Leonidas David “L.D.” Lloyd,Jr. was one of five brothers serving in World War II. L.D., C.A., and Whitson Lloyd were in the USN Armed Guard, Jack in the Merchant Marines, and Codee in the Marines. Codee was an MP at Treasure Island before and after World War II. He had mostly gate duty, so he probably checked a lot of service- men in and out during the war. A brother-in-law, Frank Palma, from the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, was on the BB WISCONSIN for over four years. His sister, Vera Palma, during this time, was a nurse at Carson C. Peck Memorial Hospital as well as hostess to her brothers L.D., C.A., Whitson and Jack. Jack passed away before being declared a military veteran of World War II, so he did not receive any benefits or flag. He was thankful to be free and lived a full enjoyable life. He was mess cook for A G to Italy-Japan on the SS WILLIAM D. HOARD. After playing high school and sandlot baseball together, L.D. and C.A. took boots together at Bainbridge, Mary- land, gunnery school at Camp Shelton, Virginia, and went together to Brooklyn Armed Guard Center. They asked for the Armed Guard at boot camp at their brother Whitson’s request. They were assigned to the SS MIAOULIS, a Greek Liberty Ship. While waiting for the ship to finish loading, they took in the sights and sounds of New York City. They also visited with their sister and dated some Brooklyn beauties nearby. C.A., Whitson, Jack and L.D. met at Vera’s home, not knowing that this would be their last get-together, as Whitson was to become the last Armed Guard killed by a German sub in World War II on May 5, 1945, in the sinking of his ship SS BLACK POINT. The brothers learned of his death in 1983 from Captain Art Moore’s Book “A CARELESS WORD — A NEEDLESS SINKING” and verified by ship Captain Chas Prior of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, then 82 years of age. Captain Prior told Mary and L.D. that Whitson was required to keep more records for the Armed Guard Center than his ship company required. Whitson, BM 2/C, was in charge of a five-man gun crew. L.D. and C.A. sailed out of New York in a large convoy to Cardiff, Wales, through the cold North Atlantic. Depth charges were dropped throughout the trip, keeping L.D. awake while C.A. slept, a case of big brother trying to look after little brother. Brothers Lawrence and Clyde Camp of Shelby, North Carolina, also were in the aft focsle. The brothers drew a Mason-Dixon line on the deck in their corner and told the “Yankees” to keep out. The ship reloaded in Liverpool and sailed up the English Channel among the hundreds of masts, sterns and bows of sunken ships of the D-Day era protruding above the waves. During the day, the sky was darkened by thousands of Allied planes going to and from missions over Germany. The MIAOULIS was rammed while at anchor in a heavy fog, waiting to go by canal to Ghent, Belgium. At first the crew thought they had been hit by a buzz bomb. After Ghent, the ship sailed to Ant- werp for repairs. Then VE day was announced and later the MIAOULIS sailed back to New York and to the beautiful statue of liberty. The brothers then learned that Whitson was missing in action. After a short leave to North Carolina, the brothers were assigned aboard the USAT JW MCANDREW in dry dock at Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore Street will always remain in L.D.’s memory as unforgettable liberty. They then sailed south to grit country, Newport News, Virginia, since the MCANDREW was a troop ship, enough supplies were taken to last to France and Italy to pick up troops for the hot Pacific. L.D. was taken off the ship with a kidney stone attack and sent to the hospital for 30 days. The ship’s orders were changed in the mid Atlantic from the Pacific to Newport News. L.D. reboarded the ship later and went back to France with troops. He and C.A. worked out of nob unloading Navy gear ammo off a large number of merchant ships for three months and got home often. C.A. and L.D. then signed on different ships. C.A.’s ship went to Baltimore where the guns were removed and he was sent on to South Carolina for dis- charge. Meanwhile, L.D.’s ship, a tanker, the SS BLACK HILLS, was making four round trips from South America to Europe before anchoring near the Statue of Liberty for 30 days. If it wasn’t for his sister in Brooklyn, L.D. said he sure would have become tired of the ever present sight of the Statue of Liberty. He was sent by first class pullman to Camp Shelton for his separation, duck, check and ticket to North Carolina. L.D. farmed during the summer of 1946 and met his future wife, Mary Freeman, at Hardbarget Business Col- lege in the fall classes. On December 22, 1946, L.D. and Mary started “World War Three” and after 43, their pow- der is still good. After business school, L.D. worked with Liggett Myers as a sales representative and then was a Greyhound bus driver for seven years. His last business venture is being a State Farm Insurance Agent. He is still going strong after over 32 years, with many more to go, God willing. Mary and L.D. were blessed with a daughter, Dale Thigpen, and a granddaughter, Kimberly Lloyd Thigpen. Dale’s hus- band, Bill, was killed in the Vietnam conflict. Dale is working at Northern Telcom in Raleigh and Kim is a third year student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The family does not discuss basketball as Dale and Bill graduated from NCSU and Mary and L.D. are Wake Forest fans. Enough said. Mary and L.D. have attended all the national reunions and were co-hosts of the 2nd reunion in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1983 and the 4th reunion in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1985. They have missed only one NJ mini- reunion in eight years and have attended mini-reunions in San Diego and two Canadian reunions. They hope to be in Reno, Chicago, aboard the SS JOHN W BROWN on September 2, 1990. 1990 will be a busy year for Mary and L.D. with a company millionaires trip to Rome as an add- ed attraction. They live at 4832 North Hills Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27612. Their phone number is (919) 787-1527 and they have an “open house the year around, so y’all come.”