American Legion Post 316 has long been home to local military veterans seeking camaraderie,now it is also home to some big guns. A pair of 3-inch,.50-caliber fixed ammunition anti-aircraft and surface guns stand imposingly at the entrance of the American Legion at 1127 Atlantic Blvd.,near the Mayport entrance ramp.
Mayport Naval Station offered the defunct weapons, which stood out front of the station Main Administration building and used for ceremonial event. Leon Austin, a member of the American Legion post, wasted little time in arranging their transport from the base to the post. Each gun weighed about 5 tons. "They offered them and we had the space," Austin had said.
Since Austin had used the same type of gun when he was a gun captain when he was on the USS Bisbee in 1952 and 1953, Austin was thrilled to bring them to hiss post. Austin said,"I felt real good about getting them because it creates an interest for the public."
Bobby Sowers, one of Austin buddies at the American Legion Post, knows all about the guns. Sowers, was in the navy from 1951 to 1986. "I think it's great," Sowers had said. "It goes back to when these things were in use and it brings back a lot of memories to people around here. Just about everybody here represents the Navy."
