N is for Navy!
(This is part of a series, Blogging from A to Z April 2014 Challenge. My theme for the challenge is Quintessential San Diego from A to Z, focusing on those things that are  typical, or perfect, or classic examples of San Diego life. Today is N.)
The Navy and San Diego are so intimately intertwined that I didn’t even think about the Navy when I was originally making my Quintessential San Diego A to Z list. You can see what I said, back in my introductory post:
I haven’t decided what to feature for every letter of the alphabet yet. Honestly, I’m kinda stuck on ‘X’. And not too happy about my choice for ‘N’. (Any ideas, anyone?)
I thought I’d use N is for the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park. Now, The Nat is an impressive museum. Worth a visit. But lots of cities have natural history museums. Probably few people visit San Diego solely to see The Nat.
Happily, some of my girlfriends helped me out. N is for Navy! Facepalm. It is so obvious. Kind of like looking all over the house for your glasses when they are on the top of your head.
- The Navy is why I was born in San Diego. After World War II, my dad went to college on the GI Bill. He graduated from the University of Texas, El Paso around 1950, as an electronic engineer. He married my mom – both are native Texans – and took a job at a place called the Naval Electronics Laboratory. So they moved out to San Diego. He never left. And that’s why I was born in San Diego.
- The Navy is why my husband was born in San Diego. Both his parents are from the deep South. His dad was in the Navy during World War II. At one point the Navy sent him to San Diego, and loved it. After he married Bill’s mom, he managed to get them stationed here together, to see if she liked it. She did. So they said, ‘Let’s never leave.’ Bill was born at Balboa Naval Hospital.
- Our next door neighbor growing up was a Navy Chief Petty Officer.
- My best friend’s dad was a Captain in the Navy and later a Commander. (Embarrassed childhood memory – being corrected – ‘Not Mr. Gair, CAPTAIN Gair.’ ‘Oh, sorry.’ Then, a few years later, ‘Not Captain Gair, COMMANDER Gair.’ ‘Oh.’)
- Near the house where I grew up is a large Navy Housing Complex. The kids who lived there went to junior high and high school with me.
- And we’ve been fortunate over the years to make some wonderful friends while they were stationed in San Diego by the Navy. *Hello Reeder Family!!*
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It all makes sense when you realize San Diego is home to the largest naval base in the Pacific.
Naval Base San Diego, sometimes called 32nd Street Naval Station, is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 54 ships and over 120 tenant commands.
The base is a workplace for approximately 26,000 to 35,000 military, civilian, and contract personnel.Â
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So, of course, when it comes to San Diego, N is for Navy!
And I got unstuck about what “X” stands for in San Diego. Wait until you find out!
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https://www.donnaamisdavis.com/n-navy/San DiegoSan Diego A to ZWorld War II(This is part of a series, Blogging from A to Z April 2014 Challenge. My theme for the challenge is Quintessential San Diego from A to Z, focusing on those things that are  typical, or perfect, or classic examples of San Diego life. Today is N.) The Navy and San Diego are so...Donna Amis DavisDonna Amis Davis[email protected]AdministratorDonna Amis Davis
You gotta love the navy! Great post…
Yeap, N is definitely the Navy, that is why my grandsons live there instead of Oklahoma, and where my son met my daughter inlaw and they are perfect together. We love our trips to San Diego. THank you
Good to have a reason to visit!
I’m really keen to see what everyone has for X! I have it sorted too – *makes smug face*.
It all sounds sort of X-rated, doesn’t it? But mine will be rated G.
LOL!
Love the cliffhanger, Donna. Will be watching for your x-rated post. :
Rated G, Nita. But I think you’ll agree with it.
Wow, I never realized just how many people the Navy employed in San Diego. Great post 🙂
There used to be a US Navy base at Faslane on the West Coast of Scotland but the Americans left some years ago and now the Royal Navy use it instead.
It is always heavily defended around the area and there are armed guards at the entrance. A few years ago some tourists started taking photos and were marched at gunpoint to be questioned.
The Americans brought a lot of money to the area and everyone was disappointed when they left. American servicemen are always popular because they always have more money than the British servicemen.
Jane, you wouldn’t believe (or perhaps you would!) what happens when the US and the Philippines have joint naval exercises, and a US ship pulls into the harbor in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The locals LOVE the opportunity to make some extra money.
That’s what happened at the Holy Loch/Faslane. Women went down to chase the sailors because they had plenty of money. The local shops provided employment for many people and helped the local economy.
During the Second World War women used to chase the American servicemen because they brought stockings, chewing gum, chocolate etc with them. They were paid 8 times more that British servicemen and their uniforms made them all look like officers.
In Britain food was rationed and women could not get stockings and had to use leg tan instead. If the butcher got deliveries crowds appeared outside his shop to get some.
At night people had to retreat to air raid shelters because German bombers used to fly overhead on their way to bomb Clydebank, which was the area which had shipyards and ammunition factories.
On 13/14 March 1941 about 400 German planes dropped bombs on Clydebank. RAF fighters shot down two German bombers. Even so more than 1,000 bombs fell on Clydebank.
528 people were killed and over 600 injured on Clydebank over the two nights.