The following pictures were graciously sent to me from Delbert Heskett who toured the WWII National War Museum in New Orleans. He found a case and wall photo about Elmer Carmichael, Class of 1940. Elmer served in the US Coast Guard during D-Day off the coast of Normandy, as well as off the coasts of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, in addition to the US coast. A true American hero from Crescent.
Thank you for sharing Delbert!
[Boatswain's Mate Second Class Elmer Carmichael was aboard LCI(L)85, a Coast Guard landing craft assigned to Omaha Beach. On D-Day Carmichael's boat struck
a mine and was shelled as it reached the beach. The crew returned to sea to evacuate the wounded from their sinking boat. One of the photographs on the wall behind this case shows Carmichael (wearing this helmet) assisting with the evacuation.
" We had a lot of wounded and dead aboard and no way to do anything with them and...we could tell we were in a sinking condition. But we…pulled alongside the Samual Chase…and we unloaded all of our wounded…We attempted to head back to the beach. We were gonna beach our ship to keep it from sinking, but we didn't make it back. It rolled over and sank. When that picture was made, I was the one kneeling…coiling the mooring line around the mooring bitts so we could spring in alongside (the Samuel Chase). I was the one in charge of unloading the wounded…" - LCI(L)85 sank at 8:30 A.M. Carmichael was rescued and evacuated to England.]
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