About 100 sailors and Marines enjoyed a day at Disneyland on Friday in connection with LA Fleet Week.
These active-duty personnel, mainly from the U.S.S. Carl Vinson, took part in the resort’s daily flag retreat ceremony, marched through the park, explored attractions at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and met beloved Disney characters.
This marks the second consecutive year Disney has welcomed sailors and Marines for Fleet Week. LA Fleet Week is an annual multi-day celebration held at the LA Waterfront in the Port of Los Angeles during the extended Memorial Day Weekend, first established in 2016. There’s also a Fleet Week in New York.
Last year’s event was a spur-of-the-moment gathering, but Disney aims to establish it as an annual tradition, according to Suzi Brown, Disneyland Resort’s vice president of communications.
“When the opportunity resurfaced this year, our leadership was instantly on board,” Brown mentioned. “They said, ‘Absolutely, and we should turn this into an annual event.’ So that is certainly our aspiration.”
Brown related personally to the military and service through her father, a Korean War veteran.
The daily flag retreat is a long-standing custom where park staff selects an active-duty service member or veteran in the park to assist in lowering the flag at day’s end. This individual also joins a procession down Main Street, USA, featuring the Pledge of Allegiance, the singing of “God Bless America” and the “Star Spangled Banner,” with musical accompaniment by the Main Street Philharmonic marching band.
