Today marks the 26th anniversary of the attack on the U.S.S Stark in the Arabian Gulf. Every year on this date, Mayport Naval Station holds a memorial service to honor the 37 sailors who were killed aboard the guided missile frigate.
One by one, the names of those sailors are read, followed by the tolling of a bell. Retired Rear Admiral George Huchting, who spoke to the gathering about the special bond among shipmates, says the memorial service lets people stop and remember those who died in service to their country.
"We forget about each other. We forget how to have a conversation. We forget to take a silent moment and just think... and I think that is one of the things that, to me, is so important about this day is that we take a moment and we think."
The U.S.S. Stark was on patrol in the Arabian Gulf on May 17th, 1987, when it was struck by 2 Iraqi missiles, killing the 37 sailors.
The Stark was decommissioned at Mayport in 1999.