
Andrew Dyer
Andrew Dwyer was a reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune. He covered the military.
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With more than 100,000 active-duty service and 240,000 veterans, San Diego County has one of the largest concentrations of military personnel in the nation.Along with that population comes a...

Military spending is $56B economic driver in San Diego, new report says
SAN DIEGO — Military and defense spending remains a significant and stabilizing force on San Diego's economy, according to an annual report released this week.According to the Military Economic Impact Report, $36...

Tormenta invernal trae lluvia al condado de San Diego, continuara hasta el lunes con posible nieve
SAN DIEGO — Una tormenta invernal azotó el condado de San Diego el domingo, trayendo vientos en ráfagas a la costa y chubascos a toda la región, y los analistas dicen que...

Winter storm brings rain to San Diego County, will continue through Monday with snow possible
SAN DIEGO — A winter storm struck San Diego County on Sunday, bringing gusty winds to the coast and showers to the entire region — and forecasters say to expect more of...

Man, 29, killed in Barrio Logan stabbing
SAN DIEGO — A 29-year-old man was fatally stabbed in Barrio Logan early Sunday, San Diego police said. About 12:10 a.m., a 911 caller reported finding the victim on a sidewalk on...

Driver, dogs rescued after RV crashes into parked cars, ends up under tractor trailer
CHULA VISTA — A driver suffered major injuries late Saturday night when he crashed his recreational vehicle into a parked tractor trailer and became trapped underneath it, according to the Chula Vista...

‘Warship chicken’ incident in San Diego a teachable moment for Navy
SAN DIEGO — San Diego is home to about 60 U.S. Navy warships, so their comings and goings in and out of the harbor rarely make news. That changed Tuesday when two...

Near-miss incident between two warships in San Diego Bay under investigation, Navy says
SAN DIEGO — Two U.S. Navy warships were forced to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a head-on collision in San Diego Bay Tuesday, video shows, and now the service is investigating the...

9 sailors injured in fire on aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln
SAN DIEGO — Nine sailors were injured in a fire Tuesday morning aboard the San Diego-based aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, the Navy said.The injuries were minor and the blaze was quickly extinguished...

San Diego homes and a school were built over a strategic Navy fuel pipeline. Now the service wants to move it
SAN DIEGO — Parts of a Clairemont neighborhood were built atop a key strategic Navy fuel pipeline, and now the service is planning to move it from underneath homes, a school and...

Navy, SDG&E helicopters collide Tuesday near Brown Field; no one injured
SAN DIEGO — A San Diego-based Navy helicopter collided in flight with a San Diego Gas and Electric helicopter Tuesday evening, the Navy said in a statement. Both aircraft landed safely at...

Marines get last delivery of iconic H-1 helicopter. But don’t call it the ‘end of an era’ yet
CAMP PENDLETON — A Marine unit at Camp Pendleton took delivery this month of its last new H-1 helicopter, 60 years after the service ordered its first ones in 1962.The last helicopter...

Navy captain censured over deadly AAV sinking tapped for aircraft carrier command
A Navy selection board is recommending a ship captain censured over his failure to control amphibious vehicle operations in a deadly incident off the San Diego coast two years ago...

Former Bonhomme Richard captain, executive officer fined $5,000 each in San Diego ship fire, records show
SAN DIEGO — The former commanding and executive officers of the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard were each fined $5,000 as punishment for failing to prepare the ship and its crew to...

With Democrats’ House majority in doubt, President Biden campaigns in Oceanside for Rep. Mike Levin
OCEANSIDE — A day after delivering a speech warning of threats to American democracy from election denial and political violence, President Joe Biden arrived in San Diego County to campaign Thursday evening...

Navy, Coast Guard vessels to open to public during Fleet Week San Diego
SAN DIEGO — The Navy littoral combat ship Montgomery and Coast Guard cutter Forrest Rednour will be open for public tours this weekend as part of this year's Fleet Week San Diego.The...

Sailors question Navy response after E. coli, bilge water contaminates carrier’s drinking water
SAN DIEGO — Sailors assigned to the San Diego-based aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln are questioning the assurances made by their commanding officer about the safety of drinking water on board after it...

Navy SEAL leaders reprimanded in wake of trainee death
CORONADO — Two senior Navy SEAL leaders and a senior medical officer received reprimands in connection with the February death of a SEAL trainee at the service's school in Coronado, the service...

Tres proyectos de transporte, incluyendo la extension del trolley a Tijuana, fueron presentados al publico
SAN DIEGO — Una idea para ampliar el trolley de San Diego unos 2 kilómetros hasta Tijuana, si se adopta, podría hacerse realidad dentro de una década, dijeron el domingo una empresa...

He found his activist voice in the Navy. Now this San Diego veteran is being courted by Washington
Shawn VanDiver was comfortable in front of the camera before he left the Navy a decade ago. In a 2012 CNN iReport story, VanDiver, in his dress white uniform, spoke...

Three transportation projects, including a trolley extension into Tijuana, pitched to public Sunday
SAN DIEGO — An idea to extend the San Diego trolley about 1 1/2 miles into Tijuana, if adopted, could become reality within a decade, a company promoting the idea and a...

Marine recruit collapses, dies at Camp Pendleton
CAMP PENDLETON — An 18-year-old Marine recruit died in September after collapsing during training at Camp Pendleton, the Marines said in a statement late Saturday.Pfc. Javier Pong "became unconscious and unresponsive" while...

Rent relief arrives for some San Diego military
SAN DIEGO — Active-duty service in San Diego will see a significant bump in their housing allowance this month thanks to a temporary boost ordered by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III,...

Inocente: Marinero absuelto de incendio provocado en un barco de la Naval de San Diego
SAN DIEGO — Un marinero de 21 años fue absuelto en un tribunal militar el viernes por la mañana de los cargos que le acusaban de provocar el devastador incendio de 2020...

Navy carrier Nimitz sidelined in San Diego as jet fuel contaminates drinking water
CORONADO — A nuclear-powered aircraft carrier remains sidelined in San Diego because jet fuel got into its potable water supply, a Navy spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.Five sailors have reported "health...

Not guilty: Sailor acquitted of arson in San Diego Navy ship fire
SAN DIEGO — A 21-year-old sailor was acquitted at a military court-martial Friday morning on charges accusing him of setting the devastating 2020 fire on the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard.Seaman Recruit...

Defense witness says she saw different sailor running from scene of suspected ship arson
SAN DIEGO — In the days that followed the devastating blaze that destroyed the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard, agents began investigating a suspect who was seen running from the scene just...

Bacteria found in water on carrier Abraham Lincoln, Navy says
SAN DIEGO — Water on board the San Diego-based aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was found contaminated with bacteria after the ship left port last week, a Navy official said Monday. Sailors isolated...

Defense in Navy arson trial begins with sailor testimony challenging prosecution’s theory
SAN DIEGO — The 21-year-old sailor Navy prosecutors say started the devastating Bonhomme Richard fire in 2020 was seen just before the blaze wearing a camouflage uniform, two sailors testified Monday, contradicting...

Obama en San Diego: Los republicanos adoptan retorica sobre inmigracion que es ‘peligrosa’ para el pais
SAN DIEGO — El expresidente Barack Obama dijo el domingo que el Partido Republicano está obstaculizando la reforma de la inmigración y adoptando una retórica que es peligrosa para el país.Los comentarios...

Obama in SD: Republicans embracing rhetoric on immigration that is ‘dangerous’ for the country
SAN DIEGO — Former President Barack Obama said Sunday that the Republican Party is standing in the way of immigration reform and embracing rhetoric that is dangerous for the country.Obama's comments came...

Navy prosecutors say circumstantial evidence enough to convict sailor in San Diego ship fire
SAN DIEGO — Navy prosecutors rested their case Friday against the 21-year-old sailor accused of starting the devastating fire on the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard, just 1,000 feet from where the...

A ‘mischievous act of defiance gone wrong’: Navy prosecutors say sailor hated life on San Diego warship
SAN DIEGO — A 19-year-old San Diego sailor was so unhappy with his life as a deck seaman after failing to become a Navy SEAL that, in the summer of 2020, he...

Arson trial to begin for sailor accused of starting fire aboard $1.2 billion warship
SAN DIEGO — A 21-year-old deck seaman previously assigned to the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard in San Diego will stand trial beginning Monday in a military courtroom just 1,000 feet away...

Afghan resettlement activists get boost of energy as Congress considers legislation
Attention toward the plight of recently-arrived Afghans has once again waned after the one-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan, but local Afghans and activists are committed to pushing...

La Naval pone fin a la misa catolica en las capillas de las bases para servir a los marineros mas jovenes
SAN DIEGO — Los marineros, sus familias y los militares retirados de una base de la Naval de San Diego se han encontrado de nuevo con que su comunidad eclesiástica ha quedado...

Navy ending Roman Catholic Mass at base chapels in shift to serve younger sailors
SAN DIEGO — Sailors, their families and military retirees at one San Diego Navy base have again found their church community left out in the cold as the Navy announced it will...

Jet crashes off Naval Air Station North Island runway, lands on shoreline
SAN DIEGO — Emergency crews are investigating after a Learjet 36 crash-landed into an embankment along the shoreline at Naval Air Station North Island on Friday, base officials said. The crash happened...

Afghan evacuees in San Diego live in limbo, look to Congress for a path to permanence
SAN DIEGO — One year ago, Masooma Said waded through chest-high water in a stream next to the Kabul airport to beg a soldier to save her, her mother and her sister.She...

Prosecution, defense strategies take shape at Bonhomme Richard arson hearing
SAN DIEGO — After two days of hearings at Naval Base San Diego, a Navy judge is considering what evidence will be itted in next month's trial of the sailor charged with...

County lifts ocean closure for part of Coronado beach; water to the south still unsafe
CORONADO — San Diego County lifted a water closure for North Beach in Coronado Sunday after recent water quality samples met with state health standards, the Department of Environmental Health and...

El Cajon woman struck, killed by SUV driver early Sunday
EL CAJON — A 28-year-old El Cajon woman was killed early Sunday when the driver of an SUV struck her as she was crossing a street in the unincorporated community of Bostonia...

Thousands of sailors return to San Diego after 7-month deployment in western Pacific
CORONADO — San Diego-based Navy and Marine Corps units attached to the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group returned from a seven-month deployment Thursday that included operations in contested western Pacific waters and...

Monsoon to continue in San Diego with storms, humidity lingering through next week
Monsoonal moisture continued to flow into San Diego Thursday with thunderstorms forming over East County mountains and deserts, the National Weather Service said.Storms Thursday were expected to stay east of...

Surfers chase storm swells onto Coronado Navy base, landing two tresers in handcuffs
CORONADO — Two surfers chasing storm waves were cited for tresing Tuesday when they stepped onto Breakers Beach at Naval Air Station North Island, according to a base spokesperson.The beach, just west...

Marine unit involved in high-surf amphibious vehicle rollover same as one involved in 2020 sinking
The Marine unit operating in high surf off Camp Pendleton when two of its amphibious troop carriers floundered in the waves last week is the same unit that lost nine...

Military aviation crashes are again on the rise. Are ongoing safety and training issues to blame?
A spate of military aircraft crashes over recent months is again raising questions about the Pentagon's approach to safety and training across military branches.In June, six service died in...

2 Marine amphibious vehicles flounder in high surf off Pendleton; waterborne operations suspended
CAMP PENDLETON — The Marine Corps is suspending waterborne operations of its new Amphibious Combat Vehicles after two were involved in a training accident on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Tuesday morning,...

Sailor found dead on San Diego aircraft carrier was 22-year-old Oklahoman
The sailor found dead on the San Diego-based aircraft carrier Carl Vinson Sunday was a 22-year-old petty officer from Oklahoma, the Navy said in a statement Monday.Petty Officer 2nd Class...

Thousands of San Diego military children on daycare waitlist as Navy scrambles to address need
San Diego Navy officials are scrambling to alleviate the shortfall of child care providers for the more than 4,000 military children waiting for spots in its base daycare centers, according...

Army releases new details about San Diego helicopter fire
The U.S. Army special operations helicopter that caught fire last week at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado was an MH-47G Chinook, the Army said in a statement Thursday.The...

Army helicopter catches fire at North Island, no injuries
A fire aboard a U.S. Army helicopter at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado was extinguished by base firefighters Wednesday, the Army said in a statement.No soldiers were injured...

A solemn hike, a carving and closure. Marine survivors of Afghanistan’s deadly Sangin Valley reunite
CAMP PENDLETON — They began arriving at the crack of dawn. Marine Corps veterans, Gold Star families, active duty Marines and a film crew mingled in anticipation for what lay ahead as...

Navy fires San Diego-based destroyer captain after DUI arrest
SAN DIEGO — The captain of the San Diego-based guided-missile destroyer Preble was relieved of command Tuesday after he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to a statement...

Oceanside mid-century studio seeks to extend analog life in digital age
OCEANSIDE — Walking into Oceanside's Thunderbird Analog Recording Studio is like stepping decades into the past — wood-ed walls, mid-century modern furnishings and vintage instruments and recording equipment adorn every room in...

Navy censures 5 over fatal amphibious vehicle sinking off San Diego
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro issued letters of censure to the five military commanders Marine and Navy investigations found to bear some responsibility for the conditions that contributed to the...

Oceanside mid-century studio seeks to extend analog life in digital age
OCEANSIDE — Walking into Oceanside's Thunderbird Analog Recording Studio is like stepping decades into the past — wood-ed walls, mid-century modern furnishings and vintage instruments and recording equipment adorn every room in...

4 robbed in downtown Encinitas early Sunday
Four men in ski masks armed with knives and a gun robbed a group of four just past midnight Sunday morning, June 12, in downtown Encinitas, according to the San...

4 robbed in downtown Encinitas early Sunday
ENCINITAS — Four men in ski masks armed with knives and a gun robbed a group of four just past midnight Sunday morning in downtown Encinitas, according to the San Diego County...

Woman killed in Chula Vista hit-and-run Saturday
CHULA VISTA — Chula Vista Police are investigating a deadly hit-and-run accident on the city's west side late Saturday night.Police responded to reports of a woman struck on Naples Street, between Broadway...

Navy to ‘pause’ non-deployed flight operations Monday after spate of crashes
SAN DIEGO — Navy aviation units will pause flight operations Monday to review practices and conduct training after a series of crashes involving aircraft from both branches in Southern California over the...

Marines identify 5 killed Wednesday in Southern California Osprey crash
CAMP PENDLETON — Military officials late Friday identified the five Camp Pendleton Marines killed Wednesday when their MV-22B Osprey crashed in an Imperial County desert.The Marines were conducting routine flight training when...

Navy helicopter crashes in Imperial County desert; all 4 aboard survive, Navy says
A U.S. Navy helicopter crashed during a training mission in the Imperial County desert north of Yuma Thursday afternoon, the second military aircraft to go down in the area in...

5 Marines killed in Southern California Osprey crash Wednesday, Marines say
Five Camp Pendleton Marines were killed Wednesday when their MV-22B Osprey crashed during a training mission near Glamis in Imperial County, the Marines said in a statement Thursday."We mourn the...

Un Marine Osprey se estrella cerca de Glamis; al menos 4 muertos
SAN DIEGO — Un MV-22B Osprey del Cuerpo de Marines se estrelló el miércoles en Glamis, en el condado de Imperial, según informaron los Marines en un comunicado."Podemos confirmar que un avión...

Marine Osprey crashes near Glamis; at least 4 reported dead
A Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey with five Marines onboard crashed near Glamis in Imperial County on Wednesday, the Marines said in a statement.The aircraft was based at Marine Corps Air...

Defense rests in ‘Fat Leonard’ bribery trial
The defense on Tuesday rested its case in the high-profile “Fat Leonard” trial, closing months of testimony and evidence presented in the case of five former U.S. Navy officers charged...

Marine pilot receives Distinguished Flying Cross for safely landing after 2020 mid-air collision with F-35
SAN DIEGO — The Marine Corps pilot who safely landed a KC-130J tanker in a California field after a mid-air collision with an F-35B in 2020 received the highest military aviation award...

The ‘Fat Leonard’ scandal ended Navy careers. But many names of those involved were kept secret
One night in 2011, two Navy captains disembarked from the San Diego-based aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and hit the town in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. They ate, drank and enjoyed the...

New San Diego ‘Navy mayor’ takes over as prior leader heads to Hawaii base facing spill crisis
SAN DIEGO — San Diego has its second new "Navy mayor" in less than a year as the service's installation command shuffles its leaders amid an environmental crisis in Hawaii.Rear . Brad...

Navy ramps up research and development of unmanned war vessels
A new unmanned vessel division established by the San Diego-based Naval Surface Forces will expand the services' testing and operation of unmanned surface ships in Southern California, the Navy announced...

Navy master chief under investigation after appearing in YouTube child sex sting video
CORONADO — A Coronado-based Navy master chief is under investigation by the service after he was caught allegedly trying to meet a 14-year-old-boy for sex at a Lemon Grove grocery store in...

Accidente mortal de un helicoptero de la Marina en portaaviones fue causado por pieza averiada
SAN DIEGO — El accidente mortal de un helicóptero MH-60S Seahawk de la Marina tras aterrizar en el portaaviones Abraham Lincoln el verano pasado fue causado por un componente dañado en el...

Fatal Navy helicopter crash on carrier flight deck caused by damaged rotor component
SAN DIEGO — The fatal crash of a Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter after landing on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln last summer was caused by a damaged component in the aircraft's rotor,...

Submarine school commander at Naval Base Point Loma is fired amid investigation
The commander of Submarine Training Facility San Diego at Naval Base Point Loma has been fired after less than a year on the job.Cmdr. Jared Severson was relieved of command...

San Diego submarine school commander fired amid investigation
SAN DIEGO — The commander of Naval Submarine Training Facility San Diego was fired after less than a year on the job, the Navy announced Friday.Cmdr. Jared Severson was relieved of command...

Navy secretary pulls sexual harassment investigative authority from unit commanders
Unit commanders in the Navy and Marine Corps will no longer have investigative authority over sexual harassment allegations, according to a department-wide message sent Friday by Navy Secretary Carlos Del...

San Diego special operations sailor dies training with Marines in Hawaii
SAN DIEGO — A San Diego-based explosive ordnance disposal and dive officer died Sunday during training at a Hawaii Marine Corps base, the Navy said Wednesday.Lt. j.g. Aaron Fowler became unresponsive during...

After 2-year pandemic hiatus, 2022 Miramar Air Show cleared for takeoff, Marines say
SAN DIEGO — The twice-canceled annual Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show is back on for 2022, the base announced Tuesday.The Miramar Air Show is the largest military air show in...

Tow-truck driver injured on I-805 when SUV crashed into disabled vehicle on shoulder
NATIONAL CITY — A tow-truck driver was injured in a crash Sunday afternoon while he was assisting a stranded motorist on the side of a freeway, according to the California Highway...

Trial for sailor accused of burning Bonhomme Richard set for September in San Diego
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego-based sailor charged with arson in connection to the devastating 2020 fire on the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard will stand trial this September, the Navy announced...

Renombraran el VA Medical Center en honor a la capitana Jennifer Moreno, enfermera de la Army
El presidente Joe Biden firmó el lunes una ley que cambia el nombre del centro médico de Asuntos de Veteranos de San Diego en honor a la capitana Jennifer Moreno,...

Biden signs bill renaming VA Medical Center for fallen San Diego Army nurse Capt. Jennifer Moreno
President Joe Biden signed legislation Monday renaming the Veterans Affairs medical center in San Diego in honor of Capt. Jennifer Moreno, an Army nurse killed in 2013 during a Special...

San Diego sailor charged in ship fire arraigned; attorneys request late summer trial date
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego sailor charged with setting the devastating fire on the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard began Thursday was arraigned Thursday in a Navy courtroom just 1,000 feet...

Firefighters cut roof off SUV to rescue driver after Clairemont rollover
SAN DIEGO — San Diego Fire-Rescue firefighters cut the roof off of an SUV early Sunday to rescue a man trapped inside after the vehicle went off the freeway and rolled over,...

Man injured after running into street, getting hit by car in City Heights
SAN DIEGO — A 22-year-old man suffered a brain bleed and other non life-threatening injuries early Sunday morning when he ran into a street and was hit by a car in City...

The Navy is training for a possible fight with China. Does Russia’s war make that more likely?
SAN DIEGO — For much of the past year, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific have trained for a conflict with the Pentagon's most powerful potential adversary, China.Now the invasion...

Navy recovers crashed F-35C jet from bottom of South China Sea
A stealthy U.S. Navy fighter has been recovered from the bottom of the South China Sea after crashing into the deck of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and splashing into...

Elected officials in San Diego declare for Afghan refugee bill
San Diego political leaders and of the volunteer coalition working to help Afghans leave their war-torn country called for federal legislation to help thousands of evacuees gain legal permanent...

Navy to court-martial sailor accused of starting fire that destroyed Bonhomme Richard
SAN DIEGO — A 20-year-old sailor will face a military trial on charges he deliberately set the fire that destroyed a $1.2 billion warship on the San Diego waterfront in 2020, the...

Top enlisted Marine on West Coast fired
CAMP PENDLETON — The senior enlisted leader of Camp Pendleton-based I Marine Expeditionary Force was relieved of his duties Tuesday by I MEF commanding general Lt. Gen. George Smith, the Marines said...

Reporter Notebook: Wi-Fi at sea boosts Navy morale but leaked crash videos raise concerns
SAN DIEGO — Long months at sea lost a bit of their loneliness for Navy sailors in recent years, with improved electronic access to the outside world.Gone are the days of letters...

Aircraft carrier commander fired over coronavirus outbreak warning is reportedly set to retire
The former captain of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt — fired from command after sounding the alarm on an out-of-control coronavirus outbreak on board in 2020 — will retire from...

Aircraft carrier Carl Vinson returns to San Diego after 8-month deployment
ON BOARD THE USS CARL VINSON — An eight-month deployment came to a roaring conclusion Monday morning for the thousands of sailors on board the nuclear aircraft carrier Carl Vinson as the...

Marines’ new amphibious transport put through paces at Japan-U.S. Camp Pendleton exercise
Camp Pendleton — An annual t exercise involving the Marine Corps and the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force proved an opportunity for the U.S. service to prepare its newest amphibious vehicle for a...

Cold War-era Soviet sub towed from San Diego, bound for Mexico scrapyard
SAN DIEGO — A rusty retired Soviet attack submarine that had been on display at San Diego's Maritime Museum since 2005 was towed out of San Diego on Sunday, presumably on its...

Navy identifies SEAL trainee who died after ‘Hell Week’
CORONADO — The name of the sailor who died just after completing Navy SEAL training's notorious "Hell Week" was released by the military Sunday.Seaman Kyle Mullen, 24, died at Sharp Coronado Hospital...

‘I don’t think we’re going to get justice.’ Marine families anguish over hearings into fatal sinking
CAMP PENDLETON — Aleta Bath sat alone in the back of a Camp Pendleton military courtroom, shaking her head as a lawyer explained to three Marine Corps officers why his client was...

Marines investigate reservist for alleged link to White supremacist group
SAN DIEGO — A San Diego-based Marine Corps reservist is under investigation by the Marines after hip interviews with a White supremacist hate group were leaked by activists and highlighted in a...

Navy says it will recover F-35 lost at sea in crash on Carl Vinson; flight operations resume
The U.S. Navy will recover an F-35C fighter from the bottom of the South China Sea after it crashed into the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson Monday,...