EVENING TRIBUNE

San Diego, California

Thursday, April 21, 1955

 Welcome awaits Returning Marines

Five Transports to Dock Tomorrow With 4,500 1st Division Troops

Five amphibious force transports will dock here tomorrow with 4,500 troops of the 1st Marine Division.

Scheduled to dock at Navy Pier, foot of E Street, at 9 a.m. are the transports Noble, Union and Henrico. The transports Washburn and Bexar are scheduled to dock at Naval Station, foot of 32nd Street at the same time. All the returning ships took part in the Tachen evacuation off the Chinese mainland in February. Helicopters, Navy and city fireboats and a parade of pleasure craft will greet the transports when they arrive at the harbor entrance. Bands and several groups of majorettes will welcome the troops at Navy Pier.

Spokesmen for the Marine Corps at Camp Pendelton said this is the last large unit of 1st Division troops to arrive in San Diego from Korea. The division is being redeployed for training and for availability as a ready force for assignment to any world trouble spot. Marine units aboard the returning fleet include Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Marine Regiment; 42 Mortar Company, 1st Marines; 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, Demilitarized Zone Police

Company; 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines; 1st Service Regiment; VMO-6 helicopter detachment, and 1st Battalion, 11th Marines. Also, the 1st Tank Battalion; 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines; 1st Shore Party Battalion; Headquarters Battalion, and Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Service Battalion. Five LSTs ( landing ships tanks ) are scheduled to debark 500 1st Division Marines on the Silver Strand, Coronado, Monday. They are the LSTs 1122, 1101,1073,1090 and 836.