Air Force Appreciation Night at Petco Park with the San Diego Padres

On the night of September 8, 2010 the San Diego Padres and USAA sponsored a celebration of the Air Force at Petco Park in San Diego.  Over 30 local members with families from the San Diego Chapter of the Air Force Association attended with free tickets provided by the Padres and USAA.


The recognition of the Air Force is part of the Padres military celebration series during the season where they recognize and sponsor tickets for military families so they can come and enjoy the game.  Air Force Appreciation Night began with a swearing in of new cadets to AFROTC Detachment 75 from San Diego State University.  The swearing in was followed by a K-9 demonstration from the team at Luke AFB.  The Padres graciously paid for the travel and hotel expenses of our personnel from Luke so they could attend the game and provide the demo to the crowd who appreciated the training and capabilities of the working dog with his partner, Sergeant Justin Kitts.

Cadets from Det 75 then sang the national anthem with a stirring rendition of the national anthem followed with great timing by a low flying C-17 from the reserve squadron at March AFB, California.  The flyover was an awesome demonstration of the size and flight capabilities our our primary airlift aircraft.

The first pitch was thrown by the Det 75 Commander, Colonel Martin Wojtysiak who threw a nice ball (or was it a strike?) to home plate.

We all had a great time and wish to thank the Padres and USAA for a wonderful night out.  It was a great chance for us to gather and share experiences while watching a great ball game which the Padres won 4-0 against our arch rival LA Dodgers.

Hope we can do this again next year and that more of you will be able to join us!


For more photos of our time at Petco Park, visit our photo gallery by clicking here.

Helldiver Recovery

A World War II relic was recently recovered from Otay Lake on 20 August 2010.  The Helldiver crash landed in the lake on May 28, 1945 over 65 years on the muddy bottom of the lake.

Gene Alfaro of San Diego's Chapter 118 was there to witness the raising of the Helldiver and was gracious enough to share his photographs with us.  You can view them in our gallery here.

He also provided a movie of the raising.  Thanks Gene for covering this historical event.

Local news coverage via signonsandiego.com

Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum and Historical Foundation Golf Tournament

Here is an opportunity to play golf and support a worthy cause.  Monday, 20 September, at the Del Mar Country Club, in support of the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum and Historical Foundation at Miramar.  If you are not available, perhaps you know others that are.

Click on the link below below for more information and to register.

http://www.flyingleathernecks.org/events-2010flightweek.html

Air Force Birthday BBQ at Veterans Home of California, Chula Vista

Lunch at BBQ in 2009

The Chapter will be hosting residents of the Veterans Home of California, Chula Vista to a BBQ lunch on Saturday 25 September to celebrate the Air Force's Birthday.  The lunch will start at 11am.

The address for the Vets Home is 700 East Naples Court, Chula Vista, CA 91911.

This is a not to be missed opportunity to come out and thank our Vets for their service.  We'll be joined by members of the Air Force Sergeant's Association and cadets from Det 75 at San Diego State University.

We hope you can join us.  The lunch is free for AFA members and guests.