Allow me to stray from my normal education and non-profit theme to remind everyone that Monday is Memorial Day, a day set aside to thank those who have served in the military, and please take a moment to say a prayer for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and died in combat. I’ll be remembering two friends of mine from Grays Ferry who were killed in Viet Nam; John Daly and Jackie Donnelly, two guys who died way too young. I’ll also be remembering my dad, and what he and his friends on LCT-540 went through on D-Day as they hit Omaha beach at 0720 hours to deliver combat engineers who were to clear obstacles from the beach before the infantry landed. For their action on D-Day, the 17 member crew of LCT-540 earned a Presidential Unit Citation, the highest decoration given to a military combat unit.
The 540’s citation, signed by James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy reads:
For outstanding performance and distinguished service in combat during the assault on the Coast of Normandy, France, launched June 6, 1944. Rocked by the blasts of German 88-mm. Cannon during the approach, her gun turrets wrecked, fires blazing aboard, her officer-In-Charge killed and eight of her men casualties, the U.S. LCT 540 hit the beach on schedule under the heaviest concentration of enemy fire. In gallant response to the urgency of her task, she operated twenty-four hours a day until June 9, beaching her cargo while still under fire and returning repeatedly to place ashore the equipment, supplies and troops vital to the success and the very life of our assault forces. Crippled but undaunted, the LCT pursued her course unwaveringly despite German-emplaced underwater obstacles and terrific gunfire opposition, supplementing the valor and fortitude of her inexperienced officer and her men by her own steadfastness in the fulfillment of a perilous mission.” Based on conversations and notes from crewman, I’ve chronicled the exploits that day on a blog - http://lct540.blogspot.com/. If you’d like to get a glimpse of what the crewman of US amphibious craft experienced on D-Day, feel free to stop by and visit. You'll find a link on my profile page.
Take a moment to thank the veterans in your life. They helped make it possible.
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