Tag: military

Women of the Armed Forces exhibition at Bonita Museum.

An excellent exhibition opened in July at the Bonita Museum. Strength of Service: Women of the Armed Forces celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America by highlighting voices of local women who’ve served their country.

As the exhibition webpage explains, visitors can enjoy a unique look at local Military Women, history, personal stories, and inspiring artistic tributes.

A variety of military uniforms worn by local heroes stand at the center of the museum gallery. They bring home the fact that real people actually wore those uniforms and sacrificed to protect freedoms that we enjoy.

The walls surrounding the uniforms feature military honors, articles, personal memories, emotionally moving works of art, historical flags, and posted thank you notes penned by grateful visitors.

Two of the gallery walls contain a long, detailed timeline, covering the Revolutionary War to the present. Words, illustrations and photographs recall many ways women have served our nation over the course of its history.

If you’re in the neighborhood, I recommend a visit to the free Bonita Museum before this exhibition wraps up on August 29, 2026.

(I hadn’t visited the museum in a very long time and was excited to find new public art outside. I’ll be blogging about that shortly!)

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Lady Liberty drywall screw art and Memorial Day.

This big, incredible work of drywall screw art depicting the Statue of Liberty is on display today and part of tomorrow in the hangar deck of the USS Midway Museum. It’s titled Lady Liberty.

Lady Liberty is a work in progress, created by veteran Joe Pisano. It honors all those who’ve served in the United States Armed Forces.

Perhaps you’ve seen other examples of his unique, patriotic drywall screw art here and here.

Lady Liberty will be completed and standing tall at the coming Memorial Day ceremony on Mount Soledad, then will make its way to the San Diego County Fair where it will be displayed in an exhibition hall.

What you see in my photographs is the completed top half. The many drywall screws are installed by hand into the underlying wood, often by people visiting the work of art. Many who participate are veterans.

When completed, dog tags representing those who’ve sacrificed will be mounted near the base of Lady Liberty.

Medal of Honor hero Royce Williams is recognized in a special way. His dog tag is installed next to Lady Liberty’s torch!

A time capsule will also be installed in the work of art, to be opened on July 4, 2076, our nation’s 300th birthday. You are invited to write a letter to be enclosed in the time capsule. Read what’s in my final photograph for details!

A visit to Navy SEAL Museum San Diego.

Navy SEAL Museum San Diego opened late last year, but I visited it for the first time a couple weeks ago. What was it like?

The museum at 1001 Kettner Boulevard occupies a very small section of downtown’s America Plaza, right next to the trolley station. It serves as the West Coast wing of the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Florida.

Even though the museum space is somewhat limited (there are plans to move to a location closer to San Diego’s waterfront with much more square footage), I was truly impressed by the depth and extent of its displays–particularly those on the second floor.

One begins on the first floor walking past biographical tributes to notable Navy SEALs, a room showing fascinating videos, and a digital Memorial Wall. There is also a display concerning the work of the SEALs with NASA, helping to recover space capsules and astronauts that returned to Earth.

Once you step out of the elevator on the second floor, the displays become really impressive. Words, photographs and artifacts show how the Navy SEALs operated in different eras, from their origin during World War II scoping out invasion beaches, to Korea, Vietnam and the War on Terror. Visitors can see how the SEALs operate on and under the water (two submersibles hang from the ceiling), the sort of equipment they’ve used over the years, how they’ve rescued hostages, and how they took out Osama bin Laden.

There’s so much to read about and experience, one could spend a good hour slowly moving through the museum, absorbing every detail. You can purchase a virtual reality experience, too, that allows you to carry out a short mission!

When visitors return downstairs, there’s a very extensive gift shop. And, of course, there’s the frogman statue to check out just outside the entrance, next to the America Plaza trolley station. (I took photographs of the statue being erected last year. See those here.)

If the history of the United States Navy SEALs or military matters interest you, this is an absolutely must see. The curtain is pulled back a bit on the secretive elite maritime force, whose premier training ground and primary home base is across San Diego Bay in Coronado!

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Memorial Day ceremony in National City.

A public Memorial Day ceremony will be held next Monday in National City at La Vista Memorial Park.

The family-friendly event welcomes everybody. It will remember and honor U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

There will be a rifle salute and flyover, and special Civil War honors. Those attending will enjoy live music and a free picnic lunch. Kids will enjoy a petting zoo.

I experienced Memorial Day at La Vista Memorial Park three years ago. You can see how special and emotionally moving it was from this past blog post.

The event will take place at 3191 Orange Street in National City on Monday, May 25th, between 1 and 3 pm.

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Veteran Sailing supports vets with free sailing events!

I met Brian Forristal today. (That’s him on the right.) He is the founder of Veteran Sailing, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to empowering and supporting veterans and service members by hosting no-cost sailing events that facilitate mindfulness and connection to nature, strengthen camaraderie and teamwork, and ignite a lifelong passion for the sea and sailing where adventure awaits.

Where did I meet Brian and his smiling sailing comrades? On the tall ship Bill of Rights during today’s America’s Schooner Cup Race off the coast of San Diego! (Photos of the fantastic race coming up tomorrow!)

The Veteran Sailing website is full of information. They offer a therapeutic Discovery Sail for veterans out on the water. Soon they’ll offer mission-oriented sailing, multi-day excursions, sailing retreats, community events like bonfires and barbecues, and our own sailing school.

Let your veteran friends know this great organization exists! Or perhaps help Veteran Sailing out with a nice donation!

Thank you all for your service!

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Checking out Top Secret exhibit on USS Midway!

Top Secret: Inside the High-Stakes World of Naval Intelligence is a fantastic exhibit that opened on the USS Midway Museum last year. I finally checked it out a few days ago.

The exhibit takes visitors through the Carrier Intelligence Center, which is contained in a surprisingly large area (1,500 square feet) under the USS Midway aircraft carrier’s flight deck, spanning its entire width. During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the Carrier Intelligence Center served as the nerve center for intelligence gathering and analysis, mission planning, and strategic decision-making.

Today visitors can enjoy interactive displays that demonstrate how, years ago, in a less technologically advanced era, naval intelligence was gathered and analyzed, to aid combat operations, search and rescue, and humanitarian missions.

Walking through the exhibit, I observed how Intelligence Specialists worked like detectives. It was interesting to see how analog instruments were used to analyze gathered information. Imagine my surprise seeing an old-fashioned slide rule, which was used to calculate the size of structures in photos taken from a great distance! Some of the original, restored equipment includes teletypes and radio receivers.

I learned that specialists who gathered, analyzed and acted upon critical information included Air Intelligence Officers, Aerographer’s Mates, Photographers Mates, Cryptologic Technicians, Squadron Aviation Intelligence Officers… In combat, when every moment might mean life or death, everyone must work quickly and efficiently as a team to achieve success.

Top Secret: Inside the High-Stakes World of Naval Intelligence is so amazing it earned the MUSE Gold Award in the Experiential and Immersive Exhibition category!

If all this sounds interesting to you, head over the USS Midway Museum in downtown San Diego and check it out!

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Nine million women honored on USS Midway.

An exhibit on the hangar deck of the USS Midway Museum honors the approximately 9 million women who stepped forward to meet the nation’s needs during World War II.

Women contributed by serving in the United States military services, and by building the ships, aircraft, ammunition and other equipment necessary to fight the war.

There’s special emphasis on how women helped to build seaplanes and bombers at San Diego’s Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, and how women helped to construct the enormous USS Midway aircraft carrier.

Did you know that by 1945 women made up as much as 40% of the workforce in the nation’s aircraft factories? That was true as well at Consolidated Aircraft.

Did you know that more than 1000 women, working as welders, electricians, machine operators, pipefitters, mechanics and painters helped to construct the USS Midway in just 18 months?

Rosie the Riveter and Wanda the Welder were instrumental in the eventual victory of the Allies!

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Skateworld’s historical World War II building.

Skateworld, with a few other small businesses in Linda Vista, occupies a historically important building that was designed to be the center of community life during World War II.

The Linda Vista Tenant Activity Building was dedicated on December 26, 1943 and stood at the center of the federally constructed Linda Vista Housing Project. The project provided 3001 dwelling units for aircraft and shipyard defense workers in San Diego during the war.

A historical plaque a short distance up Linda Vista Road provides more information about the government housing project. See past photographs of that plaque here.

The Tenant Activity Building was designed like a field house or drill hall and served as a hub for social events, clubs, and all-ages activities. It would later be considered for historic designation due to its role in supporting war-effort morale and its unique architecture.

You can read the 2011 Historical Resource Analysis (Technical) Report on the City of San Diego website by clicking here. The report contains a great deal of additional information, including photographs.

Here’s a circa 1952 aerial view of the Linda Vista House Project and its Tenant Activity Building from the report. The center of the building with its high barrel roof today provides a perfect, roomy space for roller skaters at Skateworld.

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A close look at Liberty Station’s Gate One.

Perhaps you’ve driven through Gate One while arriving at or departing from Liberty Station. It’s the old Navy base entrance at the northeast end of Liberty Station, where Lytton Street and Barnett Avenue meet.

You might have noticed plaques on the two old guard buildings.

Curiosity getting the best of me, the last time I was in the neighborhood I walked around both historical buildings for a closer look.

Gate One was the main entrance to Naval Training Center San Diego, and the grassy area with an anchor behind it is Sellers Plaza. As this webpage explains: Named for the base’s first commander, Sellers Plaza serves as the Naval Training Center’s front door.

You can see Gate One in the center of this postcard:

Image courtesy Libery Station.

Here are photographs I recently took in front of Gate One…

Identical plaques are mounted to the front of both buildings near the arch. The steel arch was added in 1932.

I’m now standing by Building 20. There across the road is Building 21.

The plaques summarize the history of the San Diego Naval Training Station, which opened in 1923 and was finally decommissioned in 1997. Over 1.75 million sailor recruits would receive training here.

Now I’ve walked behind Building 20…

A plaque by the door to Building 20 identifies it as Gatehouse #1, constructed 1923.

Dodging a car or two, I’m now behind Building 21…

The rear of both buildings feature these beautiful tile fountains.

A plaque by the door of Building 21 identifies it as the Pass/Decal Office, constructed 1922.

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Yellow Ribbon Fund helps disabled Veterans.

Have you heard of the Yellow Ribbon Fund? I hadn’t, until I met some friendly people in Escondido during todays’ Veterans Day Parade.

The Yellow Ribbon Fund, as the above sign indicates, provides free events and programs to eligible disabled post-9/11 veterans and their families. I had to check out their website, which you can also do by clicking here.

I learned the organization enhances the lives of military families facing medical crisis.

As they explain: Yellow Ribbon Fund was one of the first veteran service organizations to recognize the importance of keeping the family together during the critical recuperation phase. Through the creation of our key programs: Crossroads and Keystone, we are able to make an impact on veterans and their families nationwide.

If you’d like to help these good people out, go to their website and explore the possibilities!

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