While some high school students will spend this summer doing odd jobs or hanging out with friends, Connor Gray, a student at Coronado High School in Coronado will complete an intensive eight-week U.S. Navy Summer Flight Academy aviation program at Delaware State University, achieving his FAA Private Pilot’s license upon completion of the training.

The program takes place from June 9 – Aug. 2.

Gray is one of 28 high-performing 11th and 12th graders throughout the United States selected for the elite program, established in 2021 by the Commander, of Naval Air Forces to increase exposure to Naval Aviation.

The Navy partners with select universities throughout the country to provide flight training to the participating students. The cost of the program is approximately $28,000/student but is offered at zero cost to the student and with no obligations.

On completion of the program, each student earns a private pilot certification/license and five college credits.

The Department of the Navy sponsors the Summer Flight Academy program for students participating in the Navy and Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. The program is a STEM initiative that was selected for funding by the Naval STEM Coordination Office – located at the Office of Naval Research – which oversees investments in STEM education, outreach, and workforce initiatives.

“The goal of the scholarship program is to inspire and expose exceptional young talent from communities across the nation to a career path in Naval Aviation,” said Tamara Graham, deputy director, CNAF Flight Academy program manager. “Connor Gray has demonstrated incredible potential, and the Navy is honored to play a part in his personal and professional journey.”

During the eight-week Summer Flight Academy, he will receive a minimum of 32 hours of classroom aviation academics and more than 40 hours of flight training in either a Vulcanair V.10 single-engine aircraft or Piper Warrior (PA-28). As part of the certification process, Gray will be required to complete 17 hours of solo flights.

Learn more about these opportunities at Navy.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

At Miramar National Cemetery’s 13th annual Memorial Day ceremony, the director of San Diego State University’s Center for War and Society spoke of how he held D-Day troops in awe — citing the Americans’ “superhuman strength” at Omaha Beach.



“I’d seen combat in Iraq, but this seemed near impossible,” said the director, history professor Gregory A. Daddis.


In the audience of 400 were four World War II veterans, three of whom leave Wednesday for Normandy, France — for the 80th anniversary commemoration of D-Day.

The trip is “a form of love,” said 97-year-old Army veteran Andre Chappaz, one of the travelers.

“The people in the surrounding cities (of Normandy), they love us,” he said. He looks forward to relating to the French people.

Joining Chappaz will be Calvin Shiner, a 101-year-old Army Quartermaster Corps veteran, and Max Gurney, a 102-year-old Army veteran.

They will be awarded the French Legion of Honor.

As featured speaker, Daddis linked the fight 80 years ago to free Europe from the Nazis to President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address, known as the “Four Freedoms Speech.” 



But in a departure from traditional Memorial Day remarks, retired Col. Daddis suggested that FDR’s dream of freedom from fear has yet to be realized.



Rather just memorializing the end of WWII and “only venerating those celebrated Americans of the Greatest Generation who are here today, perhaps we should pause and ask how that conflict truly helped fulfill Roosevelt’s dream of a world in which aggression was no longer possible,” Gaddis said.



He asked: Was the United States and the larger world truly free from fear?



“Historical records suggest not so much,” Gaddis said.

• Listen: Retired Army Col. Gregory Daddis speaks at Miramar National Cemetery

He told how Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin seemed only “a new Hitler, with a better mustache.”



“Mustaches aside,” he said, “the fear was real even for the Greatest Generation fresh from winning a war in the name of democracy and freedom.”



He told how Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy by the 1950s gained national attention by “arguing the United States was engaged in a final all-out battle against its atheistic communist foe.”



Daddis, who served in the Army for 25 years and once taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, said McCarthy struck a chord with many Americans.



His “long preamble” served to tee up “a rather uncomfortable proposition” — that Americans have been in a state of perpetual war (including the Cold War) for more than eight decades.



”The number of soldiers needed to fight these wars has certainly varied over time as has our collective interest level,” he said. “But it seems undeniable that our modern definitions of freedom are inherently linked with words like security and defense and military readiness. And yes, war.”



Such a truth should give Americans pause, Daddis said.



“Is it possible that being in a constant state of war inhibits rather than promotes our own freedoms and the freedoms of others?” he asked. “Could it be that war is a deterrent rather than a promoter of liberty and freedom?”



He said these questions “cut to the very heart of our national identity.”



Being in a persistent state of conflict for the eight decades since 1941 “has shaped what it means to be an American,” he said.



He challenged his audience not just to honor the sacrifices of war dead “but to emulate them.”



“It takes courage to fight against fear — and not just abroad but at home,” Daddis said. “It takes courage to turn away from the partisan attacks that divide us [and] instead seek ways to unify us as Americans. 



”It takes courage, dare I say, to think about the resources we spend on maintaining if not enlarging the military-industrial complex and how those resources might be reprioritized for the good of all humanity.”

Greta Hamilton, director of Miramar and Fort Rosecrans national cemeteries, said during Sunday’s ceremony: “The cost of war is incalculable. We can never repay the families who have lost loved ones in defense of this nation.”

Recalling that more than 156,000 Allied troops executed the largest invasion in modern history on D-Day resulting in the deaths of 2,501 American troops, Hamilton said soldiers willingly stepped into harm’s way, knowing that they might not see family members again.

“We have an obligation to remember and honor every one of them,” she said. “D-Day is among the most noteworthy days of sacrifice, overcoming impossible odds, displaying steadfast devotions to a noble cause.”

Julie Duhaut-Bedos, consul general of France, told the veterans: “We will never forget your unwavering courage, which helped forge the deep and solid alliance between the United States and France that endures to this day.”

Veteran Shiner, speaking to Times of San Diego, said of D-Day: “I was so busy running … scared … working and could hardly think. The hardest was getting back alive.

“I prayed many days, many nights.”

About returning to Normandy, Shiner said: “I just can’t tell you how good it makes me feel.”

Veteran Gurney, who in 1942 took part in Operation Torch, a North African prelude to D-Day, said after the ceremony that he hopes for peace in the world.

“I believe in humanity,” he said. “You have to keep the faith.”

Memorial Day began as a way to honor the nation’s Civil War dead. Initially known as Decoration Day and marked in local communities by adorning the graves of the lost with flowers, the tributes went national in 1868.

Over the decades, people began to refer to the commemoration as Memorial Day. After World War I, the day expanded to include honors for all the nation’s war dead. For many years it fell on May 30, but legislation passed in 1968 designated Memorial Day as a national holiday and moved it to its familiar home – the final Monday in May.

San Diego County offers those who want to pay their respects a range of options throughout the region. You may head to the USS Midway Museum all weekend to view the Remembrance Wall or on Saturday go to Miramar National Cemetery where Rotary District 5340 has sponsored 17,000 American flags to be placed on the gravesites of fallen veterans. The event starts at 2:30 p.m.

There are several events on Monday – here’s a selection:

Midway Museum – hosts a 9 a.m. wreath-laying ceremony on the flight deck, followed by musical from the Troy Athens High School Band, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Arizona Band and Bonita Vista High School’s Music Machine until the 3 p.m. National Moment of Remembrance.

North County Cemetery District – hosts two events, one at Oak Hill Memorial Park in Escondido with VFW Post 1513 and Auxiliary, 2540 Glenridge Road, at 9 a.m. and the second, at San Marcos Cemetery, 1021 Mulberry Drive, at 10 a.m.

Veterans Association of North County – holds a 10 a.m. ceremony with a speech by Col. Chuck “Dude” Dudik, chief of staff of Marine Corps Installations West, Camp Pendleton; at the association’s resource center, 1617 Mission Ave in Oceanside.

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery – hosts a public service at 10 a.m.

Coronado Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422 – hosts speakers and a presentation of colors at Star Park, 1030 Park Place, at 10 a.m.

Mira Mesa Senior Center – offers a community remembrance ceremony and flag-raising; 8460 Mira Mesa Blvd. at 10:30 a.m.

Fallbrook Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1924 – hosts a remembrance at the Masonic Cemetery, 1177 Santa Margarita Drive, at 11 a.m., followed by lunch at the VFW post, 1175 Old Stage Road.

American Legion Post 468 – hosts an 11 a.m. remembrance at Julian Pioneer Cemetery, 2948 A St., followed by a potluck at the post, 2503 Washington St.

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church – hosts an 11 a.m. community service in Del Mar featuring Dan Donoghue, CDR, USN, (Ret.); with a Memorial Roll Call, during which names of members of the armed forces who died in active service will be read; 1 Parish Lane.

American Legion San Dieguito Post 416 – hosts 11 a.m. remembrance with food and music by the Dollar Bill Band to follow the ceremony; 210 West F St., Encinitas

Miramar National Cemetery – the 1 p.m. ceremony marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Speakers include Gregory A. Daddis, U.S. Army (Ret.), director of the San Diego State Center of War and Society, and Consul General of France Julie Duhaut-Bedos; 5795 Nobel Drive.

Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial – 2 p.m. ceremony honors Marines killed while serving in Sangin, Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011. The Marines were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, known as “Darkhorse,” based at Camp Pendleton. Keynote Speaker will be Maj. Gen. Jason Morris, director of operations at Headquarters Marine Corps; 6905 La Jolla Scenic Drive South.

The Air Force released a new photo Wednesday of Northrop Grumman’s stealthy B-21 Raider cruising over Southern California during its testing phase.

The flying wing bombers are under construction at a factory in Palmdale and being tested in the skies over Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert.

“It continues to make progress toward becoming the backbone of the U.S. Air Force bomber fleet,” the service said.

Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force, told Congress earlier this month that flight testing is “proceeding well.”

“It is doing what flight test programs are designed to do, which is helping us learn about the unique characteristics of this platform, but in a very, very effective way,” Hunter said.

The Air Forces plans to acquire a minimum of 100 B-21s to replace aging B-52 and B-1 bombers. The first squadron is expected to be operational in the mid 2020s.

The families of four of five Camp Pendleton-based Marines killed in a 2022 Osprey crash filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against manufacturers of the aircraft.

The plaintiffs allege that the companies were aware of mechanical flaws in the vehicle that ultimately contributed to their loved ones’ deaths.

The lawsuit names Boeing, Bell Textron, Rolls Royce Corp. and Rolls-Royce North America as defendants, and argues that the companies failed to correct well-known issues that allegedly caused the June 8, 2022, crash near Glamis.

Killed in the crash were:

• Capt. John J. Sax, 33, from Placer
• Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, from Rockingham, N.H.
• Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, from Winnebago, Ill.
• Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, from Johnson, Wyo.
• Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, from Valencia, N.M.

All but Losapio’s families are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Sax is the son of former Major League ballplayer Steve Sax.

According to the complaint filed in San Diego federal court, the aircraft, dubbed Swift 11, suffered a “hard-clutch engagement” during flight. The mechanical failure “results in severe damage to the drive system components on the affected side.”

The lawsuit also alleges the Osprey’s “interconnect drive system” was known to be flawed and didn’t meet government safety specifications.

A Marine Corps investigation released last year cleared the pilots and crew of wrongdoing, concluding instead that a “dual hard-clutch engagement” caused the crash.

Attorneys representing the families say Osprey accidents have resulted in 62 deaths. That includes 2023 incidents – the deaths of three Marines in Australia and eight U.S. Air Force crewmen in Japan.

They also say six hard clutch engagement incidents have occurred since the June 8, 2022 crash.

“As we approach Memorial Day weekend, we cannot help but think of the families of our service members who have lost their lives, not in combat, but in training exercises here at home,” said attorney Timothy Loranger.

“Too many service members such as the Marines onboard Swift 11 have perished due to the negligence and systemic failures of manufacturers of military aircraft and other equipment. For years Bell-Boeing and others have asserted that this aircraft and all of its systems are safe, yet the facts keep telling a different story.”

– City News Service

The Navy announced Tuesday that RIMPAC 24 — the world’s largest naval exercise — will take place from June 26 to Aug. 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands.

The biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise will be under the command of officers from the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and Chile with a total of 29 nations taking part.

The other countries participating are Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga and the United Kingdom .

A total of 40 surface ships, 3 submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel are expected to join the maneuvers.

The Navy announced that the theme of RIMPAC 2024 is “Partners: Integrated and Prepared” and the goal is to “promote a free and open Indo-Pacific” region.

“Exercise RIMPAC is the premier joint and combined maritime exercise, utilizing and preserving a world-class maritime training environment,” the Navy said. “With inclusivity at its core, RIMPAC fosters multi-national cooperation and trust, leverages interoperability, and achieves respective national objectives to strengthen integrated, prepared, coalition partners.”

The Navy released a dramatic photo of an F/A-18F Super Hornet preparing to launch at night from the San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln.

The nuclear-powered supercarrier was conducting readiness exercises in the Pacific Ocean in the 3rd Fleet area of operations during the past week.

In addition to Super Hornets, the ship carries new F-35C stealth fighters and a variety of other planes and helicopters — up to 90 in all. That’s more than the entire air force of many countries.

The Lincoln is the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, which includes the San Diego-based cruiser USS Mobile Bay and the ships of Destroyer Squadron 21.

The carrier’s last deployment was for seven months ending in the fall of 2022.

The Navy and ship builder Austal USA christened on Saturday the future USS Pierre, the 19th — and last — littoral combat ship destined to be based in San Diego.

Ship sponsor Larissa Thune Hargens, daughter of South Dakota Sen. John Thune, broke a ceremonial bottle of sparkling wine over the bow of the aluminum trimaran before an audience of over four hundred guests at the shipyard in Mobile, AL.

It’s the second ship to be named in honor of the capital city of South Dakota, and the last of the fast, maneuverable Independence-variant warships to be built for the Navy.

“Austal USA has grown from a small commercial shipyard to a large, advanced defense ship manufacturer primarily thanks to the Indy-variant LCS program,” said Austal USA President Michelle Kruger.

“Christening this ship, the last Austal USA-built LCS, makes me a bit nostalgic but I know, for this company and the great team we’ve assembled, the future is bright and limitless,” she said.

The warship is 418 feet long and armed with a main gun, anti-aircraft missiles and machine guns, as well as two helicopters. It’s designed to operate in near-shore environments and can sprint at speeds over 50 mph.

“As we christen the USS Pierre, we also celebrate the extraordinary crews that will sail this ship, employing the capabilities and versatility of the littoral combat ship class, which will continue to play a pivotal role in safeguarding our nation’s interests now and for years to come,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Smith.

Following delivery, the future USS Pierre will join her sister ships homeported at Naval Base San Diego and deploying to Indo-Pacific region.

San Diego County Republican Rep. Darrell Issa is collaborating with a Texas Democrat on legislation to increase American strategic engagement with countries in the Indian Ocean region to counter China.

The Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review Act by Issa and Rep. Joaquin Castro, both of whom serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, would require development of a multi-year strategy and implementation plan for coordinated regional military, diplomatic, and development initiatives.

“As we seek to counter China’s aggression and establish a winning Indo-Pacific strategy, America’s engagement with the Indian Ocean region is critically important to our national interest,” said Issa on Tuesday after introducing the legislation.

“It is a point of intersection of widespread global trade and rapid economic growth, and it warrants a priority position in America’s policy choices,” he said.

Castro noted that the region stretches across three continents and is home to nearly 40% of the world’s population. He said the legislation will “streamline U.S. diplomacy, defense, and development coordination with our allies and partners to build a free, safe, and prosperous future for the Indian Ocean region and the world.”

The bill would require coordination of efforts across the State Department, Defense Department and U.S. Agency for International Development.

Issa represents the 48th District in central and east San Diego County.

The fifth in a series of unusual Navy ships that are effectively floating Marine bases was christened over the weekend at the NASSCO shipyard in Barrio Logan.

The future USS Robert E. Simanek is 785 feet in length, 90,000 tons fully loaded, with a 52,500-square-foot flight deck that can support four helicopters or tiltrotors simultaneously landing and taking off.

The Navy describes the ship as “a versatile and reliable forward-deployed staging platform for Marine Corps airborne mine counter measures, special operations forces, security teams, unmanned systems and other embarking units through all phases of armed conflict.”

The name of the warship honors a Marine Corps hero who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of Bunker Hill in August 1952 during the Korean War.

Simanek’s daughter, Ann Simanek Clark, christened the ship on Saturday by breaking a ceremonial bottle of champagne over the bow.

A sixth vessel in the expeditionary sea base series is under construction at NASSCO.