Detroit Free Press - Ship that landed on D-Day, then hauled autos, now a museum in Muskegon

After his ship landed on Omaha Beach at Normandy, sailor Paul Grambsch carefully lowered a tattered American flag to the deck. He rolled up the soiled fabric and tucked it into a sea bag that would be found more than 50 years later, upon his death.

That flag saved by the Midwesterner is just one of many artifacts preserved on the World War II ship where it was first hoisted. Next weekend, people will journey to the west coast of Michigan to visit the USS LST 393, which delivered soldiers and tanks to the battle that led to the liberation of Europe and the defeat of Adolf Hitler.