There are thousands of stories of men and women that have served. My grandfather is among them. He is a proud Navy veteran who served in the mid-1950's. After boot camp in San Diego, CA, he served aboard the USS Gilbert Islands, USS Bennington, USS Lake Champlain, and the Navy's first super aircraft carrier, the USS Forrestal.
In this picture, he is looking quite dapper in uniform.
We've heard stories of him being stationed in Norfolk, VA, just waiting for the weekends that he could leave to visit a special lady that he was "courting." He racked up a ton of speeding tickets in this very car as he tried to make it back to Westminster, SC on the weekends to visit my grandmother! I guess all the speeding was worth it, because they've been married for almost 55 years!
One day, while he was aboard the USS Bennington, something went wrong and there was a fatal explosion. 103 men died and 201 were injured. My grandfather woke up laying on deck, among the dead with a white sheet over him. Can you imagine? Thankfully, he was okay.
Be sure to thank the Veteran's in your life today! And in the final words of the Navy Service Song, we're wishing everyone currently serving in the military a "happy voyage home!"
Oh my goodness, what a story! Have to be a very strong man to pull through something like that. I thank him and his family for their service.
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