The USS Terrebonne
Parish (LST 1156) Association was organized in 2001. It
has a paid membership of approximately 140, which includes
former officers and crewmembers, in addition to former Marine
Corps personnel, and associate members from the external
community.
The First Annual
Reunion was conducted in Norfolk, Virginia, April 9-13,
2002; the Second Annual Reunion was held in Houma
– Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, April 30-May 3, 2003; the
Third Annual Reunion was conducted in Charleston,
South Carolina, April 21-24, 2004; the Fourth Annual
Reunion was held in San Antonio, Texas, April 13-16,
2005; the Fifth Annual Reunion was conducted in
Pensacola, Florida, April 26-29, 2006; and the Sixth
and final Annual USS Terrebonne Parish (LST 1156) Association
Reunion was held in the Great Lakes, Illinois, May 9-12,
2007. Future reunion events will be held on a biennial schedule.
A ship’s Historical Interpretive
Plaque was presented May 2, 2003, during the Association’s
Second Annual Reunion, to the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated
Government in Houma, Louisiana for permanent display in
their government offices. A beautiful, gold-framed Proclamation
and Gold Key to Houma-Terrebonne was presented to Association
President, Dave Bader, by Parish President, Robert Bergeron
and Council Chairman-District 7, Clayton Voisin.
On April 23, 2004 a framed
photo of the ship, the ship’s official plaque, along with
all signatures of former LST 1156 officers and crewmembers
in attendance became a permanent addition to the Charleston
Clarion Hotel’s Military Hall of Fame display.
The Clarion Hotel became a Ramada Inn on July 1, 2006 and
military reunion plaques are now displayed in its Military
Hall of Honor.
On April 14, 2005, a Memorial
Plaque was dedicated to the USS Terrebonne Parish (LST 1156)
in the Plaza of the Presidents at the National Museum of the
Pacific War, Admiral Nimitz State Historical Park, Fredericksburg,
Texas.
On May 9, 2007, an original
watercolor painting of the USS Terrebonne Parish (LST 1156)
entering Malta harbor during the 1958 Mediterranean cruise
was donated by Gordon Robinson, YN3 (’58 – ’62). He commissioned
artist J. Everett Draper to paint the watercolor from a photograph.
The painting was presented
June 18, 2007 to C.J. Christ, museum President and Chairman
of the Board, at the Houma Regional Military Museum to be
displayed in the Navy corner to further extend the ship’s
legacy in its namesake parish. To provide a strong statement
for the museum’s entrance, a mural of the ship with its bow
doors open on the beach, by local artist, Hans Geist, is prominently
rendered along with World War II military scenes to call attention
to the service of all veterans. January 2, 2008 historical
ship’s archives and memorabilia donated by shipmates were
sent to the museum for display purposes.
In extending the legacy
of the LST 1156 to current and future generations, the Association,
including members and friends of the Association, commissioned
that a mural of the ship be prepared in the ship's namesake
Terrebonne Parish. The mural, completed in 2005 by local artists,
Hans Geist and Elisha Gomez is displayed on the Mardi Gras
Hall Building in Houma to provide a permanent visual memory
of the LST 1156 underway.
The mural was scheduled
to be dedicated in Houma, Louisiana, September 23, 2005. However,
as a result of Hurricane Katrina, the dedication was postponed
until a later date. The formal mural dedication ceremony has
been rescheduled for October 24, 2008.
