The amphibious force was a special part of the enlisted manas Navy, requiring extraordinary training and stamina. With the help of a small coded diary, I retraced my wartime steps from Little Creek, Virginia, to Tokyo Bay. Our crew soon faced the horror of death at the invasion of Sicily. The firmly entrenched Italian Army and the ferocious German Panzers fought so furiously, we became seasoned veterans in a few short hours. The important role of the APAs in transporting troops and supplies continued to the islands of the Pacific, and Hawaii provided a safe harbor after surviving the Atlantic Wolf Packs and Japanese Kamikazes. At the time of D-Day in Normandy, we were preparing for our bloody D-day on Saipan. We moved on to Tinian, Leyte, Luzon and Okinawa, earning eight battle stars. I miraculously survived those treacherous invasions, and am proud to finally tell the Amphibsa heroic story.