Honor Flight San Diego

09/05/2026

Where will you be in 3 weeks from today?

We know where Vietnam Veteran Captain Robert D. White, USN (Ret.) will be - On HIS Honor Flight! Let's welcome CAPT White to HFSD Mission #33 to Washington, D.C.✈️🇺🇸

Captain White’s naval career began when he enlisted in 1960 in San Diego and became an Aviation Electronics Technician maintaining P-2 Neptune trainers. He was selected for the Naval Enlisted Scientific Education Program (NESEP) and earned an Electrical Engineering degree from Purdue University. He was then selected for Officer Candidate School, commissioned and earned his Naval Flight Officer wings.

During the Vietnam War, Captain White deployed for operational missions across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific theaters. He was a Mission Commander and Tactical Coordinator (TACCO) aboard the P-3 Orion with patrol squadrons including VP-16, VP-22, and later in command of VP-17. His duties included Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), surface surveillance, and maritime tracking operations.

His experience extended to the fleet surface line aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-61), where he directed tactical responses from the Combat Information Center as Tactical Action Officer (TAO) and earned his qualification as a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO). His 35-year military career culminated as Commanding Officer of Naval Air Facility Misawa, Japan, and Operations Officer at Naval Base Seattle.

Post-military, and for more than two decades, he served on the board and as President of the Veterans Home Foundation. There, he championed resident welfare, community initiatives, and quality-of-life programs for elderly and disabled veterans at the Chula Vista Veterans Home. His advocacy earned him widespread civic recognition, being honored as both the City of Chula Vista Veteran of the Year and the San Diego County Veteran of the Year in 2007.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND WELCOME HOME, CAPTAIN WHITE! 🇺🇸

You can welcome him and 90 other Veterans home on Sunday, Spet. 27th at San Diego International Airport, Terminal 2 Baggage Claim. We arrive at 1:15 pm, but you'll want to be there by Noon in case we catch a tailwind!

08/27/2026

Looking forward to Friday night football at Del Norte High School. Please join us as the Varsity Football Team "Nighthawks" take on the Saint Augustine "Saints" for their Military Appreciation Night! 🏈

The game is being played at "The Nest" stadium (16601 Nighthawk Lane in San Diego) and is open to the public. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m., with an airshow and military festivities starting at 6:20 p.m.

Big thank you to the Del Norte Football Touchdown Club for organizing this fundraiser as proceeds from the game will help us get our local Veterans on their flight at no charge to them. 🇺🇸

Our Honor Flight San Diego team will be there with outreach and merchandise tables, and to cheer on the players!

08/24/2026

Did you get your FREE tickets for tomorrow? RSVP link is below to join us at the Coronado Public Library for a special documentary screening. It starts at 11 a.m. and several of our beloved WWII Veterans will be there.

The film is titled: America at 250 - Through the Eyes of Our Heroes, produced by WWII Heroes Foundation.

The film shares the story of our nation's history through the eyes of our WWII veterans. Featuring several Coronado and San Diego veterans, it's a film that shares their collective message to the next generation “The dream is yours now. Keep it.” The screening will be followed by a discussion with producer and director, Doug Stebleton, as well a Q&A with the local WWII veterans who lent their voices to the film. 🇺🇸

Due to limited seating, registration is strongly recommended for this event.

To RSVP, click on:
https://coronado.librarycalendar.com/event/hold-jl-48316

We hope to see you there!

08/22/2026

We could not keep Honor Flight San Diego going without amazing volunteers. Just two ago we hosted our Annual Spirit of `45 and HFSD Reunion. We had 50 volunteers who did it all - planning the event, set up, a/v support, clean up, table decorations, check in, merchandise table, parking lot assistance, wheelchairs, lunch delivery to your table, and so much more. Two of those volunteers were the photographers who captured the day in some incredible photos.

Here's just a few pics from Johan Hutauruk and Ron Manahan.

To see all their photos, go to: https://hfsd.zenfolio.com/

They are free to download and If you choose to have them printed and mailed to you, we receive a donation for your purchase price.

Thank you to all our volunteers that day and every day you support Honor Flight San Diego and our Veterans! 🇺🇸

08/18/2026

Just one week away!

Please join us (and several of our local WWII Veterans) for a special screening of America at 250: Through the Eyes of Our Heroes, produced by WWII Heroes Foundation.

The film shares the story of our nation's history through the eyes of our WWII veterans. Featuring several Coronado and San Diego veterans, it's a film that shares their collective message to the next generation “The dream is yours now. Keep it.” The screening will be followed by a discussion with producer and director, Doug Stebleton, as well a Q&A with the local WWII veterans who lent their voices to the film. 🇺🇸

It will be shown at the Coronado Public Library On Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 11 a.m. Due to limited seating, registration is strongly recommended for this event.

To RSVP, click on:
https://coronado.librarycalendar.com/event/hold-jl-48316

We hope to see you there!

08/08/2026

Tomorrow is the nationally-recognized Spirit of `45 Day. It is the 81st Anniversary of the End of WWII and we are so honored to host the local Spirit of `45 event for the 6th year.

Our planning and preparations are complete and we are ready.

The only question is, "Where were you on August 14, 1945, when President Truman announced that WWII had ended?" 🇺🇸

These Veterans know...
https://youtu.be/OIB8JYei6ZQ

Thank you to Call-To-Service and filmmaker CJ Machado who put this together for the 80th anniversary.

Keep the Spirit of '45 ALIVE!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

08/06/2026

"Can you picture it?" Can you envision the red, white, and blue decorated tables, and the room filled with laughs, hugs, and camaraderie?

It is one of our favorite days of the year - When we get to celebrate the Spirit of `45! This year is the 81st Anniversary of the End of WWII and when President Truman announced, "The War is Over!"

In less than 72 hours, we'll be welcoming 550 guests at our event. Our event celebrates our Greatest Generation and is a Honor Flight San Diego Reunion for the Veterans who have traveled with us. 🇺🇸

We thank the San Diego Air & Space Museum for hosting us again this year at their iconic museum. This event would not be possible without generous community donors; we thank Sycuan Casino Resort for helping to sponsor this event.

Tune in tonight in to 10News – ABC San Diego KGTV for the 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. news shows as Dani Miskell shares more about the event.

08/05/2026

Happy 236th Birthday to the United States Coast Guard!

Here's a few fun facts about the USCG:
1. It was founded on August 4, 1790, when Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton asked Congress to build ten cutter ships to stop smuggling and collect taxes. He is considered the Founding Father of the Coast Guard and had 6 USCG ships named for him.

2. The USCG has been part of the Revenue-Marine Service, renamed to Revenue Cutter Service, combined with the Lighthouse Service, was part of the Treasury Department, Transportation Department and is now under Dept of Homeland Security.

3. Since its inception, the USCG (and prior names) were part of major war and conflict in US history. It is still the oldest continuous seagoing service.

4. Civilian women served in the 1800s as Lighthouse Keepers and the first woman to enlist was in 1918. During WWII, nearly 13,000 women served in the Women's Reserve and we called SPARs - Semper Paratus Always Ready.

5. Famous Coasties included Pulitzer Prize Winner Alex Haley, Arnold Palmer, Cesar Romero, Emlen Tunnel, Jack Dempsey, Jeff and Beau Bridges, Ted Turner, Walter Cronkite, and so many more.

6. The Coast Guard has one Medal of Honor Recipient - Signalman First Class Douglas Munro. As he commanded a group of Higgins boats at the Battle of Guadalcanal, Munro coordinated the evacuation of more than 500 Marines who came under heavy fire, using his boat as a shield to draw fire. During the evacuation, he was fatally wounded, but his last words were, “Did they get off?”

7. The Coast Guard motto is “Semper Paratus” and core values are honor, respect and devotion to duty.

Here's some of the Coast Guard Veterans we have taken on their Honor Flight, and dedicated Coast Guard volunteers who have been guardians and so much! We are so very excited that WWII USCG SPAR Ena Slaughter will be joining us on the September flight at 101 years old!

Semper Paratus Coasties! 🇺🇸

Please post a photo of your favorite Coastie!

07/31/2026

If you have been receiving our monthly newsletter, you may have seen a post about an awesome fundraiser being held by Del Norte Football Touchdown Club on Friday, August 28th.

If you are a military veteran, active duty, or first responder, you can be honored at their Military Night Football game. Participants who register for the event as an honoree will receive a special football jersey that will have been worn by the varsity football players and presented to the veteran after the game in a ceremony. You can also submit a veteran who is deceased and the family can receive the jersey on the field.

For more information, go to: https://www.dnfootball.com/home

Please share this info with your networks.

You can also sponsor a jersey for a veteran. Proceeds from this event will be donated to Honor Flight San Diego so that more military veterans can go on their Honor Flight. 🇺🇸

07/27/2026

Do you think you have what it takes to win a chili cook-off? If so, then enter your best batch for the competition THIS Saturday! 🥇

Don't make chili and like to eat chili, than come on out! The event os open to the public and proceeds are donated to Honor Flight San Diego to get more Veterans on their Honor Flight!

Please join at the Fleet Reserve Association Branch in Imperial Beach and please share this post with your networks!

May the best chili maker win!🏆