Sit down and talk to John Allgire and it’s evident. He is a modest man with sharp wits, a sense of humor and quite a few sea tales to tell.

Now, everyone has the chance to read “Allgire’s Story,” tales of an ordinary sailor who led an extraordinary life.

The book focuses on Allgire’s military life, which began at the age of 18. During most of his career he was a baker in mess service, but he says like many in the Navy, he had to serve a variety of other jobs.

“I’m glad I did it, I got to go all around the world,” he said of his service.

Allgire retired as a chief. But before that retirement he worked on aircraft carriers, cruisers and transports. He served in the South Seas, Caribbean, New York, Iceland, England and was in China when the Japanese invaded. He was stationed in Guadalcanal shortly after it was secured by the Marines.

He’s had close calls, long days at sea, onshore adventures with his sailor buddies and lived to tell about it all.

Not bad for a boy born in a tent house in Depression-era Brawley, Calif.

When Allgire shies away from telling his exploits, Christopher Saxman tells of the grand places the sailor has been. Saxman helped Allgire compile his story and in doing so the two men became good friends.

“John has a memory like you wouldn’t believe,” Saxman said. “He doesn’t just remember what happened, but the exact days it happened and all the people who were there.”

How rich that memory is. Saxman would often have to catch himself from interlacing all of Allgire’s side stories of him and his service buddies.

The duo paired after frequently running into each other while having lunch at Zorba’s Restaurant on Pioneer Way.

One day they struck up a conversation. Allgire said he liked to read. Saxman — an author, architect and artist — passed him a couple novels he wrote. Allgire had been thinking of writing his life story for years. So, he enlisted Saxman.

It only took the duo around six months to compile and write the book. Allgire had much of it right on the tip of his tongue and memory.

“Some stories he told, some he wrote out long hand, some were already written,” Saxman said.

Allgire is “91 years young.” He was first stationed at Whidbey in 1944. There were a few years away, but since then he and his wife, Myrtle, have been Oak Harborites.

He even proposed to Myrtle down on Maylor’s Pier.

The Allgire’s have owned the Casual House on Pioneer Way since 1963 and now the Allgire’s daughter Jill Schacht runs the store.

“We’ve always been fair with our customers and bought well for them,” Allgire said of the store’s longevity.

If not to read the interesting stories, people should purchase the book to give back to one of Allgire’s favorite causes: Oak Harbor. The vet said that 25 percent of his profits will go to Rotary for community projects.

In addition to the rich text, Allgire’s book is filled with photographs both from Allgire’s personal collection and Navy archives.

“I never carried a camera, so any picture I have is by chance,” Allgire said.

Saxman researched at length to find archive photos that directly applied to Allgire, such as a picture of the USS Lexington taken when Allgire himself was on the ship.

There are also letters to his wife, Myrtle, menus from his years heading the mess crews and mementos of Equator crossings.

Allgire admits there’s plenty of war stories and veterans out there, but he said there’s never too many stories to be heard.

“I’ve been to some places that others haven’t, been through some things they haven’t,” he said.