JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It has been more than 50 years since the last American combat troops were withdrawn from the Vietnam War. One of the ships that was involved in the fighting was the Destroyer USS Davis.
Recently, veterans who served on the Davis held a reunion in Jacksonville, and memories from one sailor's time on the ship began to flow as he recounted his worldwide tour.
"The cruise was memorable because it was an around-the-world cruise," Donald Barnes told First Coast News. "We went back through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean, going across the equator is a big ceremony."
Barnes served in the Navy from 1963 to 1966. In his last year in the Navy, he served on the Davis, a time of great conflict in Vietnam.
"One of our duties was to support Marines operations onshore, so we fired a total of 6,000 rounds of high-explosive projectiles in support of ground troops," Barnes said. "Our guys were firing day and night when we were on the firing line."
Barnes and other sailors worked in shifts, however, the fighting never stopped.
"I actually slept under a gun mount and if you can imagine sleeping under a gun mount that was firing, it kept me up only one night because the second night I was too tired, I actually slept under a firing gun mount," said Barnes.
The fighting is long done and nowadays, Barnes is happy to enjoy peace with his fellow veterans who also served on the Davis; a service that means the world to him.
"I was called on, I volunteered back then," said Barnes. "Happy to serve my country and do my duty, I did it at the best of my ability."
The USS Davis was decommissioned in 1982, but alumni of the ship have been meeting every year since 1998.
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