Millionth ton of cargo unloaded in reopened port of Ghent.

Millionth ton of cargo unloaded in reopened port of Ghent. The one millionth ton of cargo to be delivered in the port of Ghent, Belgium, since it was reopened by the U.S. Army January 23, 1945, is lowered to a warf from the hold of the U.S. Liberty ship Oremar June 14, 1945. The cargo consisted of U.S. food for distribution to the people of Holland. After delivery, a brief ceremony was held in observance of the occasion. Participating were Burgomeister Edward Omseele of Ghent, Colonel Edward H. Connor of Washington, D.C., commander of the 17th Port, U.S. Army, and Lieutenant Colonel Frederick J. Gerty of Whitestone, New York, 17th Port operations officer. Colonel Connor paid special tribute to the efforts of Ghent's 4,000 civilian workers in the port. Burgomeister Omseele awarded gold plaques to Colonel Connor, Colonel De Lesseps S. Morrison, former operations officer in Ghent, and Lieutenant Colonel Gerty, and silver plaques to six other U.S. Army officers and four enlisted men of the port command. Ghent, second largest Belgian port, lies approximately 22 miles inland and is connected with the North Sea by a narrow canal running to Terneuzen, Holland. It has been a port for 1,000 years and at present is one of the most modernly equipped in Europe. Since its reopening by the Americans, cargos of food, clothing, ammunition, heavy engineering equipment and other supplies, including food for the liberated countries, have passed through the port.