you can even join our forum/message board and chat with a lot of wonderful people who share a common love and interest of WWII.

 

Take care and thanks again for writing to me.

 

Warm regards,

 

Marion J Chard

Proud daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek

540th Combat Engineer WWII

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/

 

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Hello ! Marion !!!

 

What a wonderful mail, you have a real sense of humor, it was delightful. Many thanks !! I have been vey surprised to read that you don't know our good friend "Mac" , only by E-mails I have met him during a trip organized by VBOB, in 1984, at this era I was a member of the CRIBA (Centre de recherche et d'information sur la Bataille des Ardennes ) I will try to translate it in English - Center for Research and Information for Battle of the Ardennes !!!!!!!!!

John came back to Belgium several times . It was always a pleasure to pick up him at the Brussels Airport, drive him to his hotel and make plans to discover the differents places of combat accross the Ardennes My wife Denise has invited John several time for a meal with us, he was already my closer american friend

On September 7, 1944 the day of our liberation by the US Army , I was 12 and so happy and proud to se these young smiling soldiers I have put all of them in my heart for the rest of my life, it was the 3rd Armored Division with a company of the "Big Red One "

We were lodged in a Castle, because our famly house had been wrecked by american bombs, without killed or wounded, it was on May 11, 1944

Dear Marion, I apologized for my bad English , but I hope you will understand what I 'm trying to tell you This day is one my most beautiful days of my live, with my wedding and the birth of our daugther In 1978, the newspaper "La Meuse" had on its front page, the letter of an American Veteran from the 1st I.D - Big Red One who asked to the inhabitants of the town of Liège (Belgium ) write and send to him postcards or letters, I wrote to him a long letter to thanks him and all the American soldiers for the liberation of our town on September 8th, 1944, three weeks later I received a letter from him saying : Dear Stan, I received hundreds of postcards and letters from Liège, but all are in french, except yours, I shall be very happy if you accept to be my penpal, I reply Yes Ok, and our orrespondance has been finished in 1992 with the death of John F. Mickey, 1st US Infantry Division - 26th Rgt - B Company, he was living in Las Vegas.

He was a charming gentleman, we never speak about WW2, After he passed away, his son Dennis sent to me several sheets of papers with all his souvenirs from the landing in North Africa, Sicily, Normandy and he Battle of the Hürtgen Forest where he had been wounded.

I have a lot of souvenirs from these years, they will be never forgotten.

Join at this mail some pictures of John, and I Have fun Good Sunday Best Regards Stan Bellens/Belgium

 

PS: I have not yet read the story of your beloved father, the link was not good !!!!!

 

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Dear Marion

 

Some pictures of John , My wife at 45, me at 55, John and Dennis Hastert, John and me '( blue shirt) in june 1996

Dedication of plaque in th evillages in which John has been involved in his first combats Moircy, Tillet, Pironpré

Bonnerue and so on Bye !!!!!