Sailors from Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) San Diego helped kick off this year’s Major League Baseball season opening day contest between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park, March 28.

16 Sailors from IWTC San Diego teamed up on the playing field with over 300 Sailors from 35 commands around the San Diego area before the first pitch was thrown to unfurl and hold a 900-pound American flag as San Diego native, Brian Justin Crum, performed the national anthem. Four F/A-18 Hornets from Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 (VMFAT 101), the “Sharpshooters,” conducted a flyover of the baseball stadium as the anthem concluded.

“I volunteered to be here today because it is important to take the opportunity to display our nation’s flag at a great event like this,” offered Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Justin Meisner. “As a Sailor in the United States Navy, our country’s ensign has a special meaning to me, and it represents the sacrifices made by current and former members of all branches in our military. The unfurling provided a great way of promoting esprit de corps within our ranks and was a very rewarding experience, especially as a baseball fan.”

Before the seventh-inning stretch, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Yarrick Sharod Conner sang "God Bless America." Sailors on-hand for the game were able to watch the Padres emerge as victors, as the home team went on to win by a score of 2-0 while four-time All-Star Manny Machado made his much-anticipated debut. 

“Participating in this ceremony took me back to the day that I raised my right hand and took the oath of enlistment," said Cryptologic Technician 1st Class (Maintenance) Thomas Koch. “Walking into a stadium with over 40,000 cheering fans on a beautiful day embodies the values that make our country the greatest on Earth.”

IWTC San Diego, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), provides a continuum of training to Navy and joint service personnel that prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT is recognized as Naval Education and Training Command’s top learning center for the past three years. Training over 21,000 students every year, CIWT delivers trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.

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