The San Diego Padres teamed up with volunteers from across San Diego to assemble 500 Care Packages for deployed Marines from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park on Thursday September 12.

A big part of the Padres’ identity as “The Team of the Military,” comes from the long-time voice of the Padres, “The Colonel,” Jerry Coleman, having been the only MLB player to fly combat missions in both WWII and Korea - putting his All Star baseball career on hold both times to serve his country.

Coleman’s wife Maggie Coleman and Coleman’s longtime broadcast partner with the Padres Ted Leitner were both a big part in the event.

Coleman was a Marine Corps fighter pilot, and, it has become a tradition for Padres employees to take a pause and gather on his birthday to assemble CARE packages with essentials and Padres gear to send to deployed Marine Corps Aviation units. Most years, this event takes place with Coleman’s statue at PETCO Park looming over the proceedings, but, for Coleman’s 100th, the Padres will be commemorating him at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in the presence of a Marine Corps F4U Corsair (the same type of aircraft Coleman flew in combat in Korea) with his name stenciled outside the cockpit.

The Marine units being supported through the care packages are:
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 164, homebased at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, and nicknamed “Knightriders,” flying MV-22B Osprey aircraft. They are currently deployed to Djibouti, Africa in support of regional crisis response as part of the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa.

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 367, homebased at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, and nicknamed “Scarface,” flying AH-1Z Venom and UH-1Y Viper helicopters. They are currently deployed to Okinawa, Japan, in support of the Unit Deployment Program, which enhances the United States’ forward presence with a consistent and rapid response capability to maintain combat readiness, deter aggression, and strengthen alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region.

Jerry Coleman was inducted into the prestigious International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in 2011. To learn more about Coleman, and to watch his International Air & Space Hall of Fame induction video, visit: https://sandiegoairandspace.org//hall-of-fame/honoree/jerry-coleman