Top headlines

Dept. of Navy, California Energy commission partner on energy and water initiatives
SAN DIEGO - The Department of the Navy and the California Energy Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Dec. 1 that will help the Navy and Marine Corps and the state collaborate on energy and water-related projects at DON Installations. Read more...



122nd edition of Army-Navy Football at a glance
Saturday, Dec 11,
Noon Pacific Time on CBS
Army and Navy meet for the 122nd time in series history and for the fifth time in New Jersey when the two square off on Saturday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. The Army-Navy Game presented by USAA is the eighth-most played rivalry in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Read more...



‘North Pole Limited’ train ride returns to Campo; Families can visit Santa
Dec. 10-11, Dec. 17-18
The famous North Pole Limited returns to celebrate the holiday season. This special holiday production is offered with the help of the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association’s volunteers in cooperation with Mountain Empire and Bonita Vista Valley High Schools.
The fun begins at the lighted Campo Depot. Pick up your tickets from the Ticket Agent in our restored passenger waiting room. We recommend you plan on arriving at the Campo Depot at least 45 minutes before your train departs to allow ample time to park, get your tickets, and pass through our gift shop. Don’t forget to stop by the Hobo Camp next to the Depot to hear tales from railroading’s past.
Once onboard the North Pole Limited, enjoy your favorite Christmas carols and listen to a popular Christmas story. Due to the impacts of COVID19, we will not be serving hot chocolate on board. Instead, passengers will receive a Hot Chocolate Kit which includes a packet of hot chocolate , a bag of mini marshmallows, and a freshly baked cookie to enjoy at home. The North Pole Limited will stop at Santa’s Workshop to pick up Santa and Mrs. Claus who will visit with all passengers on the train on our way back to the Campo Depot.
The train ride lasts for approximately 90 minutes depending on the number of passengers Santa needs to visit with.
Experiences offered Friday and Saturday, December 10th & 11th and the following Friday and Saturday, December 17th & 18th. Trains depart the Campo Depot at 5pm and 7pm on all four nights.
Tickets can be purchased online but are also (currently) available as walkups - if you try to purchase tickets online, it should tell you how many are left available for purchase. Online sales cut off twelve hours BEFORE the actual event. Visit https://www.psrm.org/ for additional information and to purchase tickets.



TRICARE Open Season underway, explore your healthcare options
Autumn is upon us. That means it’s time to consider your health care options for 2022. TRICARE Open Season began Monday, Nov. 8 and ends Monday, Dec. 13. If you’re enrolled in or eligible for a TRICARE Prime option or TRICARE Select, open season applies to you. This is your chance to enroll in a health plan or change health plans for coverage that starts Jan. 1, 2022. Read more...



DoD observes Native American Heritage Month during November
The Defense Department and the nation are celebrating National Native American Heritage Month, which is every November.
It's a time to reflect on the contributions and sacrifices Native Americans have made to the United States, not just in the military, but in all walks of life. Read more...



246 years of U.S. Marine Corps excellence
ARLINGTON, Va. - This week, Marines across the globe recognized and acknowledged 246 years of service to their country, the sacrifices made to defend democracy, and the Marine Corps’ enduring legacy as America’s premier fighting force.
The Marine Corps’ annual tradition celebrates the establishment of the organization on November 10, 1775, by the Second Continental Congress. Following their role in the American Revolution, the Marines were abolished following the Treaty of Paris in April 1783. Then, on July 11, 1798, Congress ordered the creation of the Marine Corps and directed that it be available for service under the Secretary of the Navy.
The birthday, also known as Marine Corps Day, was originally celebrated on July 11 from 1799 until 1921 when Major Gen. John Archer Lejeune issued an order to formalize the tradition and establish the official day to honor the birthday of the Marine Corps. The ceremony traditionally includes a guest of honor, a reading of Gen. Lejeune’s birthday message and the current Commandant’s message, recognition of the oldest and youngest Marine present, and a cake cutting.
While the first cake ceremony is unknown, the first on record took place at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., in 1937. Major Gen. Thomas Holcomb, the commandant, presided at an open house for Marine Corps officers, including the cutting of a huge cake in the shape of Tun Tavern, the birthplace of the Corps.
In this year’s annual message, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David H. Berger and Sgt. Major Troy Black paid tribute to the men and women who joined following Sept. 11, 2001. These Marines were called to service as an elite counter-insurgency force and made great contributions in the deserts of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Northern Africa.



Ship visits, displays and family friendly events highlight Fleet Week San Diego's 20th anniversary
The San Diego Fleet Week Foundation is celebrating its 20th anniversary and is planning a full schedule of live events to honor and thank San Diego’s active duty and veteran community. Softball tournament is underway. November events include Read more...



USS Germantown returns from forward-deployment
Amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) arrived in San Diego Oct. 15, after a decade of forward-deployed service in the Indo-Pacific region operating out of Japan. Read more...



California lawmakers pass bill for license reciprocity for military spouses
New state license reciprocity legislation was signed and passed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oct. 8, 2021, easing restrictions for veterans and spouses of California active-duty service members to actively practice certain professions or vocations. Read more...



Department of Defense observes Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October marks the Department of Defense’s 2021 Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The purpose of the campaign is to bring awareness to the military community’s responsibility to support victims, respond to abuse, and focus on prevention efforts this month and throughout the year.
Victims have two reporting options:
Unrestricted: those who want to pursue an official investigation report through the service member’s command, FAP or local law enforcement.
Restricted: those who do not want an official investigation but do want victim advocacy services, medical care and/or counseling should make a restricted report to a FAP victim advocate, clinician or supervisor, or a military health care provider. Read more...





U.S. Navy Super Hornet crashes in Death Valley National Park
An F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed in Death Valley National Park, California, at approximately 3 p.m. (PDT), October 4. The pilot was treated for minor injuries at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and released later that night. The aircraft was assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 9 based at Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake.
Search and rescue units from NAWS China Lake, Fort Irwin Army Base, and Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron (MAWTS) 1 from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma responded to the scene and rescued the pilot. No civilians were harmed as a result of this incident. The aircraft crashed in a remote area in southern Death Valley National Park. The National Park Service and Navy will work together to coordinate cleanup of this Wilderness area. This incident is currently under investigation and the U.S. Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities.



First Littoral Combat Ship, USS Freedom, decomissioned
USS Freedom (LCS-1) was decommissioned in Sept. at Naval Base San Diego after 13 years in the fleet. The decommissioning service was limited to ship plankowners and former crew members due to safety measures in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more...



U.S. Naval Community College now accepting applications
QUANTICO, Va. — The U.S. Naval Community College is now taking applications for the first phase of its Pilot II program. Read more...



DoD says it's time to renew your extended ID card
The Defense Department is asking as many as a half-million ID card holders to go online now and make appointments to renew their IDs — many of which are past the expiration dates printed on them.
DOD extended the expiration dates electronically to account for the challenges of renewing them in an COVID-19 environment.
Read more...



DoD authorizes a temporary increase to
2021 BAH rates for
certain locations
The Department of Defense has temporarily authorized increases in the 2021 Basic Allowance for Housin rates for 56 housing markets (commonly referred to as Military Housing Areas) across the U.S. Uniformed service members who have incurred increased housing costs above their current BAH may be eligible to apply and receive BAH at the temporarily higher rate. The increased BAH rates for affected active duty (and full-time National Guard duty) Service members in these MHAs will take effect October 1 and expire on December 31.
Read more...



Change of leadership at I Marine Expeditionary Force
CAMP PENDLETON - Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Karsten S. Heckl passed his duties as commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) to Lt. Gen. George W. Smith, Jr., at a change of command ceremony at Camp Pendleton Sept. 23. Read more...



USS Curtis Wilbur arrives homeport San Diego
SAN DIEGO – The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) arrived in its new homeport of Naval Base San Diego after 25 years as a forward-deployed ship in Yokosuka Japan, Sept. 16. Read more...



USS Germantown completes forward-deployment to Japan,
sails for San Diego
SASEBO, Japan (Sept. 15, 2021) – The amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) detached from Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 11 and departed U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo Sept. 15, after a decade of being forward-deployed to Japan. Read more...



Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group operates in the South China Sea
Upholds Freedom of Seas, commitments to allies and partners
The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group (VINCSG) is operating in the South China Sea for the first time during the group's 2021 deployment. Read more...



20th anniversay of attack: What you may not know about our air defense on September 11, 2001
It's been 20 years since Sept. 11, when terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and flew them into New York's iconic World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in rural western Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 U.S. citizens.
Whether the events of that day were etched in your memory forever, or you were too young to understand it at the time, it's a day all Americans know changed the course of our daily lives. Read more...



5 Sailors killed in Navy helicopter crash off California coast
Five Sailors from HSC-8 have perished after a Navy helicopter crashed off the coast of California.
Read more...



Military phase of evacuation ends as last plane leaves Kabul
The last military planes have left Kabul and the evacuation operation is over, Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command told Pentagon reporters Aug. 30. Read more...



Nation mourns loss of 13 servicemembers killed supporting Afghanistan evacuation
The Department of Defense announced the names of 13 service members who died while supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
They were killed Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. Read more...



Resources for struggling veterans
Veterans from all eras are reacting to the events in Afghanistan, such as the U.S withdrawal and the takeover by the Taliban, and may question the meaning of their service or whether it was worth their sacrifice. US Dept of Veterans Affairs in California offers the following information. Read more...



VA San Diego Healthcare System celebrates 49 years of academic partnerships
SAN DIEGO — VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) announced Jan. 29 as part of its 75th anniversary commemoration of academic affiliations that it has trained over 1,600 of health professionals annually in collaboration with national academic affiliations. Read more....



First female to command aircraft carrier
The Navy announced that Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt will assume command of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), marking the first time a female commanding officer will lead the crew of one of the Navy’s 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Read more....


DoD announces 5G prototype testing at San Diego Navy base
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)) has selected Naval Base San Diego (NBSD) to be one of five Tranche 1 sites for the Department of Defense’s 5G to Next G Initiative.
The NBSD site will utilize a Naval Base Coronado warehouse operated by Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center San Diego (FLCSD) to prototype a smart warehouse use case enabled by 5G technology and to perform at-scale experimentation using the developed prototypes.
The prototyping’s objectives are to create a proving ground for testing, refining, and validating emerging 5G enabled technologies and to increase the efficiency and fidelity of NAVSUP FLCSD logistic operations.
Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific will lead the technical assessment with NBSD, NAVSUP, and NAVSUP FLCSD, supporting the implementation and execution of the experiments, performing test and evaluation, and ensuring the deployed 5G technology and smart warehouse applications meet Navy and OUSD (R&E) expectations.
The desired outcome is a 5G enabled smart warehouse that improves the efficiency, accuracy, security, and safety of materiel and supply handling, management, storage, and distribution for NAVSUP FLCSD, and a prototype transition plan for NAVSUP.
Industry partners have been selected to design and build the 5G test bed, various network enhancements, and warehouse specific applications.







United Through Reading®
Service members invited to record stories for family
United Through Reading® (UTR) is a free program helping ease the stress of separation for military and veteran families by having the service members or Veteran read children’s books aloud for their family to watch at home during times of physical separation. It is available for any type of separation, including but not limited to, deployment, training, geobaching, or shift work.
UTR provides service members and veterans a chance to make lasting connections from afar through the power of shared storytime. The recording and the book are given to the child and family at home at no cost.
Being a parent is not required; service members can send the recording & book(s) to any special child in their life such as younger sister or brother, niece, nephew, grandchild, or godchild.
The recording can be made via UTR’s free and secure UTR App, at one of UTR’s story stations, or at the Mobile Story Station at a community event. For more information visit unitedthroughreading.org or e-mail military@utr.org