MILITARY

Saluting the military

Ship tours, patriotic boat parade, STEM days all part of upcoming Fleet Week this fall

By MICHELLE DELANEY

Fleet Week is a Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard tradition where active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of cities across the country for one week. Crews can explore the cities, and civilians can take guided tours of the ship, along with other events designed to showcase the military.

The events for San Diego’s Fleet Week are primarily in November around Veterans

Day. However, the kick-off is Sept. 14 with the Active Duty Golf Tournament at

Sycuan Casino & Resort. The Military and

First Responders Softball Tournament is scheduled in October with16 teams from local Navy, Marine and Coast Guard bases and first responders from around the county. The tournament runs for two weeks leading up to the November Fleet Week events. Also in October is the Boot Camp Challenge, where members of the public can sign up for a 3-mile obstacle run at Marine Corp Recruit Depot in San Diego.

One of the highlights is the Veterans Day boat parade, which welcomes vessels of all sizes. Participants will be awarded prizes for the best decorations. Themes are branches of the military or patriotic.

For those who would rather watch, “the

« Vehicles and vessels will be open during Fleet Week in November.

COURTESY OF FLEET WEEK

COURTESY OF FLEET WEEK Live performances are part of the festivities at the public events by Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego.

parade is visible from both sides of the harbor, allowing San Diego and Coronado residents alike to salute and honor our military,” said Maggie Young, associate executive director who has worked with Fleet Week for more than 25 years.

While Fleet Week has been celebrated in such cities as New York; Norfolk, Virginia; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and San Francisco, the first celebration was in San Diego in 1935. The event was held during the California Pacific International Exposition. At the time, President Franklin Roosevelt was determined to expand the Navy in response to military buildup in Japan and Germany.

In June 1935, 114 warships and 400 military planes arrived in San Diego under the command of Adm. Joseph Reeves, commander in chief of the U.S. Fleet. It was said to be the mightiest fleet ever assembled in the U.S., with more than 3,000 commissioned officers and 55,000 enlisted men. The sailors visited the exposition in Balboa Park, and in turn, thousands of civilians were guests on various ships.

Fleet Week has been held here since, mainly run by local civic organizations such as the chamber of commerce. In the late 1990s, a team of community and business leaders came together with the goal of highlighting regional support for the military through Fleet Week. In 2001, the San Diego Fleet Week Foundation was incorporated as a nonprofit organization.

This year’s public events at Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego are all free of charge and include tours of Navy and Coast Guard ships and the Innovation Zone and Student STEM Days. The boat parade is also free to participants.

The Innovation Zone and Student STEM days showcase San Diego’s high-tech economy, research institutions and the military’s use of that technology. Before COVID-19, STEM Days saw as many as 2,500 students attend Innovation Zone events.

Young sees this event as a way to share little-known local technical advancements.

“So many people do not realize how much technology has developed and progressed here in our own neighborhoods. There is a value in having tech and STEM outreach to our young population,” she said, adding the event is a great way to showcase high-tech military jobs.

As a nonprofit, the San Diego Fleet Week Foundation receives no funding from the military and relies on its sponsors to support the event. Any money not spent on Fleet Week expenses goes to charities that provide support to military families.

For more information, visit fleetweeksandiego.org. ■

Michelle Delaney is a freelance writer.

WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT

coronado365.com