Once known as Leonard LaRue, he was the captain of a supply ship, the "Meredith Victory". It arrived at Hungnam in North Korea as thousands of refugees from the advancing Chinese forces gathered on the beach. LaRue loaded his ship with 14,000 of these Koreans and took them South to Koje-do, a journey of three days. No lives were lost during the voyage, and five babies were born. He received medals for his action, but in 1954 he became a monk at the St. Pauls Abbey in New Jersey. He lived there till his death on 14 Oct 2001, age 87. The abbey had dwindled to just a few by then, but Waegwan Abbey in Korea, grateful for Brother Marinus' actions during the war, sent monks to revitalize the establishment.
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