Ship Reunions Tie Past To Navy's Future

The association toured Naval Station Mayport and attended a dinner banquet at the Wyndham Riverwalk Hotel, where USS Carney (DDG 64) Commanding Officer Glenn Kuffel Jr. spoke to a crowded ballroom.

"I love being able to get out and talk to the heroes who have gone before us, and let you know about what your Navy is doing today and the directions that we are headed," Kuffel said.

USS John A. Bole was named after John Archibald Bole Jr., a World War II submarine captain, who was awarded the Navy Cross. The destroyer served through three wars and was decommissioned in 1970.

Shipmates who served in the Korean War, Vietnam, and several plank owners from World War II came from across the country to see each other, and swap stories of their adventures aboard their distinguished ship.

Jim Barton was an Ensign aboard the Bole in 1969, today he is a retired Navy captain, who has served on seven ships.

"What I remember most about the Bole was the smell of cordite in the morning," Barton said. "We would fire those guns off, and the cordite would get right in your face. I will also not forget the relationships I had with my crew, and the people that worked for me and the people I worked with. We had a great bond, in fact, I am as close with some of the guys today as I was then."

Barton is now a defense contractor in North Carolina and has been attending association reunions for the past six years. "We like to pick a place where we know that we have a friendly Navy town," Barton said. "Jacksonville is one of the most Navy friendly towns in the country."

Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Steve Ramirez was also on the decommissioning crew. He said he always enjoyed pulling into a good port like Hong Kong or Japan.

"On one port call to Hong Kong, we were there for more than two weeks," Ramirez said. "We spent so much money running around town, we had to get an advance on our pay."

Special guest Elizabeth Coulter said it has always been an honor to be a part of the reunions. Coulter is the daughter of John A. Bole Jr., and she came to the reunion with her cousin Barbara Boyle, a retired Navy commander. Coulter's mother christened the ship in New York in 1944, when she was only 12 years old.

"I think of these sailors like one big family," said Coulter. "They were family when they served together, and they made me feel like we were a part of it, too."