elsie item issue 67 - USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association

From the Editor/PresidentPortland, Here We Come!By the time you receive this issue our Portland Reunion will be only a matterof weeks away, and we will be in full scale anticipation of a great time together.Seeing old shipmates again – and meeting friends and family of those shipmateswill be the great attraction, but this year our experience will be evenmore memorable with USS LCI(L) 713 moored right there where we can see itfrom our hospitality room. If funding problems can be solved, we may alsohave the pleasure of seeing the 1091 there. We’re hoping for a record turnout and look forward to seeing YOU there!And for you Affiliates: Board member Joe Flynn, hoping for as large a turn-out of affiliate members as possible,has penned a special letter to all affiliates which we include in this issue. We urge you to read it.Joint LCI/LSM Reunion in 2010!I’m very pleased to report that plans are firming up for our joint reunion with the LSM/LSMR group in 2010.After conferences with Dave Miller, President of their group, and Ted Dey of Armed Forces Reunions, we havedecided on a meeting at the Millenium Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 25-29, 2010. Mark your calendars now!Our Membership/Financial PictureGrowth in both regular and affiliate membership during this past year has been most encouraging. Though agehas taken its toll on our LCIers, we are very pleased with the number of affiliate members who have comeaboard and believe that our future lies in their taking more and more leadership roles. Finances pose someproblems and will need careful attention from your Board as they consider a budget for next year. We willdraw down our assets a bit this year and will undoubtedly have to do so next year. However, our reserves aresuch that we could operate several years into the future by continuing to draw on them. We are hopeful thatdues and donations will continue to come in strong so that draw downs will be minimal. As we enter into seriousdiscussions with the LSM/LSMR group there are encouraging possibilities about the strength we coulddraw from each other and savings that could be realized by combining our operations. As we think throughthese and related issues, your ideas and comments will be most welcome.About This Issue:This issue features the longest article we have ever carried. In fact, LCI Historian/VP John France’s account ofthe part played by LCI Flotilla 12, Group 34 at Normandy almost raises our status to that of a professional militaryhistory magazine. It is, by far, the most exhaustively researched, detailed account of an LCI operation wehave seen. It is such an outstanding piece of work that we took the unusual step of including it all in this oneissue. We are confident you will enjoy the account of Group Commander Lindsey R. Henry’s “FortunateRedirection” every bit as much as we did.Retired Professor Ralph Langenheim gives us another fascinating account of the post WWII service ofLCIs. This one involves the infamous CIA-directed:”Bay of Pig”s attempted invasion of Cuba in 1961 in anattempt to overthrow Fidel Castro.A third significant piece concerns the efforts made by Stan Lasik, one of our affiliate members, to return aNavy-issued sheath knife to the family of its original owner. We’re particularly happy to share this story withyou because it illustrates the significance of the work of remembering LCIers and their crews by our affiliates.Stan, in establishing a website memorializing his father and engaging in such activity as he recounts here,sets a standard and, by example, invites other affiliate members to join in such activity.—John Cummer3