by Joseph N. Mazzara (Author)

LIBERTY SHIP SURVIVOR: Why Ray Laenen is so Proud to be an American Liberty Ship Survivor is the compelling tale of one man's journey from Belgian immigrant to proud and patriotic American citizen. Over 100 photographs support his incredible tales of courage, survival, faith, friendship and forgiveness. Remie "Ray" Laenen's parents brought him to America from Oevel, Belgium in 1927, in search of freedom and opportunity. The family settled on the East Side of Detroit. After graduating from St. Rose High School in 1944, Ray immediately went into the United States Army, where he would learn a life-defining lesson about the true cost of freedom. On February 6, 1945, Ray's life was changed forever. His Liberty Ship was sunk in the Indian Ocean by torpedoes from a German U-boat. He survived an incredible twenty-two day ordeal in a crowded lifeboat, only to return to service more determined than ever to defend America's freedom. When the war ended, Ray went about the business of carving out his piece of the American Dream. Fifty years after the sinking of the SS Peter Silvester, Ray and his wife Norma traveled to Germany to meet and forgive the very men who had sunk his ship. This is the story of the making of an American Patriot.