I wonder how many people did the same thing Fearless Pierson did when he entered the county our ship was named after.

Ashley Barnett, our newest crew member, had her first flying experience coming to our reunion. All went well getting into Dallas. She was a little nervous but was completely under control. However when the little bus took her out to the American Eagle prop driven airplane she came close to losing it. Her comment was, "If the pilot come out here and spins that prop I am not going. The pilot did not spin the prop so on to San Angelo Ashley went.

The immediate destination for most of us was the Holiday Inn. We checked in, got our baggage to the room, and looked around at the facilities. What we found is summarized in the following photo.

Landing Ship Tank USS Tom Green County Sailors To Visit San Angelo During 1952 a new type of Landing Ship Tank was being built in the Bath Iron Works Shipyard. The engines were more powerful than the World War 2 LST's and the ship was equipped with a variable pitch propellor that improved maneuverability. The living spaces were larger and improved from the older models of LSTs, and the defensive armament was also more powerful.

By mid 1953 Officers and crew were being assigned and by September 1953 the vessel was launched and accepted by the Navy following shakedown operations where all ship board systems were tested and found acceptable. The ship was commissioned by the Navy with Captain Stephen Nemeth in Command, and four other Officers and a crew of 145 aboard. The time had come to prove this ship and her crew could perform the duties assigned.

The vessel participated in Training exercises on the East Coast, transited the Panama Canal and spent the next 18 years operating in the Pacific Ocean, proving over and over that the ship, the Officers, and the crew could perform their assigned duties. LSTs are known as the work horses of the Navy and this LST was not an exception. She carried every type of Cargo imaginable including war equipment, small craft, trains, a totem pole, and more Marines than anyone would want to count.

During these operations she crossed the Pacific Ocean 14 times. She visited many of the Polynesian Islands, French Indochina and again when this country was renamed Vietnam. She also made port calls in various cities in Japan and China. The most dangerous part of her travels was the time spent as part of the "Brown Water Navy" operating in the rivers of Vietnam during the height of the Vietnam War. Several crewmen were killed in action and many more were injured during these actions.

Originally all Landing Ships Tanks were identified by a hull number only. During 1955 names of counties in the USA were assigned to the LSTs and the name Tom Green County was assigned to LST 1159. This ship was aptly named after a Texas Hero and this name was carried proudly by the Officers and crew of the Tom Green County far and wide throughout the Pacific Ocean.

Now after 48 years have passed since the Tom Green County was commissioned, the Officers and crew are honoring the Texas hero and his namesake county by "coming home" to conduct their first reunion at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, October 4, 5, 6, 2001. When you see these former sailors visiting various places in our town, wearing a cap that proclaims their service on the Tom Green County, be aware of the fact that they carried the name of your county far and wide with dignity and honor.

For those of you that have access to the Internet and would like to see more detail of this ships adventures you can do so on this web site: http://oocities.com/pentagon/4953/index.html

To see some of the early arrivals click here

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