Thank You for Your Service, JK Petty
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – James K. Petty, or as he likes to be called 'JK,' told 7 NEWS he always heard how great the Navy was. In 1953 at 17-years-old, he said he had his dad sign the papers so he could set out to do what was always in the plans, and that was to join the armed forces.
'And I went in the United States Navy,' Petty shared. 'And my first year I served, I was in Monterey, California.'
Petty started on shore duty where he worked as a firefighter.
'I drove with local crews for structural fire, and I stayed there a year,' Petty explained. 'And then I went aboard the U.S.S. West Wing, which was a steel haul minesweeper, and we went to Japan.'
Petty did that until 1957 when he discharged from the service.
He went on to become a police officer, then he worked as a builder.
That work would eventually put him right back in the Navy working for the 'Seabees.'
'In 1942 in World War II, the Seabees were formed to aid the allied forces as far as building merchant facilities,' said Petty.
The United States Naval Construction Battalion, also known as the 'Seabees' built infrastructure and provided disaster recovery support.
'Any type of construction work, block runways, helicopter pads, that type of thing is what the Seabees was designed to do,' said Petty.
His background in cabinetry made him the perfect fit.
'In the Persian Gulf War we did a lot of work for Saudi Arabia, the country of Saudi Arabia, and we built some helicopter pads inside of Iraq,' said Petty.
As a Builder Senior Chief, Petty had quite the crew and equipment under his belt.
'So in the yard that I was responsible for it was a $5 million dollar inventory,' Petty said. 'So you can you can just can you picture this all of that material.'
Petty said his hard work paid off.
'When I came home, I got a Navy Marine Corps, a commendation medal,' he explained. 'A diploma like thing showing outstanding leadership.'
When not deployed, Petty said the work still continued.
'I did a lot of local building for disabled people that couldn't afford to actually pay to have things done,' said Petty.
He said they'd supply the materials and he'd supply the manpower.
That would continue until Petty retired from the job in 1996 after 22 years of service.
'I did retire from the Seabees, but I really haven't retired yet,' Petty giggled.
As you can imagine, Petty keeps the wheels rolling.
'I got a little shop out here in the back yard so I can fix things, small cabinets,' Petty said. 'Just to have something to do. I don't want to sit down and die you know? And that's what happens.'
When that time does come, Petty said he's content knowing it's been a life well lived, and well served.
'Life has been good. You know?,' Petty said. 'I've had my part of the ups and downs, but there's there's a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing I can get on my knees and pray.'
'JK' Petty, Thank You for Your Service.
To nominate a veteran like 'JK' Petty to be featured in our Thank You for Your Service series, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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