The landing craft coxswain was the symbol and fiber of the amphibious force. Exposed to enemy fire as he steered his craft to shore, the lives of thirty-six infantrymen in his small LCVP were his responsibility. If he failed in his mission of landing these troops, the strategy of admirals went for naught; the bombardment of a naval force alone could never gain a foothold on the hostile and contested shore. Prairie boy or city lad, the coxswain became a paragon of courageous determination and seamanship.Artwork by Dwight C. Shepler
Dwight C. Shepler painted and recorded the Navy’s warfare ranging from the Guadalcanal to the D-Day invasion. He was awarded the Bronze Star medal for his work as a combat artist. Shepler painted more than 300 combat scenes compiling a dramatic history of the war. After the war, Shepler continued his career as a pioneer water colorist of the high ski country and served as president of the Guild of Boston Artists.
