Vessels of the Strand

As he walks from the recruiting station, Jeremiah Hart justifies his reasons for joining the navy by dwelling on his one desire-Mary Christianson. Winning the basketball game had brought them together. Would this somehow bring them closer? But Jeremiah leaves home in discontent as his relationship with Mary is reduced to only a promise to write. After basic training, he is thrust into the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of World War II, on an old, battered landing ship tank (LST)-a vessel that runs aground to deliver its cargo. From the first kamikaze attack, to the amphibious invasions, the carnage that he witnesses disillusions his soul. As the war goes on, his hardened heart carries one hope-to see Mary again. Deceit is the tool of destiny as letters are his only link-and his last chance to win her heart lies in the passionate words that he writes to her. From balmy nights and barroom brawls, to savage battles and treacherous seas, Jeremiah survives the war. But is Mary waiting for him? . LST sailors, most very young and inexperienced when they went to war, deserve the recognition and honor this story represents. -Robert Jornlin, Captain, LST 325