LST (925) - Naval Cruise Book

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received the Purple Heart Medal to- day for wounds received during ac- tion against the enemy in Lingayen Gulf. The USS Gear took both the 1028 and ourselves in tow and de- parter for Pearl Harbor via Eniwetok. After one look at the Gear it was a question as to whether he should tow us or we' should tow him. We kept our engine running all the way to help things out, and on several occasions when the Gear broke down temporarily we almost ran over the 1028, but our luck held out and no damage was done. Iune 21 A one day stop at Eniwetok whet- ted our eagerness to finish this voy- age as soon as possible. The rest of thetrip was occupied with numerous games of deck tennis and quoits and plenty of sun bathing. After coming nearly three thousand miles, our tow- ing bridle snapped just outside of Pearl, so we went in under our own power. The commandant of the dis- trict sent us a message congratulat- ing us for the splendid part we had played in the war, and then sent us out to our favorite camping spot, West Loch. That evening when the Captain returned from the arrival conference every face on the ship dropped to the deck. After coming so far and building our hopes so high we found we were to go no farther. Moyer aged ten years. Iuly 9 O'Brien and Tomasso got their re- prieve today. Back to the States and a crack at V-12. Their transportation remained to be worked out. Iuly 12 A A reprieve- came for all of us, and this was undoubtedly the happiest day of our lives. Vu1vanized orders to try to make the States under our own power were in the Captain's safe, and the engineers began tuning up our tired old engine. She would just HAVE to keep running THIS trip. We didn't waste any time Sgv- ing good bye but shoved off that morning. A few days out and the weather began to get colder and colder as we moved farther North, and the wind was so strong that we had to keep almost full left rudder on just to maintain our course. No stars for navigation so Mr. Ullrich- and Cunningham wore the sun out every time they could get a shot of it. Iuly 23 Today we were supposed to con- tact San Francisco to make our ar- rival report. Mazrum and Tomasso fired up the temperamental old TDE and God was on our side, for in spite of a trembling hand and a wobbly key Tomasso got off our first and last long range radio transmission. Day after tomorrow, if all went well, we would reach the entrance to Puget Sound and once again see the prom- ised 1and. Iuly 25 Sixty-five miles out and the radar picked up a mountain. Bolin was in his element. At about 1530 in the afternoon we caught our first glimpse of the shore and what a sight it was. Even H. B. Smith interrupted his slum- ber long enough to come up and take a look. Tomorrow we will tie up to Pier Ninety-One in Seattle. Every- body will make a long distance phone call to some thoroughly sur- prised relatives on the other end of the line, and half of us will get ready to shove off on that long awaited leave. And what will happen to the now old 925? Well that is a rather difficult question to answer, but even the most sentimental of us are not too deeply concerned. Perhaps she will live- to fight in another warp per- haps she will be converted into a cargo ship, or perhaps she will be scrapped to make the automobiles of tomorrow. Her job is really done and so is ours. Por most of us the war is at an end.

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moving under our own power again. That helpless feeling was gone. The boys on the lO28 seemed a little en- vious as we roareed past at a full eight knots. After winning nine straight games our boys clinched the mythical basketball championship of Leyte Gulf. Tomorrow we would go over anl take that valuable Uncle Sugar cargo from the Colorado. May 27 With seven thousand miles of water ahead of us we started out for home sweet home. Our little convoy consisted of the Potawatomi towing the lO28, ourselves, and the Pawnee bringing up the rear in case our one kicker gave up the ghost. The speed of this trip would be determin- ed by the best we could make, and it soon became evident that everyone sleeping in crews quarters aft would feel like a piece of pop corn before we ever reached the States. That port shaft had a little whip in it which made things vibrate pretty ruggedly. Coffee cups just would not sit on the table, and though we didn't realize it at the time, our forty millimeter am- munition was falling apart back in forty-six gun tub. The only interesting episode on this leg of the trip was a scientific explanation of the beans and bottle theory by Green. Iune 7 ' Only four days ago we arrived in, Ulithi, and already Moyer has an- nexed the wrestling championship of Mog Mog lsland by defeating two six footers on the beach. l-le suffered a slight case of Hematomah of the right leg as a result of this engage- ment, but his confidence was un- daunted. Every vulture in the harbor heard about our condition and came over to see what they could pirate before we moved on. By this time we had gained the proper finesse' 'in brushing off these individuals, so we came out almost unscathed. Iune 11 Forty-three members of the crew Deck Division '

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MY DAY All right! All right! I'm getting up. After all, this is only the third time you have called me. What do you want, blood? Some one of these days I'm going to invent a watch, bill with the 00 to 04 left out of it. Sooooo-I fall out of the sack, put on my clothes, down a cup of Ioe, and stumble up to the Conn. With the customary It's yours! from Mr. Flynn, I find myself sitting in the OOD's chair with rain streaming down my neck, a cold wind blowing right out of the north into my frozen face, and ships all around.'I am told the 1028 is just ahead of us, but as I can't see it I am a little dubious un- til I hear a familiar voice over the radio, I say old chap, aren't you a bit close to us? What's the distance? West hol- ers over the phones. , - One hundred yards, says Ham- ill All engines back full, left full rud- der-port ahead full, s t a r b o a r d ahead full, r u d d e r amidshipsu- Whew! We missed himl After four hours of dodging the l028, listening to gab from West, and trying to keep the aft lookouts awake, I climb back into the sack exhausted. As always, I dream my favorite dream, but I refuse to comment on it. Too embarrassing! I lie there clutching the pillow with all my might until a familiar rap on the bulkhead awakens me, and Camp- bell says, Time to get up. After considering the possibilities from all angles for half an hour, and after a personal invitation from the Captain, I have my breakfast of Beans a la Bender, eggs, aged in pasteboard for a year, and milk, straight from the cow on the tank deck. At 0800, if you listen carefully, you can hear Shumake's lovely voice tenderly pleading with the USNB boys to TURN TO' Cno trouble with USN ment. You may see Big Dave and Shorty Iustis racing to see who can move the largest fender, Freese, Reed, and Cooper leaning on their favorite broomsp Gordon trying to swab the deck but dreaming of Ar- kansas instead, and there in the height of his glo ry is Chief Davis cracking the whip, coffee in hand. The black gang, the boys who live in the bilges, also turn to-some- times. I take a peek down in the en- gine room and am amazed to see my own image staring at me. Noth- ing to be alarmed about though, just a reflection from 'I'aggart's head. Ashton is stroking his beard and lis- tening to McDermott's fascinating story about his rich uncle. And there is Chief Bailey with a sheepish look- ing grin staring at a pin-up picture. With the assistance of Dailey I find my way out of the bilges and up into the Conn Girls territory. CDon't tell anybody, but I got lost.l Cunningham is trying to find out where we are, H. B. Smith is reading Ten WIQYS to Avoid Work , Bolin is tearing up the radar while Fekete cheers him on: and Tomasso is lis- tening to Little Orphan Annie over the radio. After Iensen has given me the latest dope, I find my way down to the main deck where Rogers is tangling with a twenty millimeter. I-Ie is trying to tell Chief Kutz and Miller how to fire the gun without a firing mechanism. About this time I am getting hun- gry so I amble back to the galley to sample some of Chief Ienkins' con- coctions. 'I'oday's menu confronts me, but I am hardened to its rigors of Cx-Tail soup, stewed sow's rump, asparagus butts, and I-Ioover's' spe-