THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510270169
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
The kids of the landing ship LST-917 first met each other at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in 1943. The ``kids'' returned to Little Creek recently.
With gray hair and lined faces, they don't look like they did when they were young Navy men back in the '40s, but their memories of serving together during World War II are as focused as ever.
``It's hard to believe looking around here,'' said Williamsburg resident Seymour Reiman, 72, who organized the recent four-day ship reunion at the Holiday Inn Oceanside. ``But we were just a bunch of kids then. Most of us probably didn't realize what we were involved in.
``Ray (Delp) was 17. So were Randy Burke and Gil Seston. Father McGovern was only 17, too,'' Reiman explained. About 25 former crewmates traveled to Virginia Beach for their seventh annual gathering, including Burke, who came down from Boston; Delp, who arrived from Pittsburgh; and John McGovern, who became a Catholic priest and is serving now at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.
They all spent much of the time swapping war memories. On Oct. 21, 1944, Japanese mortar fire struck as their ship landed on Leyte Island in the Philippines. Six of the 106 crewmen on the landing ship were injured and received Purple Hearts. The men and the ship continued to serve proudly, playing a vital role in the retaking of the South Pacific islands. LST-917 earned five battle stars during its two years of duty.
Fifty-one years later, the tank landing ship is a memory. It was decommissioned in May 1946 and scrapped two years later.
Reiman, who was a 21-year-old lieutenant junior grade at the time of the attack, said the crew first met at Little Creek and took a bus to meet their ship once it was completed. The keel was laid in March 1944 in Boston and it was completed two months later. The 328-foot ship left immediately for the Pacific.
In meeting room 200 at the Holiday Inn, scrapbooks, photo albums (``50 Bloody Photos from Chief Theiler, including the Final Invasion,'' read the cover of one), newsletters and memorabilia covered folding tables. Some photos graphically captured suffering and death.
A certificate of recognition signed by Gov. George Allen received prominent display. A road map of the United States leaned against the wall. Towns dotted with black marks indicated the homes of former LST-917 crewmen, and the map was inscribed, ``Presented to Lt. j.g. Seymour R. (Pappy) Reiman. Where are Your Kids Tonight? From: Jack.''
The commanding officer of the ship, retired Capt. V.N. Robinson, was the graybeard or the oldest officer aboard. Robinson, who turned 83 Oct. 8, was 32 at the time of the Leyte assault. He now lives in Bradenton, Fla., where he plays racquetball three times a week. He swam the 200-meter breaststroke in the 1932 Olympics, received a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Chicago and taught at the United States Naval Academy until his retirement in 1981.
He flew up for the reunion and was joined by his son, Russell Robinson II and grandson, Russell III, who practice law together in Hagerstown, Md.
``Dad and I have attended all the reunions but one,'' said Russell Robinson II. ``This is my son's first.
``We hope to make many more together.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
During a reunion at the Holiday Inn Oceanside, Earl Taylor, left,
Don Palmer and John Murray swap sea stories from their World War II
days as shipmates aboard the landing ship LST-917 in the Pacific.
by CNB