Coronado’s Avenue of Heroes

The Avenue of Heroes Banner program is a military service recognition program sponsored by the City of Coronado.

Introduced in 2014, the program has honored 163 Hometown Heroes. The City funds all the costs for this program and volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association and the Avenue of Heroes Neighborhood Association oversee its operation.

The inspiration for Coronado’s Avenue of Heroes came spontaneously in 2014 with the movement of two Navy SEALs to their final resting place. News spread quickly in Coronado. The local Rotary Club passed out American flags. People lined Fourth Street to honor the fallen service members. As the procession approached the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood for hours at attention, saluting as he waited for the passage of his comrades. At that moment, it was clear that Third and Fourth Streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

The program was launched in May 2015 with 18 banners. Ceremonies are held twice yearly, and heroes have been recognized from the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

~ Virtual Ceremony ~

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City and Avenue of Heroes Committee postponed the first of their twice-annual Hometown Heroes ceremonies of 2020 -- traditionally held in May and November. It was a difficult decision to have to postpone the May event but organizers held out hope that there would be an in-person ceremony come November. With many gathering restrictions still in place, a virtual ceremony was the only way forward.

The virtual ceremony was held Saturday, November 7 from 10:30 a.m. to noon via Zoom. The ceremony will run on Coronado TV for the week following the event or will be archived on the City’s YouTube page.

~ A Family Affair ~

This newest group of honorees all did their service in the Navy. This group includes six officers related to the same Coronado family – the Reynolds-RingStorrs family. The most senior of the group, Captain Ziba Wells Reynolds served during the Spanish-American War and was onboard USS Charleston (C-2). His ship sailed into the harbor at Agana, Guam, and without firing a shot, captured the island. For his actions during the war, Reynolds was awarded the Spanish Campaign Medal and Dewey Medal. While serving as the head of the Navy Pay Office at San Francisco he survived the great earthquake of 1906. His final assignment was as General Inspector of the Pay Corps, where he became extremely ill with pancreatic cancer. He moved his office to the top floor of the Naval Hospital at Constitution Avenue and 23rd Street to be able to continue working; and there he did work until his death in April 1917.

After his death, his widow and three children, Capt. Stewart Shirley Reynolds, U.S. Navy retired, Ruth Reynolds Murray and Eleanor Reynolds Ring Storrs, returned to Coronado. In addition to their three children, their seven grandchildren would all call Coronado home. Eventually 16 great-grandchildren, numerous great-great grandchildren, and even great-great-great grandchildren would also become Coronado residents. The Avenue of Heroes program is a reminder that Coronado has a rich history and legacy of service to country. ~ The Nomination Process ~

The next ceremony is reserved for May 22, 2021 and nominations are accepted on a continuing basis and anyone is encouraged to nominate a deserving veteran – living or deceased. Nominees for banners are past or present residents of Coronado who served or are serving honorably in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces; a resident of Coronado presently resides or previously resided within the city limits, including being stationed at Naval Base Coronado. The honorees or family members receive a keepsake miniature banner, program and lapel pin at the ceremony. Once the avenue banners are retired, they are made available to the honoree or their family as a keepsake, free of charge.

A Coronado resident who initially advocated for the program was Toni McGowan who became a strong proponent of honoring Coronado military members. She tirelessly promoted the creation of a program to regularly recognize local military service members sponsored by the City. That same year, Coronado designated State Route 282, also known as Third and Fourth streets from Orange Avenue to Naval Air Station North Island, as the “Coronado Avenue of Heroes” and granted her wish by adopting a banner program. McGowan worked in conjunction with the Avenue of Heroes Neighborhood Association and other organizations for State Route 282/The Avenue of Heroes to be designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway, paying tribute to the nation’s Armed Forces. The Blue Star Memorial Highway designation was passed by California Assembly Resolution and was effective January 1, 2017. Sadly, McGowan passed away in early 2019, but not before

she saw the program firmly established.

Five Ways You Can Support Veterans, Military Members and their Families on Veterans Day

by Steven Weintraub

Most Americans feel genuine gratitude for veterans and military members who have served or are currently serving our country.

But we can do more to actively support them aside from saying; “Thank you for your service.”

Help Veteran and Military Members Make Lasting Memories with Their Families

When service members return from

deployments, the one thing that they want more than anything is to spend their precious time with the ones that they love the most, whether that means staying at home or taking their family to a fun event. It is not uncommon for veterans

and military families to experience challenges with their finances, which can make attending sporting events, concerts, or family themed entertainment events extremely difficult. For a family of four, ticket prices can easily rise above $200, preventing many military families from these much-needed bonding opportunities.

By donating tickets or funds to the national nonprofit organization, Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix), you can help a currently serving military member or veteran create special memories with their families that will last them a

lifetime. The organization provides tickets for sporting events, concerts, performing arts, and other events to verified members of all branches of the military as well as honorably discharged veterans from all eras of service. With more than eight million tickets distributed by Vet Tix; military members, veterans and their families throughout the nation have been provided with opportunities to strengthen the bonds with their families and friends. Visit VetTix.org to learn more and to make a tax deductible donation.

Care for a Deployed Servicemember’s Best Friend/Support For Service Dogs For Veterans

Many military members who are scheduled to deploy have to leave behind a beloved pet, and not everyone has family who are available or willing to look after those members of the family for an extended period of time. Fortunately, there are a number of nonprofits that foster pets for military personnel while deployed. You can support organizations such as Dogs on Deployment or Guardian

From financial assistance to volunteering with veterans’ service organizations (VSOs), there are many ways across the spectrum of support through which we can show gratitude to our nation’s veterans, military members, and military families.

Angels for Soldier’s Pet. Along with donating, you also have the option to foster a pet. These organizations work hard to match the members of the military who need care for their pets with someone willing to care for them. Several nonprofit organizations train service dogs to assist veterans. Service Dogs 4 Vets is a national network that utilizes rescued and donated

dogs to match the “right dog” with the “right person”.

Help Veterans and Military Spouses with Their Careers

Every member of military families can benefit from your support. You can volunteer to be a career mentor

for discharged veterans and military spouses. Contact the Armed Services YMCA to serve military families in your area. Along with helping with careers, the Armed Services YMCA offers a

program for children in military families called Operation Hero - an after-school program that is designed to help children (ages 6-12) improve their academic performances, as well as their social intelligence.

Learn More About National Nonprofits

There are several reputable nonprofits that serve veterans and military families around the nation. Educating yourself about these nonprofits is a way to show your appreciation for what they do and for those who serve our country. Explore the following list of amazing nonprofits and see what you can do to help by way of volunteering or supporting in other

ways. Blue Star Families strengthens military families through career development, caregiving, and research on military life.

The Semper Fi Fund provides urgently needed resources and lifetime support for wounded, critically ill and injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and

their families.

Disabled American Veterans (DAV) provides a lifetime of support for veterans or all generations and their families in positive, life-changing ways. The National Military Family Association provides spouse scholarships, camps for military kids and retreats for families reconnecting after deployment and for the families of the wounded, ill or injured. Vets4Warriors is a national nonprofit that provides a live, 24/7 peer support network that any veteran, service member, caregiver or family member can contact for confidential conversations and trusted solutions to physical, mental or social challenges before those challenges turn into crises.

Mission Roll Call is a movement that

is providing veterans with a powerful, unified voice that is heard by our nation’s leaders and communities.

On this Veterans Day and beyond, there are countless opportunities for all Americans to serve those who served.

Giving to our service members, veterans, and their families, is a gift of gratitude in which we can all take part.

Steven Weintraub (Col. U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.) is the Chief Strategy Officer at Veteran Tickets Foundation.

Learn more at www.vettix.org and www.1sttix.org.