"A HOMECOMING OF MEMORIES" by Susie Bloom Posted 29 September 2005Growing up as a child in the Heartland of America, celebrations in my family were spent much like thousands of other families.  Time spent together, cherished “traditions” of a special meal, favorite games, and certain customs.  Upon an occasion of a birthday or Christmas, there might even be a beautifully presented package - a special gift.  The gift might be an amazing “store bought” dress or pair of trousers.  Others might have received a carefully crafted rag doll, a home-sewn skirt or a wooden toy made with care by a special father or grandfather.  The gift might be the simple artwork of a child on a handcrafted card.  New friends or family, cherished old friends who visited from afar were treated as treasured guests, welcomed with genuine affection and given a place of honor. A voyage to the past is complete with memories of other times, other places.  A way of life that for most no longer exists in our hurry up, on the run world.  A bittersweet memory of family members long gone but never forgotten in our hearts and minds.  We recall those times, realizing that we are indeed a product of upbringing and our physical environment. A few years ago, undertaking a “voyage” of my own, I experienced a certain yearning to see this ship that I had read about.  An LST that had just been brought back from Greece.  A ship like the one my father had served on.  The opportunity to visit one of the last remaining Landing Ship, Tanks in the world beckoned me.  The ship was on a River trip and would be close to my home.  Like the sea sirens of long ago, I found it an irresistible call. I had corresponded via email with two of the LST 325 volunteers, but did not know them.  They had provided valued help in my own voyage into my father’s service time.  I did not know if they were currently working on board the ship or elsewhere.  They had encouraged me to make a visit to the ship so that I could experience a taste of what life was like for so many Sailors during WWII, Korea and Viet Nam; to see the place that housed a shipyard that crafted my father’s ship, LST 125. At the time of this first visit to Evansville in July of 2003, I was alone, a stranger in a strange town.  I knew no one.  After a day of travel, like those days of the past, I was a stranger - welcomed and treated as an honored guest.  From the time of my arrival, the people of Evansville were welcoming.  The desk clerk at the hotel not only gave directions but provided a map as well, marking the best routes of travel.  The waitress in the restaurant who took a moment to welcome a stranger and offer information on local attractions that one might want to visit was so kind.  The store clerk who, noticing my LST 325 T-shirt, said “We’re glad to have you” and thanked me for a purchase with a genuine smile of welcome.  Another Evansville resident, volunteering at the Ship’s Store, invited me to have lunch with her and shared much more than lunch, giving a history of your community.  The Director of the Convention & Visitors Bureau paused in her hectic day to ask what brought me to visit LST 325, genuinely interested in the response.  She then asked what she could do to make my visit more enjoyable.  My personal experiences were echoed many times over by others that were also visiting. These small kindnesses to a stranger form a picture of your community.  From the varied pieces of experience, a marvelous mosaic of history is formed.  The history that is surfacing is more than a memory of the past.  The mosaic comes together to form a picture of a community that is eager and enthusiastic about a new museum, a new opportunity. Today, many LST Ship Memorial volunteers are pausing - like those now-grown children of the Heartland - we are remembering the past; those times spent with our friends in Mobile.  The citizens of that city welcomed our proud lady back from Greece, gave her a refuge and escape from the cutting torches that would have reduced her proud lines to scrap metal.  Mobile provided a haven to rebuild.  It was an opportunity to come alive again and look to the future.  We will be forever grateful for their hospitality, kindness and contributions to the preservation of this living, breathing ship that is much more than “just” a museum. LST 325 will soon arrive in her new homeport of Evansville.  We, the volunteers, are elated and honored by the reception of the people of Evansville.  Our Evansville brothers and sisters have prepared for this homecoming and have done a spectacular job.  Your dedication and support for this proud warship, along with her crew and volunteers, has been a “manning of the rails” in grand style. The people of Evansville have offered their best - some “store bought,” some hand crafted, some elaborate, some humble - but all that has been offered has been given in a spirit of family, and of friendship.  What a marvelous homecoming it is. Thank you to the people of Mobile.  Thank you to the people of Evansville.  We look forward to seeing old friends and making many, many more new ones!      ~ Susie Bloom (“SeaBat”) The crew of LST 325 proudly salutes Evansville, Indiana, Home of the Nation's Champion Shipbuilders

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