JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It has now been 38 years since 37 sailors were killed in an attack on the Mayport-based USS Stark in 1987. The US Navy says the ship was on patrol in the Arabian Gulf when it was hit by two Iraqi missiles.
Naval Station Mayport held a memorial at the base Friday in honor of the service members who died. Family, friends, and others who survived the attack were there to salute their service.
“Like rats inside a can, we were all trying to get out, we were all just trying to escape,” said Gill Berrios, a signalman, second class who survived the attack on the USS Stark, “I was about 20 yards from the first missile that came right through our berthing compartment. The only reason I’m here is because it didn’t explode.”
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The US Navy Museum has a list of all of the sailors who died in the attack. Two of them were from Jacksonville. Local leaders from around Duval County came to Naval Station Mayport to see the service, including school board members, the three mayors from the beaches, and Mayor Donna Deegan.
“While decades separate the service of the USS Stark crew, the mission is the same: to prevent larger conflicts that could put the lives of millions in jeopardy,” Mayor Deegan said during the ceremony.
Naval Station Mayport says the USS Stark was decommissioned at Mayport in 1999, 12 years after the attack in the Arabian Gulf. The base holds memorials honoring the lives of the sailors every year, featuring stories and salutes from those who survived.
This was the first time Berrios had gone to one of the memorials. He wishes he could still stand with his fellow sailors, but is proud to salute them.
“They’re definitely helping us not forget and remember the sacrifices they made, we all made, the families made,” said Berrios.
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