Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head hosted a Memorial Day Ceremony with the HLM Veterans Group that honored the men and women who perished while serving in the U. S. Military. Speakers included Hardeeville City Manager Josh Gruber and Walt Stinner, Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head resident and Navy Veteran.
Walt served as an Aviation Ordnanceman from 1965-1968 during the Vietnam War. He spoke on the USS Forrestal, a navy supercarrier he was serving on when, on July 29, 1967, an electrical surge caused a rocket to accidentally detonate starting a horrific fire. He and the crew fought to avoid further explosions by pushing planes off of the ship while the fire crew addressed the initial explosion. Their actions saved many lives on the USS Forrestal and saved the ship from destruction. However, on that day, 134 sailors lost their lives and 161 were injured.
“ I WANT TO KEEP THIS STORY ALIVE IN THE MEMORY OF MY SHIPMATES,” NOTED WALT.“ MEMORIAL DAY IS THE MOST PROPER DAY TO BRING IT TO LIGHT,” HE SAID.