The last trip to Mt. Dora was so much fun several shipmates suggested a repeat performance and that was agreed upon. Arrangements were made at the Comfort Inn and that became the headquarters for this gathering.
As the attendees arrived each was presented with hand made cards, and gifts from Don and Wanda Booth. The gifts were reflections of the generousity and thoughtfulness of the Booth's and were greatly appreciated.
Don Booth gave all the men a T-shirt with their name, the name and photo of our ship, Our division patch, and their own name printed on the shirt. In addition each man received a Navy blue ball cap with an embroidered in gold outline of our ship, the ships number and name.
Each of the ladies also received a gift. A welcome card and a handmade cloth tote bag containing Grandma Harvey's Anti-Depression Kit. The card defined what was in the kit as shown below and that is what the kit contained:
Early on the crew took over the lobby and Don and Wanda Booth set up their photography gear and embarked on another one of their cinematic productions.
Every attendee was given the opportunity to relate a summary of their life experience since leaving their shipmates from the LST 1159. All participated and this turned out to be an outstanding experience. As the stories unfolded there were periods of tears, howls of laughter, expressions of wonderment and many feelings of sympathy resulting from shared experiences.
A number of hotel guests came into the lobby and stayed for the entire event. Some of the guests told me that this was a very moving experience for them. They also told me it was just wonderful to see comrades in arms still sharing their lives so many years after the end of their military experience.
The following photos were taken by Wanda Booth as each of the attendees took their turn in the "hot seat". Don Booth video recorded all of the sessions and is going to send each attendee a copy of the tape.
 Wanda and Don Booth |
 Joan and Bill Ropko |
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Of course the photos do not show the hours of conversation that took place. The conversations included, but were not limited to, updates on the past years events for each of the families represented, and memories of the time aboard LST 1159. There was a remarkable amount of consistentcy with the majority of the memories. However, in some cases events were remembered differently and that resulted in some spirited, but good natured debate in the search for consensus on the event. One of the highlights of this gathering was that we never seemed to run out of things to talk about and that resulted in much fun for all.
The men and ladies that participated in all this discussion are shown in the photos below.
Friday evening was spent in a nice Irish Pub in the town of Mt Dora. Good food and drink, pleasant conversation, and a short trip back to the hotel where a bunch of old sailors turned in early.
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You might have noticed that all the shipmates were in the uniform of the day. We were asked to make sure we were in the uniform of the day when we went to sea. The generosity of the gifts from Don Booth made it impossible not to comply. Besides that it was fun to show off our pride for the Navy, our ship, and our shipmates.
| You can see the Skipper/Tour Guide holding the microphone in the rear of the boat. He kept up a continous commentary during the entire tour. He talked about the early history of the area, how the Lake was named in honor of a lady that entertained a company of soldiers during the Seminole wars, the fish camp that became millionaires row, the dignitaries that stayed at the hotel on the lake, and many other items of interest. |
The completely narrated ride through the Cyprus Swamp that the Dora Canel runs through was another highlight of this gathering, The skipper had exceptional eye sight. He spotted and identified at least 30 different bird species, several varieties of turtles, alligators, several tree types including a Cyprus that was three hundred years old. This was a magnificent tour and enjoyed by all.
On the return trip from the Dora Canal the boat stopped at a very nice lakeside restaurant that offered a varied menu and a fully stocked bar. Some of us ordered standard kinds of appetizers but someone ordered gator tail and several of the more adventurous people sampled it. Others could not get past the thought of eating a lizard. The boat tour was over by mid afternoon and some of the crew went shopping, others purchased items for tomorrows banquet and some took a customary nap. To each his own was the order of the day.
A nice Italian restaurant was located next to the hotel and believe it or not we were able to eat again after having a big lunch. Hows that for a Tom Green "can do" attitude?
After a light breakfast people again went their own way but by early afternoon all were either on their way, or at Max and Carol Diehls home.
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