The eleventh annual Fleet Week San Diego, the nation’s largest tribute to the military, returns this fall with a string of events planned in honor of the men and women who have served, and continue to serve, in the United States military.
The monthlong celebration includes a host of events, demonstrations, concerts and ballgames beginning Monday, Sept. 17 and lasting through Sunday, Oct. 28.
Major events include the MCAS Miramar Air Show, the Coronado Speed Festival and the Port of San Diego Sea and Air Parade, said Tom Caughlan, executive director of the Fleet Week foundation.
“[Fleet Week] points to the individual young men and women who wear the cloth of the country and lets the city of San Diego say thanks in a lot of different ways,” Caughlan said.
Although officially beginning in September, the celebrations have already started. Two concert events have hosted a total of about 1,000 active duty military personnel and their guests.
In early July, the Port of San Diego and the San Diego Symphony hosted the annual Fourth of July “Bands and Booms” concert for military families and Viejas Enterprises hosted the Viejas Concert on the Green Thursday, Aug. 30, at the Viejas Casino Outlet Park Center.
But Fleet Week can’t officially begin without a San Diego Padres game to kick off the monthlong series of events.
The Padres ball club has partnered with Bank of America to donate about 3,000 tickets for military personnel and their families, Caughlan said.
The Padres play the Pittsburgh Pirates at Petco Park on Monday, Sept. 17. The following weekend guests can attend the Red Bull Air Races located on the north and south peninsulas of the Embarcadero Marina Park near Seaport Village.
The races feature a slalom-style airplane race around specially designed, 20-meter tall “air gates” made of material that rips easily should an airplane accidentally hit one. Races begin Friday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m., according to the Fleet Week website.
The tribute continues into the weekend of Sept. 29 with a Fleet Week signature event: The Port of San Diego Sea and Air Parade.
Presented this year by the San Diego Union-Tribune, the parade will feature a full display of Navy cruisers, aircraft carriers and guided missile destroyers among a host of other specialty craft including amphibious craft and SEAL support boats.
More than 100,000 guests are expected to attend the parade on Saturday, Sept. 29, from noon to 1:30 p.m. according to the Fleet Week website.
The weekend of Oct. 6 marks the start of another favorite fleet week festivity: The Coronado Speed Festival.
The speed festival features more than 225 historic racecars that will race on a temporary racetrack built for the event on the Naval Air Station, North Island. Some of the vehicles were built more than 50 years ago, according to Larry Blumberg, Fleet Week Foundation board member and speed festival committee chair.
Blumberg has been involved with the event since its inauguration in 1997 and said the speed festival is a favorite among racers who remain passionate about the cars they own and race.
During the races, Navy personnel will stand by to answer questions about displays of Navy aircraft, hover-boats and vintage aircraft near the entrance.
Blumberg said he likes participating in the Coronado Speed Festival and Fleet Week because a percentage of the money generated by ticket sales goes to benefit military members and their families.
Fleet Week honors military members who have “served twice,” according to the foundation mission statement.
The men and women serve once during their military service and the second time as pillars of their community, Blumberg said.
“These are your Little League coaches, your ushers at church, your PTA members,” he said.
Rounding out the last of the featured Fleet Week events is the MCAS Miramar Air Show Friday, Oct. 12, and lasting through Sunday, Oct. 14. It’s the biggest military air show in the world, surpassed only by commercial air shows, Caughlan said.
This year’s show features the aerial acrobatics of the U.S. Air Force’s demonstration squadron, the Thunderbirds, as well as Marine tactical assault demonstrations. The event starts at 8 a.m. daily throughout the weekend.
In addition to the string of big events during the monthlong Fleet Week celebrations, the community will also have a chance to meet servicemen and women at a breakfast and several luncheons in the weeks between events, according to Laura Black, Fleet Week Foundation director of business development.
“It is good for the businesses and communities to meet the military families that are protecting our freedoms and who are very committed to the job they have at hand,” said Black.
According to the Fleet Week website, breakfasts and lunches include the San Diego Rotary Enlisted Recognition Lunch Thursday, Oct. 11, in honor of about 200 military personnel who have distinguished themselves in their service within their commands.
Community leaders will get a chance to meet military leaders at the Fleet Week Foundation Breakfast Wednesday, Oct. 17.
The Veterans Home of California, Chula Vista, and the city of Chula Vista will host the Veterans Home BBQ for invited and veterans home residents Saturday, Oct. 20.
Also, the Fleet Week Foundation along with The Kiwanis Clubs of San Diego will host the Salute to Wounded Warriors luncheon to honor wounded veterans Tuesday, Oct. 23.
Registration for the Salute to Wounded Warriors starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center, 500 Hotel Circle North. Tables for 10 guests cost $1,000 and tables for eight cost $800.
The Fleet Week events end with the third annual Fleet Week Football Classic. San Diego State University faces off against Brigham Young University Saturday, Oct. 27, at Qualcomm Stadium.
Ticket prices are to be determined, however, the Fleet Week Foundation is working with sponsors to allow several thousand active duty personnel for free, Black said.
For details on the Fleet Week events visit www.fleetweeksandiego.org.