MILITARYRemembering the USS Stark attackThe USS Stark with smoke still rising from fires on board. The ship was struck by two Iraqi missiles on May 17, 1987, in the Persian Gulf.From the U.S. Navy/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionRelatives of USS Stark crewmember Michael Nelson hold candles as they await word on his fate. From left: sister Stella Williamson, friend Amy Decatur, Williamson's daughter, Maria, 4. In Columbus, OH, May 19, 1987.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionAn honor guard salutes as the National Anthem is played at Dover Air Force Base, May 26, 1987. The coffins hold the remains of the crew members killed on the Stark.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionU.S. sailors carry a coffin of one of the victims of the Iraqi missile attack on the frigate USS Stark. The coffins were airlifted to West Germany a few days after the May 17, 1987, attack.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionPresident Ronald Reagan asks a question during a Situation Room briefing on the condition of the Stark, May 18, 1987.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionAn official Navy photo of the USS Stark as smoke rises from where it was struck by two Iraqi missiles.From the U.S. Navy/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionCrews prepare to delve into charred areas aboard the frigate USS Stark, Friday, after it was crippled by an Iraqi missile attack in the Gulf waters May 17, 1987.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionTwo members of the Navy begin repair work aboard the USS Stark in this May 1987 handout provided by the Navy.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionBarbara Kiser, left, wearing dark glasses and scarf, and her 5-year-old son John cross their hearts as the remains of a slain sailor are carried by in a coffin at the Bahrain airport Wednesday, May 20, 1987. Kiser's husband and John's father was killed aboard the Stark. To the right of John is Cmdr. Glenn Brindel, commander of the USS Stark.See all 37 of the crew members killedAssociated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionThe frigate USS Stark displays a giant hole in her hull below the bridge, center, as she limps toward Bahrain May 19, 1987. The vessel was hit by one or more French-made Exocet missiles fired from an Iraqi jet Sunday evening. 37 sailors were killed.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionThe damage can be seen on the hull forward of the bridge. In this May 19, 1987, photo from the Associated Press, the ship limps to port in Bahrain.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionThe body of Steven Edward Kendall, one of 37 killed aboard the Stark, arrives at the Jacksonville International Airport, May 27, 1987.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionFire Controlman Third Class Lawrence Mark Bareford of Spotsylvania, Va., is carried to a waiting plane at Andrews Air Force Base, May 20, 1987. He was burnt after the missile attack on the USS Stark and was sent to the Brooke Army Medical Base in Texas.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionPresident Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy Reagan, offer condolences to the family of Jeffrey Curtis Sibley, one of 37 Mayport-based Navy men killed in an Iraqi attack on the missile frigate USS Stark in the Persian Gulf in May 1987. The crewmen "made themselves immortal by dying for something immortal," Reagan told a tear-choked crowd of 1,100 at a Mayport memorial service. "Keep faith with their sacrifice."Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionMembers of the U.S. Navy assess the damage to the USS Stark after it was struck by two Iraqi missiles. Yellow containers for garbage dangle from the portside edge.From the U.S. Navy/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionPresident Ronald Reagan honored the 37 fallen heroes during the memorial service at Mayport on Friday. Earlier that week, an Iraqi missile attack on the USS Stark killed many and caused severe damage to the ship. Image taken May 1987.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionMark Bareford, 23, is hugged by his parents, Nancy and Beale Bareford, June 29, 1987, after his release from a Virginia hospital. Bareford had been injured in an Iraqi missile attack that killed 37 aboard the USS Stark.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionFriends of Jeffrey Lee Phelps gather around his coffin after funeral services in Spotsylvania, Va. Phelps was one of 37 killed in the Stark incident.See all 37 of the crew members killedAssociated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionBase security policeman Robert Carter of Wyndal, N.C., walks past signs at the Dover Air Force Bas on May 25, 1987.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionA sign stands at the intersection of the off-ramp of I-295 north at U.S. 17. There were also some other signs along the north side of the interstate just north of the Buckman Bridge. This photo originally ran in the Times-Union in August 1987.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionThe body of Randy Eugene Pierce arrives at Jacksonville International Airport, May 28, 1987. Pierce was one of 37 killed in the Stark incident.Florida Times-UnionTommy Keener of East Fifth Street had the help of friends and neighborhood kids to fix up his home to resemble the Stark. This August 1987 photo shows Keener in his yard, made to look like a graveyard with 37 graves for those killed in the Stark attack. He told the Times-Union he spent five years in the Navy and wanted to do this in memory of those lost as well as those returning.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionAtlantic Beach florist Mary Deal received a strange request in May 1987. The Iraqi government wanted to send a bouquet to memorial services for the 37 crewman killed when a missile fired by an Iraqi jet struck the USS Stark. Deal and two others are putting the finishing touches in this image.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionCommander Fred Leeder, the public affairs officer from Norfolk Naval Station in August 1987, makes the announcement to the press about the arrival of the USS Stark to Mayport.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionKevin Cummings, a crewman on the Stark.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionThe Stark with a salvage tugboat in the Persian Gulf with a warship escort behind it as it sailed slowly to Bahrain.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionTwisted steel surrounds a jagged hole in the side of the USS Stark after it was struck from below the bridge by an Iraqi missile.From the U.S. Navy/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionThe USS Stark coming home. This photo originally ran in the Jacksonville Journal on Aug. 5, 1987.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionRear Adm. Stanley E. Bump presents an American flag to Georgia and Melvin Daniels at services in Florence, S.C., National Cemetery Thursday afternoon (May 29, 1987). The Daniels' son Antonio Armondo Daniels was one of three South Carolinians killed in the Iraqi missile attack on the USS Stark.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionJames Pair (left) and Chris Ryden (center) talk while Rob Williams signs a large card for the parents of Steve Irwin, who was killed in the Stark attack. All three were part of the Stark's crew. The event was a party for the crews of the USS Stark and USS Groves at Mayport on Aug. 8, 1987.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionSusan Ryals, the widow of Seaman 3rd Class Earl Ryals, with Ryals' mother, Vera Jane Ryals, all from Boca Raton say goodbye at the Arlington National Cemetery. Seaman Ryals was one of 37 killed in the Stark attack.See all 37 of the crew members killedAssociated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionNavy veteran Chester C. Balut, 76, ties one of about 220 flags flying at half-staff in a May 21, 1987, memorial in Hermitage, Penn., for the 37 killed in the Stark attack.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionThe USS Stark, assisted by a salvage tug alongside, limps toward harbor in Bahrain May 18, 1987, after she was heavily damaged and 37 of her crew killed in an attack by Iraqi warplanes Sunday night.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionAn unidentified person looks at the banner hung by two Navy wives at the base housing area in May 1987. The sign is facing the road near the main entrance. The person has just left the base.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionA Navy honor guard bears the body of USS Stark crewman Early Ryals at the Arlington National Cemetery.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionUSS Stark combats systems officer Carl Barbour gestures in August 1987 as he describes the path of two missiles that struck the ship on May 17 in the Persian Gulf. Lt. Barbour is in a corridor between two berthing areas here most of the sailors who were killed were housed on the vessel.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionFlags drape the coffins of at least 35 of the Navy members killed in the May 17, 1987, attack on the USS Stark. Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, May 26, 1987.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionKarl Stokes puts up a sign at the Scoots hamburger drive-thru stand on Mayport Road near the base.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionFamily members rejoice as some of the first sailors from the USS Star return home to Mayport, July 2, 1987.Florida Times-UnionInfographics from the Associated Press explaining where the ship was struck and about the missiles that were fired on it.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionCrew members await the departure of the Stark to head to Pascagoula, Miss. The ship underwent repairs after it was struck by two missiles.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionThe guided missile frigate USS Stark was brought back onto land for restoration work in November 1987 at the Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Litton in Pascagoula, Miss. Ingalls is scheduled to complete the work in 10 months.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionKaren Supple, widow of Martin Supple, with her mother during a May 1987 interview with the Times-Union.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionMore than 500 mourners and guests attended a memorial service at Mayport. The service was held a few days after the attack.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionHeather Moller, 20 months at the time of this photo, touches a monument on the first anniversary of the Stark attack. Moller's father, Charles T. Moller, was one of 37 crew members killed.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionThe Stark leaving for Pascagoula.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionSeaman Joseph Velez, a Stark crew member, removes ropes as it is readied for departure to Pascagoula, Miss., for repairs in November 1987.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionBernard Martin with his wife, Brenda, after spending the day in a May 1987 memorial service for the 37 killed in the Stark attack. Martin was a former member of the Stark.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionFamily members comfort one another in these photos from the memorial service about a week after 37 were killed after an Iraqi missile struck the Navy ship.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionVisitors aboard the USS Stark in October 1988 chuckle during their open house tour when they are shown by USS Stark Seaman/E6 1st Class Gilberto Berrios, right, how the 445-foot frigate is guided through the water by a 4-inch wheel, Saturday, at Mayport. Guided tours of one of the 33 U.S. Navy ships based at Mayport were offered every weekend. This was the ship's first open house tour for the general public following repairs from the Iraqi missile attack.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionElizabeth Erwin hugs Ed Abrilz at the Stark memorial service May 17, 1988, at Mayport.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionThe 1991 dedication of the Naval Station Memorial Park. The park includes memorials to those killed in the Stark attack as well as Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionThe Stark is docked at Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., Nov. 7, 1987. The ship was to undergo a 10-month restoration after being struck by two Iraqi missiles.Associated Press/Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionFormer Stark sailor Bill McLeod with his Purple Heart. He was on active duty for 18 months and on the day of the attack the seamen spent 11 hours in the water following the explosion with other shipmates. He felt the dollar value the U.S. government asked of the Iraqi government in compensation for the May 17, 1987, attack was unfair. The government was asking for $7,500. Photo taken April 1989.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionFamily members wave good-bye as the Stark leaves port in January 1990, three years after the attack. They are standing on the deck of a British ship that was next to the Stark.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionA sailor aboard the Stark lowers the flag from the stern as the ship pulls away from its dock at Mayport, Jan. 12, 1990. The flag is lowered on the stern and raised above the bridge to signify the ship's return to sea.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionBridgette Packer, Diana Ellis and her daughter 9-year-old Randi Pierce get emotional during the reading of the names on the seventh anniversary of the 37 sailors killed aboard the USS Stark. Packer's good friend Steven Erwin was one of those killed as well as Randy Pierce, Ellis's husband and Randi's father.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionProfile photo of Petty Officer 2nd Class Francis Burke, who had just closed a hatch door on the Stark when an Iraqi missile hit the ship. Image taken May 1988.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionCrew members and their relatives say goodbye before the Stark sails off in November 1987 to head to Mississippi for repairs.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionStark memorial plaque.See all 37 of the crew members killedTimes-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionNancy Ciletta photographed the plaque bearing the name of her husband SN John Anthony (J.A.) Ciletta and the names of the 36 other crewmen who were killed in the missile attack on the USS Stark. Image taken Aug. 1, 1987Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionTwo men embrace before the memorial service for those killed in the USS Stark attack. More than 500 mourners gathered Friday after the May 17 incident at Mayport for an emotion-filled ceremony.Times-Union archivesFlorida Times-UnionReview photos and video of the 2012 memorial serviceFlorida Times-UnionThe USS Stark arrives at Mayport after a six-month deployment as part of a multi-national NATO squadron. This deployment was the frigate's first since the May 17, 1987, attacks. In the photo: Enthusiastic relatives of Seaman Jon G. Newkirk spotted him aboard ship and gave waves before the ship had docked. From left, Mary Kelley (aunt), Clydia "C.M." Kelley (great-aunt), Martha K. Newkirk (mother), Viveca Newkirk (cousin) and Wonnie Shields (aunt). Photo taken on July 11, 1990.Times-Union ArchivesFlorida Times-Union