For more than two and a half centuries, even before the formal signing of the Declaration of Independence, American patriots have been fighting for and, unfortunately, paying the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. The battles of Lexington and Concord, where the first shots of the War of Independence were volleyed, took place more than a year before the Continental Congress officially severed political ties with Great Britain’s monarchy and announced to the world that they were forming a new and independent nation.
Since 1775, it’s estimated that more than 1.2 million Americans have laid down their lives for the United States, defending freedom and democracy both at home and around the world.
Annually, on Memorial Day, the USS Midway Museum pays tribute to the men and women who have perished in the line of duty with a solemn ceremony on the flight deck.
“For more than 20 years, this ceremony has been a very important tradition on Midway where we salute all those who have given their lives wearing the uniform of our nation,” said David Koontz, Midway’s marketing director and emcee for the ceremony. “Not only are we extraordinarily in the debt of these heroes, but we also honor them by ensuring that the freedoms all Americans enjoy today are never taken for granted.”
Memorial Day takes on a greater importance in San Diego as it’s home to the largest Navy and Marine Corps complex in the world.
“San Diego’s connection to military service and sacrifice runs deep,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria during the ceremony’s opening remarks. “Memorial Day asks us to remember those who ran toward danger when others needed them most, and it reminds us that kind of courage still lives among us today.”
While the ceremony on Midway, as it does every year, honors all who have sacrificed for their country, 2026 had a unique focus. This year’s commemoration was a special tribute to Operation Desert Storm veterans on the 35th anniversary of the U.S.-led coalition that liberated Kuwait in 1991.
“During Operation Desert Storm, tens of thousands of San Diego-based sailors and Marines deployed from our region’s naval and Marine installations,” said Mayor Gloria. “The success of that mission depended heavily on Navy and Marine forces based right here in San Diego.”
The Gulf War, as it was also known, was the battle to liberate Kuwait after it was invaded, unprovoked, by Iraq in 1990. After exhausting all diplomatic efforts over several months, the U.S.-led coalition of 35 nations not only decisively expelled the invading forces from Kuwait during the 43-day conflict, but also virtually decimated the Iraqi military machine.
The ceremony’s keynote speaker was Midway’s president and CEO, Terry Kraft. Terry was a naval aviator with Attack Squadron 115 (VA-115) and flew 40 combat missions over Iraq from the USS Midway (CV-41). Midway was the flagship for all naval aviation operations flown from the Persian Gulf during the war.
“We faced a formidable fighting force featuring a huge, entrenched land army, modern fighter aircraft and a sophisticated air defense,” remembered Terry, who was a bomber/navigator in the A-6E Intruder attack aircraft. “The A-6 was designed for night or bad weather attack missions. Our job on nights one and two was to fly against a heavily defended airfield in southern Iraq.”
Operation Desert Storm was consider by many military historians as the largest and most concentrated air campaign in U.S. history.
“We were told by the intelligence officers before the first night’s missions that they expected one third of us not to return, which got our attention,” said Terry, who is celebrating his third year as Midway’s CEO. “The first two nights were the worst as we were shot at extensively. The first night, we were at low altitude and shot at by anti-aircraft fire. The second night, flying at high altitude, we were targeted by surface-to-air missiles. However, as each night went by, we got better and the enemy got worse.”
During the conflict, Midway’s airwing flew 3,339 combat missions without losing a single aircraft. Sadly, however, nearly 800 U.S. military personnel were killed or wounded during the war.
“On Midway, we have small memorials everywhere to those who did not come back,” said Terry. “I promise that here we will never forget them, their service or their families.”
The ceremony, attended by nearly 500 military veterans and members of the San Diego community, included a wreath laying and a missing-man flyover.
“Remembrance is not passive, it asks something of us,” said Mayor Gloria. “It asks us to build a country worthy of those we honor and a community worthy of their sacrifice. We must remember the fallen, honor their families and teach the next generation their names. We must leave here more committed to service, unity and one another.”
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