Wednesday, April 22, 2009

LST-325

There was a very nice article in this morning's edition of The Ketchikan Daily News about local resident Joe Sadlier, who passed away in Seattle last week at the age of 82. Among Mr. Sadlier's many contributions to the community was his service in the Navy during World War II aboard an LST (Landing Ship, Tanks). Five decades after the war's end, he was able to participate in a key event in the creation of a memorial to these LST sailors.
In the fall of 2000, Mr. Sadlier and 28 other veterans traveled to Greece to refurbish the old LST-325, which they proceeded to sail across the Atlantic. The ship is now a museum in Evansville, Indiana (http://www.lstmemorial.org/)
As mentioned in the Daily News article, this incredible voyage was documented by a film crew from the History Channel. We have a copy of this presentation - The Return of the LST-325 - on VHS, and Mr. Sadlier (who served as the ship's cook during the voyage) is featured in this documentary. An interesting and enjoyable film, it is also a nice memorial to a man who spent a great deal of his time and energy making sure that the sacrifices of our veterans were remembered, and that the schoolchildren of Ketchikan knew the role their grandparents and great-grandparents had played during World War II.
(Thank you to the Ketchikan Daily News for providing the information about Joe Sadlier's service)

3 comments:

Evansvillegal said...

We are sorry to hear of Mr. Sadlier's passing. A correction - the LST 325 is docked in Evansville, IN where guided tours are conducted Tu-Su. As the last operational LST in existence, the 325 visits other cities occasionally so check the website before you come to to see her. www.lst325memorial.org

Thank you.

Rainbird librarian said...

Thank you for the correction, and for providing more information for anyone who might like to see the ship. I've added the website to the original post.

Anonymous said...

Evansvillegal had the web site address listed incorrectly - it is www.lstmemorial.org and all the current volunteers and crew of the 325 mourn the passing of Gold Crew members Joe Sadlier (and Dick Meyer of Lincoln, Nebraska - who also passed away this week).