A ceremony was held at Lakehurst, N.J., to commemorate both the 69th anniversary of the Battle of Midway and 100 years of Naval Aviation June 3. Hosted by Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL), the ceremony was held inside historic Hangar 1 atop the scale model aircraft carrier flight deck used for training aviation boatswains.

U.S. Navy Capt. Ken Skaggs, Commander of the Navy Operational Support Center at JB MDL, made opening remarks to commemorate the 100 years of naval aviation history that began on May 8, 1911, when the Navy requested issuance of two Curtiss biplanes after having seen one successfully fly from a specially built platform on the deck of the cruiser USS Birmingham in January 1911. Skaggs also welcomed an audience of more than 250 guests that included active duty Navy, Marine, Air Force and Army personnel, civilian Navy employees, WWII and other veterans, as well as community dignitaries.

The guest speaker for the event was Lee Heydolph from the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. Heydolph gave a detailed overview of the Midway battle that took place June 4, 1942, and has been called the tipping point of the war in the Pacific from a naval standpoint. It marked the first major victory for the United States and a devastating defeat for the Imperial Japanese Navy, which lost its hold of power in the Pacific Ocean for the remainder of the war.

Additionally, a wreath laying ceremony was held and Taps was played in honor of the fallen veterans from the battle.