NORFOLK, Va. — Service members and families gathered at Naval Station Norfolk to mark the 37th anniversary of the USS Iowa tragedy.
The ceremony honors the 47 sailors who lost their lives in 1989, remembering their sacrifice and the enduring strength of the naval community they left behind.
On April 19, 1989, the center gun of the number two 16-inch gun turret exploded during a training exercise aboard the battleship USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors. Every year since, those who served alongside them have gathered at Naval Station Norfolk's Iowa Point to make sure they are not forgotten.
Marc Garafano, of Staten Island, New York, has made the trip for 20 of the 37 years the ceremony has been held. Garafano served on the USS Coral Sea as an aviation electrician's mate. The Coral Sea was the aircraft carrier that helped the Iowa after the incident.
He returns each year for his best friend, Jeff, a gunner's mate who transferred to the Iowa just six days before the explosion.
"We were best friends, and I did not know he died. It was one year later till I found out he died in the explosion during the congressional hearings. I read his name and went through a lot to find out who this person was. And then his mom wrote me and sent me pictures, and I knew that it was him then. And, you know, now I come every year for him," Garafano said.
Garafano said the ceremony gets tougher every year, especially for veterans still suffering from PTSD.
"When we get here, we all band together, and we all talk about it, and it kind of calms us all down. And then the day comes, and then we're all a mess again," Garafano said.
The ceremony has grown each year, bringing several first-time attendees who served on the USS Iowa at the time. Garafano noted that some people did not know the memorial was held until recently.
"This is something that we do to just to heal. Everybody just gets here to heal," Garafano said.
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