"The Elsie Item" - USS Landing Craft Infantry National Association

"THE ELSIE ITEM" Number 40 March, 2002Official Newsletter of the USS LCI National Associationa non-profit veterans organization .. Membership in the USSLCI National Association is open to any U. S. Navy or U.S.Coast Guard veteran who served aboard a Landing CraftInfantry. Associate Membership, without voting privileges,may be offered to others upon approval of the Board ofDirectors. See Page 31 for a list of all officers anddirectors.Published quarterly by the USS LCI National Association20 W. Lucerne Circle, #615, Orlando, FL 32801. John P.Cummer, Editor.What's in this IssueFrom the Desk of Jim Talbert ............................................... 2A Note from the Editor ......................................................... 3Welcome Aboard! ................................................................. 3Fond Memories ofATB Solomons orIt Pays to have a Good Looking Girl Friend ..................... 4Liberty in the "Big Apple"! .................................................. 4Pacific Wing National D-Day Museum Opens:LClers Join in the Celebration ........................................... 5 LCI Reunions ........................................................................ 7 Roy Galewski Receives our Bravo Zulu .............................. 8 Letters to the Editor .............................................................. 8 "Now It Can Be Told" - LCI(R) 765 Takes on A Jap Destroyer ............................................................... 12Fog ...................................................................................... 14Can You Top This for BRASS? .......................................... 16Elmer Carmichael: German Paratrooper orLCIer? ............................................................................. 17Book Review, Mighty Midgets at War; TheSaga ofthe LSI(L) from Iwo Jima toViet Nam .......................................................................... 17Admiral Sabin's Seasickness Story Gets toHank Henderson's Wife! ................................................. 18F'or the Record: LCIs Sunk or Damaged onD-Day, June 6, 1944 ........................................................ 20Don Hawley and the Uniform of the Day! ......................... 20The Greatest Battle that Never Was: TheTyphoon and the Kamikaze ............................................ 21 Pete Gagliardi Experiences the Great Typhoon .................. 23 The LCIer and the Keebler Elf ........................................... 24 Picture Gallery .................................................................... 25 In Memoriam ...................................................................... 27 Comings and Goings: LCIers on the Move ........................ 29 New E-Mail Addresses ....................................................... 30 Officers and Directors Contact Information ....................... 31 San Antonio Reunion Information and Registration Materials ................................................ 32-35 From The Desk of Jim Talbert: Wow! I'm writing this just as we havereturned from the dedication ofthe PacificWing of the D-Day Museum in New Orleansand what an outstanding display ofwhat we really went through in WWIL Iwas a bit disappointed that our LCIs werenot more prominent and were not shownin actual landings, but, over all, it is a"Must" see. I'm sure John is writing moreabout it in this issue, so look for it.As you know, members, we really don't have a very good way ofnotifying you when dues are due. This is why I have been sendingout reminders all over the place. If you get one" please takeit for the right reason and not that you have done anything wrong.Ifyou are like I am, you can't remember your name halfthe time!Hey, guys, I know that some ofyou have your own LCI reunionsand that's OK. And I know that some ofyour shipmates are not:nembers ofour National Organization. It would really be greattfyou could get those who are not members to join and have yourreunions along with the National. Yes, it's great to meet withyour old shipmates every year, but wouldn't it be more fun notonly to meet with them but also with the fellows that were onother LCIs that were in your group, made the same landings andmade liberty in the same ports? Just think ofthe "whoppers" youcould tell each other!We are getting this issue of the "Elsie Item out early this timebecause we want to get the forms and information about the SanAntonio Reunion to you one more time.Just for your information, we have been pretty busy this year.Vice President John Cummer, Treasurer Tiny Clarkson, SecretaryBob McLain and I have done a lot oftraveling in the name ofthe LCI National Association. We attended the annual get-togetherat the old Solomons ATB in Maryland, a model presentationat the ATB Little Creek, Virginia, the opening of the PacificWing of the D-Day Museum in New Orleans, and a model presentationat the Amphibious Attack Boats Museum in Ft. Pierce,Florida. And I might add, it was at our own expense. Yes, theAssociation pays for any expense in making the models and displaycases or any shipping charges, but that's all.We are doing our best to put the LCI and the part we played inWWII in front ofthe public by putting models, pictures and anythingthat pertains to an LCI in every Naval Museum we canfind. We do it because we are very proud ofwhat we did and wedon't want our children and grandchildren or the people of thiscountry to forget.2