Final Thought

It took 54 years and a BVA national convention to get blinded veteran Harold Jackson, left, of Warwick, Rhode Island, back together with his old friend George Stroebel, whom he first met on the USS Allen M. Sumner DD-692 in 1951.

Although the two sometimes communicated over the years, they had not actually seen each other since 1952 until George decided to find Harold at the Friday evening barbecue at Buffalo and Erie Naval & Military Park.

Driving two hours from Mayville, New York, George located his long lost friend aboard the USS Sullivans 537 just as the barbecue came to a close. A joyous reunion followed.