September 2, 2015

Hometown

    Beach Town

               LST 393

By Tammy Derouin

I spent the better part of my younger years hoping to leave my hometown.  I didn’t have a legitimate grievance.  My hometown didn’t wrong me or make life difficult.  I would have experienced the same ups and downs had I grown up in a different location. 

There were a couple opportunities which could have put my hometown behind me but I passed.  It just didn’t feel right.  I attempted to force the issue by applying to just about every airline in the sky.  My plan was to be a flight attendant.  I would travel and eventually land on greener grass.

Back in the late 1980’s there were many airlines, so many possibilities!  I eagerly applied and wondered which one I would choose.  Rejection letters began to arrive.  They rejected me as rapidly as I applied. A height standard was strictly enforced.  I fell short of the bar, way short of the bar.  The good Lord has a sense of humor, although I didn’t think it was very funny at the time.  My height or lack thereof was predetermined.  I never had a chance.

The more I tried to leave, the more resistance I encountered.  I began to rethink the possibilities I had turned down. The one which kept me wondering the most was the military.  I wanted to fly; I wanted to be a pilot. Women weren’t trained to be military pilots when I was of the age to join.  I walked away from the recruiter’s desk.   

I struggled with regret.  I could have at least been around planes, right?  But, forcing something when it doesn’t feel right tends to have other consequences. Opportunities came about which kept me grounded in my hometown.  It felt like my wings had been permanently clipped as life’s responsibilities took priority.  My desires to leave, fly and travel to historical places of interest were fading away.

As I grew older and a little bit wiser, my hometown, which I had tried so hard to run away from, began to comfort me.  My love for Lake Michigan began when I was very young.  Going to the lake took on more meaning as I began to use it as a comfort zone during a very difficult time.  Ending a marriage is never easy.  But, to not act on feelings which you know are right, would have had dire consequences. It turns out; greener grass wasn’t waiting for me.  Actually, there was very little grass.  I lived in Beach Town, U.S.A.  It was in my backyard my whole life.

The era in history which has had the most influence and impact on my life was triggered by a wonderful history teacher at Muskegon High School. He saw the spark and fanned the flame.  Mr. Paulson was and still is a wonderful teacher.  I ran into him this past spring.  After the pleasantries were exchanged we went right back to WWII.  I had no idea, at the time, how often I would go back to events I learned about in his history class. Thank you, Mr. Paulson!

It also turned out that I wouldn’t have to travel great distances to find that particular time in history I call upon the most.  The grass wasn’t greener.  In fact, there isn’t any grass at all.  It’s D-Day Gray. It’s been in my backyard all my life, not in its current state but it’s been here.

I have some new friends aboard the LST 393.  I’m so grateful for the time that Ron, Jenifer and Amy have spent with me. Muskegon is home to one of only a couple LST’s known to exist.  The LST 393 landed at Normandy on D-Day!  Can you imagine?  The ship which is docked in downtown Muskegon! 

I had a difficult time walking up the actual tour entrance at the bow of the ship.  As I made my way, the realization that this was the exit for the tanks, the troops who would storm the beaches, was very real.  I could only imagine what their eyes witnessed as the doors opened and the ship landed.

What stories could be told, if those doors, those walls could talk.  This is why history is so important.  Why did the U.S. build over a thousand LST’s?  Why did the U.S. feel it was necessary to defeat tyranny over there, before it came to our shores?  Why are we allowing tyranny to come to our shores now?

The touring season of the LST 393 ends in the fall.  I highly recommend touring the ship.  They are in need of volunteers as well.  We have a treasure trove of history in our backyard.  I hope to learn much more about this ship and the role it played in our history.  Did you know the LST 393 does a D-Day re-enactment?   

“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower