JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville is a proud military town and with three bases in the area and thousands of veterans calling the First Coast home, it's also a popular location for military reunions.
Recently sailors from the USS Davis held their annual reunion in the River City. This week's Stories of Service features a sailor who was one of the original crew members to serve on that ship.
Commissioned in 1957, the USS Davis was a destroyer that proudly sailed the globe for 25 years. One of the first sailors aboard was John MacPherson.
"I always wanted to be in the Navy," said MacPherson, "I was 18 years old and joined the Navy, was lucky enough to be on two ships that traveled a lot, all in peacetime, mostly in the Mediterranean and northern Europe."
For the last 25 years veterans who served on the Davis, and their families, have gathered for reunions. This year's reunion came to Jacksonville, which offered a chance to share stories of their time aboard the ship that they called home.
"You hear a lot of stories, some are probably embellished quite a bit now after 50 years," said MacPherson, "at this reunion, I'm the only plank owner, which means I was part of the original crew, makes me proud to be here, just miss some of the guys that I'm not seeing today."
MacPherson is proud of his four total years in the Navy and believes that military service should be mandatory for America's youth.
"You learn a lot, learn how to take care of yourself and I think it makes you a better person, a better man," said MacPherson.
The USS Davis was decommissioned in 1982, but alumni of the ship have been meeting every year since 1998. John MacPherson was at that reunion too, 40 years after he last stepped off the USS Davis.
We're proud to share the stories of the brave men and women of our armed forces, if you have a Story of Service that you would like us to share, please send us an email to storiesofservice@firstcoastnews.com