SOURCE: www.300thcombatengineersinwwii.com.

© Picture ~ Copyright Michael V. Drachman 2014 ~ All rights reserved

Ulion V. Lacy

Private First Class, U.S. Army
300th Engineer Combat Battalion
Entered the Service From: Texas
Service #: 38416508
Date of Death: June 19, 1944

MIA's
Garden of the Missing ~ Army ~ Army Air Forces ~ Tablet 27, Veteran 13
Site GPS: 49.359263,-0.852721
Normandy American Cemetery
Colleville-sur-Mer
Departement du Calvados
Basse-Normandie, France

Citations and Awards:

Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who after 5 April 1917 have been wounded or killed in action against an enemy of the United States or an opposing armed force, while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict, as the result of acts of enemy or hostile opposing forces, as a result of terrorist attacks or attacks on peacekeeping forces since 28 March 1973, or by friendly fire in circumstance as described above.

Sinking of LST ~ 523 "Landing Ship Tank"

194 personnel of the 300th Engineer Battalion and ships company loaded onboard LST 523 on 18 June 1944 shortly before noon at Portsmouth, England, and proceeded during the night of 18-19 June to Utah Beach, north of Carentan, France. The ship arrived about a mile to a mile and a half off the beach some time about 1200 B 19 June and dropped anchor, apparently to await the tide in order to beach properly. About 1300 B the anchor was weighed, and the ship started toward the beach and had been underway several minutes when a tremendous explosion occurred somewhat aft of the center of the ship.

The explosion was apparently caused by some type of underwater mine. The force of the blast was exerted in such a manner as to lift up the center of the ship very forcibly, at the same time imparting a rolling motion above that caused by the waves due to the eccentric point of the blast. Apparently the bottom of the ship was broken in such a manner as to permit the ship to bend at the point of blast, with the deck acting as a hinge. The upward motion was felt most by the persons nearest the center of the ship, those towards the stern and bow not being subject to such severe thrust. The center of the ship dropped back, filling with water and assuming a position in which the bow and stern were higher than the center. This flexing of the center of the ship broke the portion of the ship's center structure remaining after the blast so that the bow and stern separated.

After the separation the stern section being the smaller, with the open end low and in the direction of motion, stopped and settled rapidly, forward part first. The water at this point was probably only slightly deeper than the height of the ship from keel to top of deck structure so that the forward of the stern piece was resting on the bottom before the fantail went under. The stern piece was completely underwater within 15 minutes after the explosion. The front section with the open end away from the direction of motion, settled gradually and did not come to a complete halt until the bow grounded on a bar. The front section came to rest with about the front 50 feet of the deck remaining out of the water with the forepeak about 8 feet out of water.

About 10 minutes after the explosion unidentified members of the crew, with Lieutenant McNeill, H&S Co, 300th Engineer Combat Battalion, gave verbal instructions to abandon ship. There was no ship's officer present and conscious on either of the two parts of the ship. The abandon ship order was given and transmitted in such a manner as to incite panic. The ship was abandoned in a most disorderly manner, most individuals acting without thought or reason, simply following the crowd, or some other individuals.

U. S. Navy crew members lost on LST 523
Total number of crew members lost……………………………………..117
Approx. crew count before explosion……………………………………145

There were also 194 Army personnel on board and 94 of them perished as well. These were members of the 300th Combat Engineers.

LST 523 GPS:

Latitude - Longitude:
49.477933,-0.9675

Lat: 49° 28' 40.5588"
Long: -0° 58' 3"


Gleaned from AG FILE 569.14

300th Combat Engineers

Ulion 3rd row standing, 4th from the right

Normandy American Cemetery
49.360325,-0.857878

NORMANDY GARDEN OF THE MISSING Entrance