World War II veteran couple married for 7 decades met at NAS Jax, still lives in Jacksonville area

A Jacksonville Beach couple who are both World War II Veterans are happy to spend another Veterans Day together.

Joy and Danny Casino are in their 90s and have been married almost seven decades. Not only do they live in the Jacksonville area, it's also where they first met.

Joy worked for the Bureau of Ships. Danny was a chief storekeeper. They met right after World War II at Naval Air Station Jacksonville.

“He was playing solitaire by himself and I took the cards and said, ‘You can’t do that at work,’” said Joy.

The two got married.

“The next 12 years I had six kids in different ports,” said Joy.

They have been together for almost 70 years. They retired in the city where they met.

PHOTOS: Couple who met at NAS Jax after World War II still living in Jacksonville

“We’ve been living in this house over 50 years,” said Danny.

The Casinos say the military has changed a lot since when they served, like the uniforms.

But some other things have changed too.

“When he went in, the pay was $25 a month, when I went in it was $54,” said Joy.

According to the Florida Department of Veterans website, Florida has the largest population of World War II veterans in the nation with more than 164,000 veterans.

The Casinos' children say they’re proud of their parents and will honor them and the many others who served the country this Veterans Day.

Joy continues to help those in need. When she turned 90, she started sewing dresses for children in orphanages around the world. She’s now 93.

Cox Media Group