By John France, Historian, USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association On June 6, 1944, U.S.S. LCI(L) 85 sailed through rough waters towards the Normandy Coast of France. LCI 85 was [ … ]
Category: June 2019 (No. 105)
The 2019 LCI National Reunion!
On May 3-5 2019, the AFMM proudly hosted the LCI WWII Veterans Reunion. 13 veterans attended along with family and friends for a total of over 85. Everyone had a [ … ]
Vampire Volunteers
By J. Wandres (Intrepid Explorer of the South Pacific) My wife and I were fortunate to be part of a small-group tour of New Zealand and Australia. Whilst in Sydney [ … ]
We Remember Charles “Buster” Lawrence. Why?
Born in 1916, he graduated in 1935 from Benson Polytechnic High School, in Portland, Oregon. His major was aviation mechanics. He joined the Army and served two years as an [ … ]
Chaplain’s Corner
Holy Bible NASB Psalm 1: 1-6 2 Peter 1:21 2 Tim 3:16 Heb 11:6 I love to read the Psalms because they are so applicable to life, and, as all [ … ]
My Grandfather’s Sacrifice
William J. Gunter Royal Canadian Navy, Able Seaman. HMCS LCI(L) 249 had twin 20mm Orelikons on the bow By Danika Gagnon When I was younger, my grandfather never talked about [ … ]
LCI Veterans Recall D-Day
By Jeff Veesenmeyer “Okay, let’s go.” Those three simple words from General Dwight D. Eisenhower set into motion the largest amphibious invasion in history. An armada of 5,300 ships would [ … ]
Whatever Will Float Our Boat
Rick Holmes, AFMM President The AFMM is having another excellent year; visits and tours to the ship are up and the ship is really looking good. Our troop 2 and [ … ]
Observations from Officers Country
by Robert E Wright Jr, President MEMORIAL DAY 2019 – If you look at the Cover of ELSIE ITEM 105 it features a single white cross. It’s one among the [ … ]
Not All LCI Casualties Occurred During the Landings
When you are doing research, something on a page may jump out and seize your attention. This was the case when I was reviewing the WWII Missing in Action files [ … ]
AFMM Meets the Fleet at Bremerton
By Jerry Gilmartin, Chief Machinists Mate, USN, Ret; AFMM Board member I represented Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum at the 2018 conference of HNSA, the Historic Naval Ships Association, at the [ … ]
The ex-Salvage Chief Comes Home to the Columbia
The US. Navy’s ex LSM-380 has come home to the Columbia River at Astoria, Oregon, with the hope of being restored to its original haze gray. The 928-ton Landing Ship, [ … ]
Witness to Invasions, Surrenders and Occupation
By Jeff Veesenmeyer When Chicagoan, Bill Simmons joined the Navy in July of 1944, he had no idea what he would see. At age 17 he wanted to serve and [ … ]
Excerpt from “USS LCI(L) 419…Its Story”
Memoir of Robert Roderick, QM U.S.N.R Submitted by Lisa Bittle Tancredi There were few people who guessed how nearly England had lost the war. If Germany had continued her blitz [ … ]
Voices from the Pacific
By Dominick Maurone LCI(G) 440 A few days after the Landings at Normandy France the United States Navy along with Marine and Army Divisions launched Operation Forager on the other [ … ]