It's been more than 75 years since Dunedin resident Joseph Hall wore a Navy uniform, but he's never forgotten the pride and sense of camaraderie he felt when he donned those dress blues the first time.
Just 17 years old when he enlisted in 1941, Hall developed a close friendship with the Navy buddies he spent three years sailing with, and he never forgot the vow they made to be buried in their Navy uniforms.
At the age of 97, Hall has outlived all his buddies. Nevertheless, he was determined to honor the promise made all those years ago. There was just one problem. His Navy uniform no longer fit him and, over the years, the wool uniform had begun to fray.
Seamstress Susan Williams of Tarpon Springs was working in the back room of Causeway Alterations on Bayshore Boulevard in Dunedin in January when Hall walked in and explained his dilemma to the shop's owner. Overhearing the conversation, Williams recalled the Navy uniform her father wore in the Korean War. She popped her head out of the back room and asked Hall, "Dress blue or white?"
"I was kind of surprised that she knew the difference," Hall said.
A retired prosecuting attorney from Pennsylvania, Williams has enjoyed sewing all her life.
"I'm not a professional seamstress, but I've been sewing for 46 years," she said. She began working at Causeway Alterations in December "just to keep busy."
Williams said she couldn't resist taking on Hall's challenge to duplicate the uniform he'd worn as a teenager. She was determined to recreate as authentic a World War II Navy uniform as possible.
However, the task proved more difficult than she imagined.
"I had a hard time finding the right navy blue for the uniform," said Williams who finally found the perfect material at a fabric shop in Sarasota.
Unlike the original wood and silk uniform, the fabric she found was a polyester and satin blend, but it was nearly identical to Hall's old uniform.
With no sewing pattern to go by, Williams studied websites featuring uniforms to make sure all the details of Hall's new uniform were historically correct. She even watched Youtube videos to learn hand embroidery techniques so she could mimic those on the original uniform.
"I made the pattern based on looking at his original uniform," she said. "I tried to make it exactly like the original, as much as I could."
During the month that she worked on the uniform, Williams said she'd often meet with Hall for breakfast, and the two quickly became friends.
Hall said he'll never forget the day in February when he visited the alterations shop and tried on the finished uniform for the first time.
"It brought back so many memories," he said. "She did a wonderful job."
Williams sent Hall off with his new uniform and the promise that he won't be buried in it any time soon.
The story of the efforts Williams made to help Hall fulfill his vow to his shipmates spread throughout Dunedin and beyond. As the widower approached his 97th birthday in March and lamented the fact that he no longer had any Navy buddies to spend the day with, the community stepped forward to help Hall celebrate his birthday at his condominium community, Mediterranean Manors.
On Friday, Mission United of United Way Suncoast, a network of services for active military members and veterans, hosted a birthday party for Hall. Wearing his new dress blues, Hall couldn't hold back his tears of gratitude as he was greeted by more than 60 neighbors and members of his church.
As an added surprise, members of the United States Marine Forces Central Command from MacDill Air Force Base showed up and presented Hall with a Command Coin, a medallion embossed with the branch of service given to military members as a mark of their allegiance.
Hall also received more than 100 cards and letters from strangers wishing him well.
Hall said his only regret was his Navy buddies were no longer around to share the day with him."
Just 17 years old when he enlisted in 1941, Hall developed a close friendship with the Navy buddies he spent three years sailing with, and he never forgot the vow they made to be buried in their Navy uniforms.
At the age of 97, Hall has outlived all his buddies. Nevertheless, he was determined to honor the promise made all those years ago. There was just one problem. His Navy uniform no longer fit him and, over the years, the wool uniform had begun to fray.
Seamstress Susan Williams of Tarpon Springs was working in the back room of Causeway Alterations on Bayshore Boulevard in Dunedin in January when Hall walked in and explained his dilemma to the shop's owner. Overhearing the conversation, Williams recalled the Navy uniform her father wore in the Korean War. She popped her head out of the back room and asked Hall, "Dress blue or white?"
"I was kind of surprised that she knew the difference," Hall said.
A retired prosecuting attorney from Pennsylvania, Williams has enjoyed sewing all her life.
"I'm not a professional seamstress, but I've been sewing for 46 years," she said. She began working at Causeway Alterations in December "just to keep busy."
Williams said she couldn't resist taking on Hall's challenge to duplicate the uniform he'd worn as a teenager. She was determined to recreate as authentic a World War II Navy uniform as possible.
However, the task proved more difficult than she imagined.
"I had a hard time finding the right navy blue for the uniform," said Williams who finally found the perfect material at a fabric shop in Sarasota.
Unlike the original wood and silk uniform, the fabric she found was a polyester and satin blend, but it was nearly identical to Hall's old uniform.
With no sewing pattern to go by, Williams studied websites featuring uniforms to make sure all the details of Hall's new uniform were historically correct. She even watched Youtube videos to learn hand embroidery techniques so she could mimic those on the original uniform.
"I made the pattern based on looking at his original uniform," she said. "I tried to make it exactly like the original, as much as I could."
During the month that she worked on the uniform, Williams said she'd often meet with Hall for breakfast, and the two quickly became friends.
Hall said he'll never forget the day in February when he visited the alterations shop and tried on the finished uniform for the first time.
"It brought back so many memories," he said. "She did a wonderful job."
Williams sent Hall off with his new uniform and the promise that he won't be buried in it any time soon.
The story of the efforts Williams made to help Hall fulfill his vow to his shipmates spread throughout Dunedin and beyond. As the widower approached his 97th birthday in March and lamented the fact that he no longer had any Navy buddies to spend the day with, the community stepped forward to help Hall celebrate his birthday at his condominium community, Mediterranean Manors.
On Friday, Mission United of United Way Suncoast, a network of services for active military members and veterans, hosted a birthday party for Hall. Wearing his new dress blues, Hall couldn't hold back his tears of gratitude as he was greeted by more than 60 neighbors and members of his church.
As an added surprise, members of the United States Marine Forces Central Command from MacDill Air Force Base showed up and presented Hall with a Command Coin, a medallion embossed with the branch of service given to military members as a mark of their allegiance.
Hall also received more than 100 cards and letters from strangers wishing him well.
Hall said his only regret was his Navy buddies were no longer around to share the day with him."