(Photos: Kristian Carreon/San Diego Union-Tribune)
A time capsule was buried yesterday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Naval Training Center in San Diego, California. The incredible history of the now repurposed naval military training site, known as Liberty Station, has been at the forefront of creating a hub for art galleries, museums, shops and restaurants. As part of the celebration, organizers invited Navy Veterans that have graduated from the Naval Training Center to help with the time capsule dedication. 73-year-old Veteran Craig Noble, who once was a young sailor slogging through boot camp drills on the 361-acre campus, joined other Veterans to bury a memento-filled time capsule to be opened 25 years from now. Noble said, "Every time I come here it’s kind of like coming back home.” He joked, “But I wouldn’t want to have to live here again under the conditions that I had back in ’73.” Liberty Station Director Laurie Albrecht says developers kept the site's century-old history as the focal point in redevelopment plans. Albrecht says, “When you see closed bases, sometimes they’ve been developed for other military aspects, sometimes they were totally destroyed and built up, but this was taking historic buildings and re-purposing them.”
The time capsule contains a Prisoner of War-Missing In Action flag, building plans, personal effects from Veterans and a proclamation from Mayor Todd Gloria. 90-year-old Veteran Tom Crosby says leaving behind his time capsule letter detailing his history with the base was important to him. He says, "Any centennial that has a time capsule, that tells the future (generations) what has helped this country of ours." This past weekend's festivities capped the end of a year-long celebration of the base's 100th year. Built in 1923, the Naval Training Center was the first of its kind on the West Coast and provided key military resources in World War I and World War II. The base closed in 1997, leading to its redevelopment. The time capsule will be opened in 2048.
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