An Old Sailor's Memories


"Once Upon A Time - Long Long Ago"

USS LSM 175
Ed Heinz is on the 2nd row from the front, 5th from the left (27 years old at the time)

LSM 175 was commissioned 25 Sept 1944, C.O. Lt. (jg) Fred G Bartlett, USNR. The ship was involved in Assault and Occupation of Okinawa 1-26 April 1945, and decommissioned 11 July 1946. Recommissioned 8 Sept 1950; decommissioned 30 Oct 1955. 1 Aug 1961, transferred to South Vietnam Navy, renamed Huong Giang (HQ-404). Escaped April 1975 to Subic Bay; Transferred 17 Nov 1975 to Philippine Navy; Disposed 1989 by Philippine Navy.

Hello Warren:

This is Doug, writing for Ed Heinz, Executive Officer, Lt (jg), LSM-175. He just got a Macintosh computer and is learning his way around the keyboard. Furthermore, he suffers from macular degeneration, making the input process into the computer slow and tedious. I'm hoping that he will be a bit more fluid on the computer in short order. In the meantime, I will handle correspondence for him.

Mr. Heinz and his wife of 56 years, Carol, currently live in Midlothian, VA. Two years ago, while we were back in Virginia for a visit, his daughter showed me an old 78 rpm record that she recalled listening to when she was a child. I do audio restoration for a hobby, so it immediately challenged me --- I HAD to take a stab at it!

The record was in surprisingly good shape, considering its 55 year age. It cleaned up very nicely. We presented it to Ed last week on his 82nd birthday, along with this Macintosh. We did a little research on the internet in an effort to add a little documentation to the CD. That's when we found the SandScraper home page. I earmarked this page and showed it to Ed. He's very interested in trying to make contact with some of his old shipmates. He had no idea that an association like yours existed. He is filling out his membership form right now....

We also have in our possession a very high quality B&W Navy photograph showing the "graduating class" of LSM-175. I digitized it and cleaned it up via Photoshop. As for the 5-1/2 minute interview with Ed Heinz, I will run off a copy and send it to the LSM 45 museum, along with the above photo.

Doug Farrar (for Ed Heinz)edheinz@earthlink.net

dougfarrar@rocketmail.com


LSM-175 about to enter the well of Carter Hall (LSD-3) in San Diego Bay, Spring-1951.

WORLD WAR II


Only A Soldier's Grave... by S. A. Jones
Only a soldier's grave! Pass by,
For soldiers, like other mortals, die.
Parents had he -- they are far away;
No sister weeps o'er the soldier's clay;
No brother comes, with tearful eye;
It's only a soldier's grave -- pass by.

True, he was loving, and young and brave,
Though no glowing epitaph honors his grave;
No proud recital of virtues known,
Of griefs endured, or triumphs won;
No tablet of marble, or obelisk high;
Only a soldier's grave -- pass by.

Yet bravely he wielded his sword in fight,
And he gave his life in the cause of right!
When his hope was high, and his youthful dream
As warm as the sunlight on yonder stream;
His heart unvexed by sorrow or sigh;
Yet, 'tis only a soldier's grave: pass by.

Yet, we should mark it -- the soldier's grave,
Some one may seek him in hope to save!
Some of the dear ones, far away,
Would bear him home to his native clay:
T'were sad, indeed, should they wander nigh,
Find not the hillock, and pass him by.

Ahoy Mate .. 2 Bells For USS LSM 175

3rd Man
Courtesy Of Sal Grippaldi