elsie item issue 67 - USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association

Signalman Jack Gale stood on the Conn of LCI 412, and took this photograph of LCI 553 off loadingtheir troops to the west.Dickensen. He was named “Junior” because atage 17, he was the youngest crewmember of LCI412. Nobody wanted him injured so he was toldto stay in the pilot house instead of on the #2Gun. “Doc” McGranahan, at age 27, was one ofthe oldest enlisted sailors on the 412. He hadattended the Indiana Institute of MortuaryScience and was thus granted the rate ofPharmacist Mate 3rd Class upon enlisting in theNavy without benefit of additional medical training.Fortunately, during the beaching,McGranahan did not have to use his medicalskills and “Junior” was not needed on the 20MM.They were spectators in a very dangerous arena.Upon beaching, Electricians Mate Figurski tookthe anchor and man rope to the shore andsecured it to a disabled halftrack vehicle. Therope would support the men who trudged forward,weighted down with equipment in chesthighwater.Since none of the channels cleared by engineerswere marked, it was a matter of luck to find one.Most of the twelve LCIs of Group 34 had tododge or roll over obstacles in the high tide.However, John L. Gurney, Skipper of LCI 409,guided on a man waving a “Q” Flag on the beach.This flag bearer revealed himself only when theLCIs were close to the beach because he wasunder machinegun and sniper fire. It was a fortunatedecision and LCI 409 carrying Company E,2nd Battalion was one of the few LCIs to find a15