Flyovers, drones to mark San Diego’s 250th birthday celebration of Navy, Marines

Mayor Todd Gloria joined military and civic leaders on the Embarcadero Thursday to preview the upcoming 250th birthday of the Navy and Marine Corps during Fleet Week.

With the towering statue mimicking the famous World War II V-J Day “kissing photo” in the background, Gloria and other public officials paid homage to the military. They also discussed plans by the 250th Navy and Marine Corps Celebration Committee for the Nov. 6 event to be held on Broadway Pier.

Phil Kendro of the Soledad National Veterans Memorial Association, during a Thursday downtown press conference, called it “the largest celebration on the West Coast commemorating the 250th birthday of both the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in conjunction with San Diego Fleet Week.”

Kendro added that the semiquincentennial celebration will be led by veteran organizations in collaboration with community partners and civic leaders.

“It will be showcasing something unique that only San Diego can showcase,” he said. “This once-in-a-lifetime event will feature a powerful lineup including aerial flyovers, a dazzling drone show, a live band, great food and drinks and displays of today’s, and tomorrow’s, military technology.”

Gloria said that “few places in America are as closely connected to the Navy and Marine Corps as San Diego.

“Their presence defines our city’s identity and strengthens our regional economy, and, of course, makes all of us proud each and every single day,” the mayor continued. “We look forward to another great 250 years.”

The United States Navy and Marine Corps, since their founding in 1775, have fought in countless battles and shaped American history. San Diego’s military roots began during the Mexican-American War in 1846, when sailors and Marines from the USS Cyane secured the town and soon after engaged in the Battle of San Pasqual and took a stand at Mule Hill.

The 20th century saw rapid growth with the arrival of the Great White Fleet in 1908, the establishments of Camp Howard by the 4th Marines in 1914, Naval Air Station North Island in 1917 and Naval Station San Diego and Marine Corps Base San Diego (both in 1921), solidifying the region’s strategic importance.

San Diego played a crucial role in WW II as a major staging point for Pacific operations, building warships, training aviators and preparing Marines for combat.

That legacy continued through the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Desert Storm and into the post-9/11 era, with local forces deploying around the globe. Today, San Diego remains the largest concentration of naval power in the world, anchoring missions across the Indo-Pacific and standing as a cornerstone of American defense..