Heroes Hall

Happy 245th birthday to the United States Navy!

The official Air Force birthday is recognized as September 18, 1947, which is the date of the passage of the National Security Act of 1947. That legislation created what would later be known as the United States Department of Defense. This established the United States Air Force as a separate branch of military service.

Stories about the Navajo Code Talkers will be featured in an upcoming exhibit.

The 2020 Virtual OC Fair is now live at ocfair.com/oc-fair! WELCOME! Our CEO Michele Richards, along with a few of our Board members, would like to tell you all about our Virtual OC Fair. We miss the annual OC Fair too, so over the next 10 days, we'll be sharing videos, activities, photos and more. We know nothing can replace the real thing, but hopefully the Virtual OC Fair will bring a few smiles to your summer!

Veterans and family of veterans, share your story with us. We are looking for veteran stories, photos and memorabilia for our new virtual museum collection. The collection will be displayed on our website. We can't wait to hear from you!

The Newport Rib Company is supporting the Heroes Hall Veterans Foundation over the Memorial Day weekend! 10% of your order will be donated to the foundation's bus scholarship fund, which helps OC students with field trips to visit Heroes Hall. Place an order online at ribcompany.com for pickup and enter "Heroes Hall order" in the special requests box, or call (949) 631-2110 and say you're "supporting our heroes at Heroes Hall."... Newport Rib Company is also donating 10% of every neighborhood delivery to the bus scholarship fund. Check to see if your area is in the weekend schedule: ribcompany.com/fi/newport-rib-company-delivery-schedule.pdf Big thanks to the Newport Rib Company for their generous donations!

There are two names displayed on the A-4M Skyhawk that sits just outside of Heroes Hall. One is Major Tom Elsner, who was one of the original committee members to bring the A-4 Skyhawk memorial to the Santa Ana Civic Center. Tom passed away before the project was completed. He had also flown this aircraft at MCAS El Toro while on active duty. As a tribute to him for his work on the project and to his service to our nation, the committee elected to place his name on the cockpit rail. The second name is award-winning broadcaster Ed Arnold, who was a plane captain in the Marines and was instrumental in getting the plane placed in Santa Ana.

Heroes Hall is looking for photographs and stories of military veterans, memorabilia and artifacts for its new virtual museum collection. The collection will be displayed on our website, so guests can visit the virtual museum any time. We are looking for the following items for our virtual collection: 1) Photographs of veterans from World War I through the Afghan war.... 2) Photographs of military memorabilia and artifacts from World War I through the Afghan war. All photos should include a brief description (less than 200 words) of the veteran's military service or item pictured. Please email your photos and stories to [email protected]. We look forward to your submissions! (Photo courtesy of David Hayward, World War II Army Air Force Pilot)

Arlene Burke Casper, 95, of Huntington Beach, served in the U.S. Marine Corps during WWII. When asked what it was like to be a woman in the Marines, she said, "It was wonderful. I would do it again if I could. I loved serving my country." She recorded her memories of World War II at the Heroes Hall Story Room during her recent visit to the museum. You can view her story, and the dozens of stories recorded by other veterans and family members, by going to ocfair.com/storyroom.

Today begins National Military Appreciation Month. In all of May, we honor and recognize all those who have served and are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Thank you for serving!

The 2020 OC Fair has been canceled.

ON THIS DAY: On April 25, 2016, the OC Fair & Event Center moved an approximately 50,000-pound, 5,000-square-foot, two-story WWII-era building a half-mile through the property to its permanent home, which would become Heroes Hall in 2017. The Heroes Hall building was originally commissioned by the Army Corps of Engineers and built by the Griffith Company as part of the Santa Ana Army Air Base in the 1940s.

Via Tierney Center for Veteran Services: Resource for veteran families: This bi-weekly Zoom support group offers a safe, confidential space for ALL family members/ loved ones impacted by combat trauma. The space remains a tool for healing and discussing current and past stressors related to military life.