The USS Terrebonne Parish (LST 1156) Association was organized in 2001. It has a paid membership of approximately 140, which includes former officers and crewmembers, in addition to former Marine Corps personnel, and associate members from the external community.
The First Annual Reunion was conducted in Norfolk, Virginia, April 9-13, 2002; the Second Annual Reunion was held in Houma – Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, April 30-May 3, 2003; the Third Annual Reunion was conducted in Charleston, South Carolina, April 21-24, 2004; the Fourth Annual Reunion was held in San Antonio, Texas, April 13-16, 2005; the Fifth Annual Reunion was conducted in Pensacola, Florida, April 26-29, 2006; and the Sixth and final Annual USS Terrebonne Parish (LST 1156) Association Reunion was held in the Great Lakes, Illinois, May 9-12, 2007. Future reunion events will be held on a biennial schedule.
A ship’s Historical Interpretive Plaque was presented May 2, 2003, during the Association’s Second Annual Reunion, to the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government in Houma, Louisiana for permanent display in their government offices. A beautiful, gold-framed Proclamation and Gold Key to Houma-Terrebonne was presented to Association President, Dave Bader, by Parish President, Robert Bergeron and Council Chairman-District 7, Clayton Voisin.
On April 23, 2004 a framed photo of the ship, the ship’s official plaque, along with all signatures of former LST 1156 officers and crewmembers in attendance became a permanent addition to the Charleston Clarion Hotel’s Military Hall of Fame display. The Clarion Hotel became a Ramada Inn on July 1, 2006 and military reunion plaques are now displayed in its Military Hall of Honor.
On April 14, 2005, a Memorial Plaque was dedicated to the USS Terrebonne Parish (LST 1156) in the Plaza of the Presidents at the National Museum of the Pacific War, Admiral Nimitz State Historical Park, Fredericksburg, Texas.
On May 9, 2007, an original watercolor painting of the USS Terrebonne Parish (LST 1156) entering Malta harbor during the 1958 Mediterranean cruise was donated by Gordon Robinson, YN3 (’58 – ’62). He commissioned artist J. Everett Draper to paint the watercolor from a photograph.
The painting was presented June 18, 2007 to C.J. Christ, museum President and Chairman of the Board, at the Houma Regional Military Museum to be displayed in the Navy corner to further extend the ship’s legacy in its namesake parish. To provide a strong statement for the museum’s entrance, a mural of the ship with its bow doors open on the beach, by local artist, Hans Geist, is prominently rendered along with World War II military scenes to call attention to the service of all veterans. January 2, 2008 historical ship’s archives and memorabilia donated by shipmates were sent to the museum for display purposes.
In extending the legacy of the LST 1156 to current and future generations, the Association, including members and friends of the Association, commissioned that a mural of the ship be prepared in the ship's namesake Terrebonne Parish. The mural, completed in 2005 by local artists, Hans Geist and Elisha Gomez is displayed on the Mardi Gras Hall Building in Houma to provide a permanent visual memory of the LST 1156 underway.
The mural was scheduled to be dedicated in Houma, Louisiana, September 23, 2005. However, as a result of Hurricane Katrina, the dedication was postponed until a later date. The formal mural dedication ceremony has been rescheduled for October 24, 2008
