The eye-catching anchor rests on the Audrain County Courthouse grounds and stands as a symbol of Americans’ sacrifice during World War II and how Missourians played a role in a particular battle.

Representatives from the U.S. Exercise Tiger Foundation, city, county and Missouri Military Academy and others gathered at the Battle of Exercise Tiger memorial memorial on April 28 to recognize the 81st anniversary of the Battle of Exercise Tiger attack, when 749 American service people died after attacks on landing ship tanks, with 201 Missourians dying on on landing ship tank, or an LST.

The April 28 ceremony included words from, among others,  Mexico Mayor Steve Haag, Associate Audrain County Commissioner Leslie Meyer and Missouri Military Academy President Richard V. Geraci. A letter was read from John C. Phelan, secretary of the Navy, and a resolution was read from State Rep. Kent Haden, who was unable to attend the ceremony. A proclamation was presented from Gov. Mike Kehoe. Wreaths were presented at the memorial wall during the ceremony. 

“We lost a lot of lives that day, but we learned tactics that we corrected and implemented to make Operation Overlord a success,” said Haag, who teaches American history at Mexico High School, where he’s also the head football coach. “Improvements included better communication over radios, better life jacket training for men in the water and smaller crafts to pick up survivors in the water during D-Day. These improvements would help us land on the beaches of Normandy and be successful in opening a second front.

“The sacrifice of those 749 men during Exercise Tiger and the lessons learned helped the U.S. and the Allies in Europe and win the war,” he said, noting how Mexico has the honor to display the “one of a kind” memorial, which is a 5,000-pound anchor that reminds people of the ultimate sacrifice of the 749 service people who died during Exercise Tiger and the determination of the millions of people who served the U.S. during World War II. Haag expressed his thanks to veterans and active service members.

Meyer said when she thinks about WWII and the events surrounding it, the time period seems like it was “lifetimes ago, but the reality of it really wasn’t.” She discussed aspects of what was happening then, such as how “radios were the heartbeat of the home” with music, news and various programming, and which products made their debut in 1944, including Coppertone sunscreen. 

She noted how throughout WWII, the U.S. asked “ordinary men to do extraordinary things and fight for the world’s freedom,” and discussed how Exercise Tiger was so important to Allied efforts, because it gave military personnel a chance to practice the invasion on the beaches of Normandy and commanders could see potential flaws in execution and fix them before brave men lost their lives in battle. But the Germans found the LSTs and attacked them on April 28, 1944.

Meyer said people should never stop honoring and remembering our service men and women and their sacrifice, regardless of when it happened, and that it should never be taken for granted and always cherished as a gift for our country.

The Battle of Exercise Tiger involved American service members training off the coast of southern England, preparing for Operation Overlord, or the Battle of Normandy, that would begin  several weeks later, on June 6. The U.S. Exercise Tiger Foundation website states the LSTs were carrying the 1st Engineer Special Brigade, the 3206th Quartermaster Company from Missouri, the 3207th Company and 462nd and 478th combat truck support companies as well as other elements of the U.S. Army's engineer, signal, medical and chemical corps along with some infantry.

“Attacking in the pitch black night, 9 German Navy ‘E’ boats (torpedo) struck quickly and decisively,” the website explained, adding that two LSTs sunk and a third was crippled. Of the 4,000-man force, nearly a fourth were missing or killed, the website stated, and official Department of Defense records confirmed 749 dead, with 551 U.S. Army personnel and 198 U.S. Navy personnel perishing. On the LST 531, with 496 soldiers and sailors, 424 of them died. 

“It would be on this ship that the state of Missouri would lose some 201 of its boys of the 3206th,” the website states, adding that landing operations resumed later that day.

At the April 28 ceremony in Mexico, USTF Executive Director Susan Haines said the memorial service provides a way to honor and keep the legacy alive of those in Exercise Tiger and World War II. 

Geraci, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general, discussed Exercise Tiger’s importance and legacy and said the 749 Americans “contributed to the continued improvement and strength of the United States armed forces. They did not die in vain. Their legacy of selfless service, duty, honor and country is reflected in our nation’s military strength, preparedness, readiness and strength today.”