Dogtown Tavern

Dogtown Tavern, and important venue in Invitation to Valhalla, is still there today, and still open for business. It is located in the river bottoms west of Evansville, Indiana.

Special Photo

In this photo, taken September 27, 2007, LST 325 passes the Evansville, Indiana, waterfront. The red brick building at the center is the McCurdy Hotel. The McCurdy is the venue for one of the scenes in Invitation to Valhalla.

A Hero Sends a Photo from Iraq

Reading her father's novel, US Army SGT Savannah Whicker sends this photo from Baghdad. SGT Whicker is in military intelligence and is currently serving her second tour of duty in Iraq.

Bio of Mike Whicker

A native of Denver, Colorado, Mike Whicker now resides in Evansville, Indiana, where he serves as executive director of the USS LST Ship Memorial.

He and his wife, Sandy, have raised five children.

A noted authority on the Third Reich, Whicker occasionally accepts invitations from universities to speak about writing, or the World War II era.

*In the above photo, Mike "Deck Ape" Whicker is grilling hamburgers on the stern of the World War II warship LST 325. Whicker was a crewman on the ship during the ship's 2005 Atlantic Voyage. This photo was taken 200 miles off the East Coast of the United States. Shortly after this photo was taken, a US Navy attack submarine (Los Angeles class) surfaced behind the LST. Whicker burned the hamburgers when he ran to his bunk to get his camera.

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Invitation to Valhalla painting

A talented artist, Jacob Elijah Walker, created this painting of a ghost-like image of Erika Lehmann hovering over the Evansville Shipyard.

A blog about Evansville's LST

With LST 325: Large Slow Target, written by LST Ship Memorial Inc. Executive Director Mike Whicker, visitors will be able to read about coming events, post messages and ask questions, see pictures and come to know some of the volunteers who serve the ship today.

LST Rivercam

Photo by Rebecca Sell/Courier & Press

Click HERE to view the Evansville Courier & Press LST Rivercam

Contact

mike@mikewhicker.com