It has been an amazing spring on Midway. With so much going on, it is hard to know where to start. I am most excited about the opening of our newest exhibit – “Captive Warriors – The Story of the Midway 11.” With this incredible new exhibit, we remember the 11 USS Midway (CV-41)-based aviators who were taken as prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. The exhibit also tells the story of the incredible sacrifices these men made, a few in captivity for more than seven years.
I’m also proud of the fact that we conceived and built this display using the talents and creativity of our own exhibits team. The results are realistic and quite moving. As you may know, we have opened up more spaces on Midway than other museum ships and we just can’t stop.
With that in mind, I am always looking for new ways to tell the stories of the more than 200,000 patriots who served aboard this ship during its 47 years of service.
But what about before that? It occurred to me last year that this ship was built during World War II in only 17 months, and that so many of the shipyard workers were women. After exhaustive research with Newport News Shipbuilding, the company that built Midway, it was determined that 20 percent of their employees at that time were female, and so a new exhibit was born.
In April, we unveiled “Women’s Contribution to the War Effort” – a display honoring the women who helped build Midway and served in the armed forces during World War II. The Midway team led by Mark Berlin and Billy Coleman again created a new and amazing part of Midway.
In March, we welcomed aboard Medal of Honor recipient Royce Williams, for an unforgettable ceremony. There can be no better place to be awarded your medal than the flight deck of an aircraft carrier with your jet sitting right behind you. Royce, a 101-year old veteran and retired Navy captain, is a true professional and well deserving of his long-delayed award.
Navy pier has been a beehive of activity as we move into our third year of construction of Freedom Park at Burnham Navy Pier. We finished the jet grouting which will support the parade ground and installed new bollards to help keep Midway in place.
A new Brow-4 people elevator is on track for completion this summer and we have replaced a large section of water main under the pier. With our partners at the Port of San Diego, the final phase of the park will go out for bid later this year and we anxiously await those cost figures as we continue on our journey to complete the park by Veteran’s Day 2028. Many thanks to our chief engineer, Len Santiago, for keeping this project on track. We want everyone to participate in Freedom Park and you can find information in this edition of “Currents” on how you can leave a legacy at the gateway to our museum.
We are honored to be the recipients of four major awards so far this year. We were recently notified that we received the Golden Muse Award for our innovative Carrier Intelligence Center exhibit that opened last year. We received two community service awards, one from Purple Star Schools in San Diego and one from AMPP Construction Company. We were also honored with the Keith Thurnman Veterans Leadership Award from the San Diego Human Relations Commission for our leadership in coordinating the annual San Diego Veterans Day Parade. We pride ourselves on being a critical part of the fabric of America’s Finest City.
Finally, I have just celebrated my third anniversary as the president and CEO of this iconic museum. The time has absolutely flown by and I have gotten to meet people and participate in events that have enriched my life in so many ways. Our amazing team here manages to keep our enterprise humming with their talent and creativity, and it continues to be my honor to work with them every day. Midway will always be my happy place.
It’s a great day on Midway!
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