Photo by resident Jim Lea
Vivid RECOLLECTIONS Jim Kehl knows a thing or two about history. As a professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh for 46 years, as well as a published author, he has passed along copious historical knowledge. At 100 years young, the Masonic Village at Sewickley resident has also lived it.
You can read about his military experiences in his memoir, “When Civilians Manned the Ships: Life in the Amphibious Fleet During WWII.” It highlights his time as a U.S. Navy Officer aboard the LSM 144. The LSM 144 was a Landing Ship Medium which, along with the larger Landing Ship Tank, made up the “Alligator Navy.” These ships were specially designed to deliver troops to enemy-held beaches during World War II. At 203.5 feet in length, the ship was described by one sailor as a “shoe box with a can mounted on it.”
16
Spring 2022 Issue
