The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce the April 2019 story of the month has been selected to recognize the service of United States Navy Veterans, Postal Clerk 3rd Class Herbert Williams Jr. and Postal Clerk 3rd Class Donald O. McFarland of X Division who served on the USS Topeka CLG-8. The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program was privileged to interview Postal Clerk 3rd Class Herbert Williams Jr. and Postal Clerk 3rd Class Donald O. McFarland at the USS Topeka CLG-8 reunion at Philadelphia Pennsylvania in the summer of 2018.

In the summer of 2018, the United States Navy Memorial film crew was honored to witness a reunion of two sailors who had not seen each other for over 50 years. The comradery shared by Herbert Williams Jr. and Donald O. McFarland was reignited 50 years after both men parted ways after serving in the mailroom on the USS Topeka CLG-8. At the start of the interview, Herbert Williams Jr. proudly shared, "Today was the first day that we’ve met in 50 years. Don came up to me and told me he had been looking for me for 50 years." Both men beamed with pride recalling the moment they were reunited at their ship reunion.

Both Williams and McFarland shared memories of X Division and working closely together in the USS Topeka Post Office. McFarland recalled, “Willie was always there to help me...everyone always wanted their mail, and everyone wanted it now.” Both men echoed each other when recalling the importance of their job and the impact the mail would have on the morale of the crew of the USS Topeka. Packages of all shapes and sizes as well as letters would arrive with each port visit. Once the mail arrived, the men of X Division would race against time to quickly sort and prepare the mail for distribution.

The inspiring story of Williams and McFarland illustrates a timeless story of sailors who served together at sea and then were reunited 5 decades later on land and picking up where they last left off when they were aboard the USS Topeka.

The United States Navy Memorial honors United States Navy Veteran, Postal Clerk 3rd Class Herbert Williams Jr. and Postal Clerk 3rd Class Donald O. McFarland of X Division who served on the USS Topeka CLG-8, featured within this series titled, Stories of Service, Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial. To learn more about this story and to explore the Navy Memorial archive, visit the Navy Memorial Stories of Service site at https://www.navymemorial.org/stories-of-service.