Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2000 15:23:22 -0700

From: "Charlie Savary" <n5rhm@zianet.com>

To: <bisch@sirius.com>

My name is Charlie Savary ,E_MAILmailto:n5rhm@zianet.com ,I was a

"Plank holder" of the LCI L 330 and the last man of the original crew to be

rotated back to the states off of her,Our first Combat landing was Rendova

IS.

JULY 4th 1943 and our last was EMIRAU IS. MARCH 27 or 28,1944.

I have a picture of the LCI(L) 330,328&335 unloading troops on RENDOVA

IS>JULY 4,1943,which I am going to forward to you via "SNAIL_MAIL" along

with my DD214,

I was Rotated back to the states the 23of july 44,I believe from the Russel

IS. our last home port,I was 17yrs. old when I went aboard and 19yrs.old

when I got rotated,after a 30 day leave, sometime in receiving stations,at

Norfork,Little Creak and Solomans Island MD,I went aboard the LCI(L)562

a(which had just returned from Europe) We worked with civilians(8 of us ,2

deck gang and 6 black gang) This was at Portsmouth,Va

We rebuilt over the next 3Mos. and turned her over to A Coast Guard Crew

.Then on to Charleston S.C. and picked up the LCL(L)418 ,just returned from

Europe,wich we spent the winter of 44 in( Stevens Shipyard

,So.Jacksonville,Florida,)rebuilding her,in March took her around thru the

panama canal to Destroyer base,San Diego,Calif. She was converted to a LCI(G) at the destroyer base. AUG.19,45 Depated for China Service via Honolulu;Buckner bay,Okinawa; Subic

Bay, Philipines ,then on to Formosa(Tiawan) Where we unloaded Chinese

Nationalist Troops from Liberty Ships ,24Hrs. a day for 6weeks ,before

preceeding to the Chinese mainland coast ,We operated from Shanghi up to

Chingwangtow,witch included 3 trips to Inchon Korea,repatriating Koreans

home .

We were getting the 418 ready to give to the nationalist Chinese When I got

rotated back to the states JULY 12,1946 am 74yrs. old now,I was born in E.Wareham Mass an raised there til I left for Naval Service ,3days after I turned 17yrs.old,I was sworn in on (the 6mon. anniversary of Pearl Harbor, June 7,1942 ) At New Bedford ,Mass. and left for boots at Newport R.I. .

Sincerely Charlie Savary, E-M< n5rhm@zianet.com >