Navy veteran James Durkin’s two years in the service were some of the best in his life.
Durkin commanded a small, 24-foot boat that transported people and goods to and from larger ships. He laughed as he told his fellow veterans some of his favorite stories.
“I always love to have fun,” Durkin said.
Durkin, a resident at The Mt. Laurel Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare, got a chance to have more fun last week on Veterans Day. Thanks to a special luncheon put on for veterans at the center, Durkin got to hop on a pair of motorcycles from Nam Knights MC.
The day was special for Durkin and the veterans honored at the Mt. Laurel Center’s luncheon last week. The event included visits from the center’s administration and members of the Warriors Watch Riders.
The lunch served as a chance for the veterans to look back on their time in the service. The veterans came from different branches of the military and all had their own memories of their time serving.
Durkin mainly served on the Mediterranean Sea during the late 1960s. One of his favorite memories was visiting Rome and the Vatican. He said his time in the service was his only chance to visit these locations.
“There’s no way I would have been able to visit,” he said.
Air Force veteran Solon Shepherd fit into the military immediately. He was sent to basic training at an Air Force base in Wichita Falls, Texas. When he got there, he discovered he had the same last name as the base.
“I got a good ribbing for the guys about that,” he said.
Shepherd also got to see a famous landmark. After training, he was sent to Tokyo as part of the American occupation following World War II.
“I was stationed in downtown Tokyo,” he said. “We were located right across from the Imperial Palace.”
Durkin and Shepherd only spent a few years in the military. Durkin joined the Navy just as the military change tenures from four years of active service and two years of inactive to two years active, four inactive.
“It was Vietnam, everyone was being drafted,” he said. “They ended up having too many people, so they reversed the years.”
Not everyone spent a short time in the military. Joseph Peterson made the Navy his career. He spent more than 20 years in the service, beginning during World War II.
“I had a good life in the Navy,” Peterson said.
Peterson talked of how he was well liked among the personnel he served with, including his superior officers.
“They always wanted me to have meals with them,” Peterson said. “I didn’t want to do it because I thought the other guys would hate me. I got along with everyone, though.”
Maria Gommel, the activity director at the center, puts together the luncheon each year as a way to honor veterans for their service. Gommel understands their commitment. Her husband served five tours in Afghanistan and is also a member of Warriors Watch Riders. She has made it her mission to honor those who have served in the armed forces.
“This is my passion,” she said.
Along with fellow Warriors Watch Rider Todd Price, each veteran in attendance received a certificate for his service in the military.
Gommel said the center’s gesture is the least it could do to show its resident veterans its appreciation.
