VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Naval Air Station Oceana celebrated its 80th anniversary Thursday.
The station was commissioned on Aug. 17, 1943.
Service members, their families and base leaderships saw a celebratory flight demonstration featuring F/A-18 Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron 103, "the Jolly Rogers" and historic Warbirds from the military aviation museum.
The oldest aircraft that flew today was the Stearman from 1941, according to a news release about the event. It was used to train aviators during World War II.
NAS Oceana is the navy's east coast master jet base, supporting over 70 commands.
“We’re here today to honor our past and celebrate our bright future, which is represented right here, in the many faces I see in this crowd,” said NAS Oceana Commanding Officer Capt. Steve Djunaedi during the event. “We have some of the most dedicated Sailors, Marines, and civilians that you will ever meet. Together, we make up Team Oceana, and we are proud to enable the warfighter and their families.”
