Father Sinclair Oubre (Apostleship of the Sea-USA and longtime AMMV member) has been promoting the Cause of Brother Marinus (Capt. Leonard P. LaRue of the Meredith Victory) for several years. In fact, AMMV was one of the first organizations to jump on the support wagon of this movement, back at our 2017 convention. Regarding this remarkable story, Oubre was not about to let the 75th anniversary of the Hungnam Evacuations (1950) of the Korean War slip by unnoticed. So, when Oubre announced his vision to stage a one-day gathering at the Maritime Conference Center to commemorate this event, AMMV was quick to pledge support. The conference materialized as planned on December 15 and was a solid success, thanks to the aid of organizers from the Nautical Institute (including AMMV member Capt. Greg Tylawsky) as well as support from other various entities.
Among the 30-plus people in attendance, AMMV was prominently represented by Capt. Darin Huggins (AMMV National President), Capt. Jack Menendez (AMMV National Vice President), Capt. Chris Edyvean (AMMV National Secretary & Editor), Capt. Dru DiMattia (Past AMMV National President), Capt. Joseph Byrne (AMMV Judge Advocate), Ross Rowlinson (USA Warrior Stories), Dave Yoho (WWII MM Vet & guest speaker), Doreen Badeaux (AOS-USA), and Father Oubre.
Additionally, the conference enjoyed significant attendance from maritime labor. Representing the International Organization of Masters, Mates, and Pilots (MMP) were Capt. Don Josberger(President), Capt. Jeremy Hope (Vice President, Gulf Ports & Government Contracts), and Lisa Rosenthal (Communications Director); from the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) was Roland “Rex” Rexha (Secretary/Treasurer); and from the Seafarers International Union (SIU) was Aja Neal (Assistant Editor – Seafarers Log). All three unions were sponsors of the conference.
To start the day’s proceedings, Father Oubre provided opening remarks and led the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a prayer. The captain and crew from the Liberty Ship John W. Brown provided the Color Guard.
The first speaker of the day was Dr. Joshua M. Smith, Director, American Merchant Marine Museum (USMMA, Kings Point). Smith recalled the Meredith Victory becoming a recipient of the Gallant Ship Award in 1960. He contextualized the meaningfulness of the rescue, discussing how awful the Korean conflict was, even in comparison to other wars. Dr. Smith touched upon a few personal stories of survivors. He rationalized “History vs. Memory”; for example, was it chaos or was the loading of refugees in fact highly organized? He also stressed that many Koreans helped fellow countrymen during the evacuation. Finally, Smith drew comparisons to other maritime rescues (such as those in Vietnam) and hit upon the religious element of the Hungnam story.
(L to R): Ed Paglee, Ed Koronowski, Mike Dimon, and Capt. Jeff Gumprt, from the John W. Brown, who provided the Color Guard
(L to R): Capt. Chris Edyvean, Father Sinclair Oubre, Aja Neal
Joining the conference virtually was historian Susan Kee, whose parents survived the Korean War as teenagers. Kee was born in South Korea after the war. She has interviewed hundreds of Korean War veterans and runs a Korean War Facebook page. Kee provided background on events leading up to Korean War, essentially walking through the timeline of the entire conflict, ending with the grim statistics of overall losses and explaining how the war finally closed. Ms. Kee extolled the role of the U.S. Merchant Marine.
Following Kee was Jonathan Corrado, Director of Policy for The Korea Society. Corrado spoke on the perception of North Koreans past and present, revealing his research on these points. He feels that the Hungnam Evacuation story is ideal for North Korean audiences today.
Next, Father Oubre played video from the recent American Veterans Center conference gala which recapped the Battle of the Chosin and Meredith Victory evacuation. The film captured Burley Smith’s (last living crew member of the Meredith Victory) remarks along with those of two other veterans of the Chosin Reservoir battle.
Dr. Joshua Smith (L) interviews Burley Smith
This segwayed into Dr. Joshua Smith returning to interview Burley Smith. (The two Smiths are not related.) Questions were led to recap Burley’s early years and how he came to attend Kings Point and how he ended up on the Meredith Victory. When recounting the events, he spoke kind words in remembrance of Captain LaRue and his leadership, recalling a time when they survived a typhoon. Burley described the loading of the human cargo, explaining how the ship’s Mates were positioned in the holds to oversee the operation. He described a “steady stream of people… no noise or hustle.” Later, after the refugees had disembarked, there were four feet high piles of human feces in each hold (15 decks total).
Before lunch break, WWII veteran and motivational speaker Dave Yoho offered energizing remarks for the audience, followed by attendees assembling for a group photo.
The first speaker after lunch was Capt. Brian Hope, who is a retired Maryland Pilot, famed maritime artist and author, and Founder of Project Liberty Ship. Captain Hope’s presentation was focused on the actual vessels of the day. He drew comparisons between Liberty and Victory ships, discussing various classes of ships, shipyards involved, and the fate of many of these vessels. He segwayed into how WWII-built ships were recalled for duty in Korea and Vietnam. Only three Victory ships and two Liberty ships survive today. Hope explained that while Liberty Ships were named after people, Victory ships were named for American towns and colleges. He called attention to the “spirit of shipbuilding” of that era in American history. Finally, he relayed a sea story about a fire in the Master’s room while he was serving as a young officer.
Father Oubre, the visionary of the conference, was the next speaker. He talked about the Robin Gray, which was one of the lesser-known ships involved in the Hungnam Evacuation. As a young mariner, Oubre had sailed with a Bosun who had been on the Gray during the evacuation. Oubre provided vessel history and details. The Gray would later be used in Vietnam where it suffered damage and injury to a crew member during the conflict.
Dr. Philip Lacovara, author of the Mariner and the Monk, presented next. Lacovara recalled Capt. Leonard LaRue’s career, noting how LaRue, who served on 25 ships in his career, survived several difficult situations ranging from severe weather to crew issues, to enemy attacks. Given the number of “what if” scenarios that could have impacted LaRue’s life, Lacovara said it was amazing that LaRue would become positioned on the Meredith Victory during a pivotal moment in world history.
Next, Dave Yoho returned with some departing words for the conference crowd.
Joining via video call were descendants of Capt. LaRue, namely nephew Charles Wisler and his wife, Colleen. Mrs. Wisler shared family recollections of LaRue, talked about growing up in Philly neighborhoods, and covered some genealogy. LaRue was known to certain family members as “Uncle Bodge”. He often sent holiday cards and messages to family members.
Father Sinclair Oubre, the visionary of the conference
Dr. Philip Lacovara
Dr. Colleen Lindsey
The last and particular touching speaker of the day was Dr. Colleen Lindsey. Considering how the Meredith Victory became known as the “Ship of Miracles” and how the evacuation is labeled a “Christmas miracle,” Dr. Lindsey reflected how elements of the evacuation paralleled the first Christmas. Similar to the Innkeeper who offered sanctuary to Mary and Joseph, Capt. LaRue did the same for the refugees. LaRue had written, “The nearness of Christmas carried my thoughts to the Holy Family – how they, too, were cold and without shelter…” Lindsey’s powerful presentation provided a well punctuated end to the conference.
AMMV extends our congratulations to Father Oubre for bringing this historic conference to fruition.
Above: (L to R): Capt. George McShea, Jr., Capt. Dru DiMattia, Doreen Badeaux, Father Oubre. To the right: Capt. Brian Hope (L) and AMMV President Capt. Darin Huggins
