From the April Asbury Park (NJ) Press "Secret World War II drill commemorated: Casualties, survivors honored at Coast Gurad Station."
A commemoration for Operation Exercise Tiger (Operation Tiger) was held at the Coast Guard's Barnegal Light Station. This was a full scale rehearsal for the D-Day invasion which unfortunately attacked by German ships and resulted in 946 American deaths because of secrecy, radio silence and miscommunication.
Thomas Glynn, 86, was a crew member on the (Landing Ship Tank) LST-289.
Earl Thatcher, 87, of Runnemeade was also on LST-289 and remembers, "I was 17 at the time. I was on watch when we were attacked. I was the captain's messenger and he sent me to go to the crew quarters to tell them that this was no drill..
"We were carrying 10 to 12 ducks and when we were hit we were lucky that the circuit breakers on board went out that controlled the doors, or they would have been out in the English Channel.
"We were told we could not receive a combat medal because they said we weren't in combat. They finally got one in 2002.
The commemoration takes place yearly.
Michael "Tex" Gydos, USN, attended every year, but was not at this one as he died last year at age 93.
--GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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