PERKINS TWP.

Victor Chamberlain never seems to be far from the water.

A veteran of the Coast Guard and the Merchant Marine, Chamberlain, 88, spent World War II on dangerous convoy runs to Murmansk , a northern Russian port which received vital Allied shipments. He retired in 1980 as the captain of the lake freighter George A. Stinson.

Nowadays, Chamberlain, who is the OVH Volunteer of the Year, stays busy by volunteering at the OVH, and stays fit by swimming.

"I'm generally out here at 8 o'clock in the morning. I stay three or four hours and then I go swimming," he said.

Chamberlain, who lives in Perkins Township with his wife, Margaret, racked up 400 hours of volunteer time in 2004 and has donated his time year after year at OVH, said Linda Johnston, volunteer coordinator at the veterans home.

She said OVH has more than 3,000 volunteers in its database and that 500 are active in any given year. Last year, volunteers contributed 42,000 hours to aid the war veterans at the home, she said.

Asked what he does at the home, Chamberlain replied, "I push guys around."

He meant that in a friendly way.

Many of the residents rely upon wheelchairs to get around, and Chamberlain, a Catholic, can often be seen helping them get to Mass. In fact, Chamberlain was introduced to volunteering at the OVH by a Catholic priest after he started going to the OVH to attend services.

Chamberlain is also known for his service in Russia, which hasn't forgotten the vital role played during World War II by the allied convoys to Murmansk .

In fact, he's packing his bags to leave Sunday on a new trip to Russia, where Murmansk convoy crews are being honored for the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, or as the Russians call it, the Great Patriotic War. He's been to Russia four times.

Chamberlain made the Murmansk run several times, serving as the first officer on a Liberty ship that toted train locomotives, tanks, jeeps and other cargo.

"Those convoys saved Russia . They know it," Chamberlain said.

While Chamberlain talked about attacks by Nazi torpedo planes from Norway and German submarines, there were other hazards he didn't even mention.

Documented official U.S. Navy history said sailors in Murmansk convoys also had to deal with ice, floating mines and bombing attacks on Murmansk itself.

"The story of the voyages to Murmansk , therefore, is one of almost unbelievable horror, of matchless courage, and of unlimited devotion to duty," says one Navy publication.

When former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev came to The Lodge at Sawmill Creek in November 2002 to help raise money for The Future of Russia Foundation, Chamberlain showed up, hoping to meet Gorbachev.

Chamberlain wore a Russian medal awarded for participating in the convoys, and Gorbachev recognized it, Chamberlain said.

"He shook my hand and wished me a long life," Chamberlain said.

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