7 days ago
Muskegon event to commemorate D-Day with ship tours, reenactment
MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — A ship that was at Omaha Beach on D-Day will be the backdrop for an event to commemorate the anniversary of the invasion of Normandy.
The USS LST 393, built during WWII, is one of only two remaining landing ship tanks out of more than 1,000. The ship is now located on the Muskegon waterfront and is the only one that the public can tour from top to bottom.
'LST 393 was born, launched on Veteran's Day 1942 and fought very hard during WWII,' said John Stephenson, one of the board of directors for the USS LST 393 Veterans Museum. 'She was in three invasions: Sicily, Italy and she was in the Normandy invasion, D-Day. In 1945, she was sent back to the United States to be overhauled and she was going to be in the invasion of Japan. Fortunately, after the bombs were dropped, there was no invasion of Japan and she was put in the mothball fleet.'
Stephenson said the ship was then found by Muskegon commercial docking group West Michigan Dock and Market, and served as a freighter carrying new cars between Michigan and Wisconsin for 25 years.
On June 6 and 7, the will host the 11th community-wide remembrance of the sacrifices made during the invasion of Normandy and throughout World War II.
'Air Raid Muskegon' will feature ship tours, a free film screening on the ship's deck, 'Andrews Sisters Tribute' singers, WWII reenactors representing military personnel you would have found on D-Day in 1944, food trucks and more.
'During the event we commemorate the service of the soldiers and the sailors and the airmen who fought hard to free Europe and us from the grip of Nazi domination,' Stephenson said.
On Saturday, Medal of Honor recipient will give the keynote address and be on hand to greet the crowds.
Proceeds from ship tours, which will be discounted to $10 per person Saturday, will benefit the museum, which is a nonprofit run almost exclusively by volunteers.
'We are not just a museum about war, we are a museum to serve veterans,' Stephenson said. 'Every dollar goes back into the ship. The rest of the money goes to veteran organizations that really need our help.'
You can find the full schedule of events for 'Air Raid Muskegon' .
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