You Could Get 25,000 Bonus Points on Back-to-School Purchases

www.navyfederal.org/morerewards gift cards), may not be eligible purchase transactions and may not earn rewards. Please allow up to 8 weeks after the 90-day period for the 25,000 points to post to your rewards balance. Account must be open and not in default at the time the 25,000 points are scheduled to post to your rewards balance. Limit of one promotional offer at account opening. Valid for offers applied for between 5/1/2023 and 8/31/2023. Navy Federal reserves the right to change or end this offer at any time without notice. ²Statement credit for annual Walmart+ Membership subscription only. Does not apply to monthly Walmart+ Membership Subscription. You will receive a one-time credit on the statement following your initial Walmart+ Annual Membership purchase. Your Walmart+ Membership will auto-renew annually following enrollment, and your credit or debit card on file will be charged for an additional term at the fee(s) in effect at that time. You may cancel your Walmart+ Membership by calling Walmart Customer Care at (800) 924-9206 or through your Walmart Account. Walmart is a registered trademark of Walmart Apollo, LLC. ³Navy Federal More Rewards American Express® Cards earn 3 points for every $1 of net purchases made for gas, transit, restaurants, food delivery, and supermarkets, and 1 point for every $1 of other net purchases. Merchant transit categories classified as railway, ferries/water trip, taxis, limousines, bus lines, charters, tour buses, tolls, road/bridge fees, and parking/lots will receive 3 points for every $1 of net purchases. A supermarket, food delivery, transit, gas station, or restaurant purchase may only earn 1 point per dollar spent, depending on the merchant code used to process the transaction. Restaurants located within another establishment (e.g., hotel, casino, commissary, grocery store, event venue) may receive 1 point per dollar spent at these locations. In addition, superstores, supermarkets, and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are not considered gas stations, so you will earn 1 point per dollar spent at these locations. For more information, view the More Rewards American Express® Card Program Description at navyfederal.org The Navy Federal More Rewards American Express® Card is issued and administered by Navy Federal Credit Union. American Express is a federally registered service mark of American Express and is used by the issuer pursuant to a license. © 2023 Navy Federal NFCU 14222 (5-23) www.SanDiegoVeteransMagazine.com

SDVM is a veteran-focused magazine throughout ALL San Diego & Southern California. It serves to assist all veterans, active military as well as their spouses and families.

It is the leading veteran magazine emphasizing resources & support and focusing on topics and issues facing today’s veteran community. SDVM focuses on resources, support, community, transition, mental health, inspiration and more...

The content is the driving force behind our magazine and the connection it makes with our veterans, service members, military families, and civilians.

The magazine is supported by the city of San Diego and a distinguishing list of veteran organizations & members, resource centers, coalitions, veteran advocates, and more. We are honored to share the work of so many committed and thoughtful people.

Despite all the challenges, our team has upheld their focus and let not one opportunity go to provide resources and support to our veterans & military personnel.

On behalf of our team, we wanted to take this moment to say THANK YOU to the readers and our military-veteran community for supporting our magazine. With that support we aim to make a difference and continuing to make a profound impact on the quality of life for our veterans, military personnel and their families.

If you want to catch up on the current and past issues, please visit: www.sandiegoveteransmagazine.com/archives

Mike Miller

Editor-In-Chief

mikemiller@sdvetsmagazine.com www.sandiegoveteransmagazine.com

Publisher Editor-In-Chief

Mike Miller

Monthly Columns

What’s Next Transition

Eve Nasby • Kristin Hennessy

Human Resources

Paul Falcone

Veterans in Business

Barbara Eldridge

Successful Transitioning Stories

Dr. Julie Ducharme

Risky Business

Hadley Wood

Franchise Frontline

Rhonda Sanderson

Real Talk: Mental Health

Hope Phifer

PTSD: Reclaiming Control

Robert ‘Bob’ Cuyler, PhD

TLC Caregiving

Kie Copenhaver

Art & Healing

Amber Robinson

Legal Eagle

Kelly Bagla, Esq.

Family Law

Tana Landau, Esq.

Midway Magic

David Koontz

Veterans Chamber Commerce

Joe Molina

Contributing Writers

Wounded Warrior Project

Raquel G. Rivas, WWP

Disabled American Veterans

San Diego Veterans Coalition

Veteran Association North County

(In-House) Correspondents

Holly Shaffner

CJ Machado

The number of young sailors and Marines who bid farewell to the United States from San Diego’s Navy Pier will never be known. Pushing westward, often sailing into harm’s way, many of these fresh young faces, however, would never see their country again.

As far back as the early 1900s, U.S. Navy ships routinely anchored in San Diego Bay at the foot of Broadway. Seen as a natural site for a naval supply depot, a small pier was constructed in 1922 which would anchor the San Diego waterfront for a century. Countless naval vessels, brimming with untold millions of tons of supplies and ammunition, along with precious human cargo, cast off their mooring lines from Navy Pier to support U.S. military and humanitarian operations around the world.

Now, 100 years later, the pier will soon be transformed from a lifeless parking lot into Freedom Park at Navy Pier, paying tribute to the service and sacrifices of military veterans and their families.

“The park will honor our veterans and celebrate our freedoms,” said Laura White, president of the USS Midway Foundation. “It will also be an opportunity for our next generation to learn how they too can be an everyday hero in their life. They don’t have to necessarily join the military, they can just be an everyday hero in their own community.”

The USS Midway Museum and the Port of San Diego are working together on constructing the new park which will be the largest veterans park on the West Coast when completed. Unanimously approved by the California Coastal Commission, Freedom Park will tell the story of those who served our country and preserved the liberties that Americans enjoy today.

“Designs are currently being developed for this exciting new public park,” said White. “With Freedom Park, visitors will have countless opportunities to learn about and interact with many key milestones in our nation’s military.”

It is estimated that Freedom Park at Navy Pier will cost approximately $65 million. Currently, nearly $29 million has been committed to the project from the

Port of San Diego, the USS Midway Museum and, with the support of Cong. Scott Peters, through Community Project Funding distributed via the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. An additional $36 million will be raised by the USS Midway Foundation. Major fundraising efforts are scheduled to begin in fall 2023.

“This is an exciting moment,” said Ben Clay, chair of the USS Midway Foundation. “Our mission is simple, get the park built and celebrate our veterans. I look forward to making Freedom Park a reality for all San Diegans and those who visit our wonderful city.”

A Footsteps of Freedom promenade, that will run along the entire north side of Navy Pier, will be dedicated to the service and sacrifice of those who have worn the uniform of our nation and the families that supported them. Additional monuments, play elements, benches and swings, walking trails and gardens, smart technologies and other exciting features will be incorporated throughout the scope of the park.

“Anything to bring the people down here to acknowledge the Navy and its history is great,” said Mike Newell, a USS Midway Museum docent volunteer since 2007 who retired from the Navy in 1989 as an aviation electronics technician senior chief after 22 years of service. “San Diego is such a rich military town. It’s great to have the park built on Navy Pier.”

Engineering efforts are already underway, with structural repairs and rehabilitation proceeding on and under the pier. That work, along with the demolition of the last building on the pier, will take place over the next two years. It is anticipated that actual construction on the park will commence in 2025 and be completed by 2028.

“I have a personal connection as my father actually once had an office in the building on Navy Pier,” said Michael Montag, a Navy veteran who spent five years as a construction mechanic in the Seabees and recently joined Midway’s volunteer team. “I think it’s fantastic. The new park will be a great way to pay homage to all of the Navy and Marine Corps in San Diego. As a San Diego native and Navy veteran, I think we need to always be honoring our veterans.”

“It’s wonderful to see redevelopment along the Embarcadero and that Freedom Park will be right at the center of it all,” said White. “We’re excited to become the place to be in San Diego and looking forward to honoring our veterans in many different ways, as well as engaging the next generation.”

Continued on next page > www.midway.org/give-join/volunteers volunteers@midway.org www.midway.org

For those interested in becoming a USS Midway Museum volunteer, more information along with the volunteer application can be found at: www.midway.orggive-join/volunteers.