San Diego community celebrates U.S. Marine Corps’ 250th birthday

SAN DIEGO (NBC, KYMA) - A celebration of the U.S. Marine Corps' 250th anniversary took place Monday at the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

Some might say the ringing of America's Freedom Bell was the highlight of the day, but for many, it was meeting Sgt. Max Gurney, a 104-year-old World War II Veteran.

Honoring services, like Sgt. Gurney's, was really what Monday's ceremony and Tuesday's Veteran's Day is all about.

The event, hosted by the Air and Space Museum and the Spirit of Liberty Foundation, marked the 250th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps, with the Freedom Bell, a replica of the Declaration of Independence and cake.

"It's a chance to say thank you. All hug each other. Realizing the importance of what those Veterans have done for us for 250 years and will continue to do so and to think every so often very fondly of those people who are currently deployed," said Jim Kidrick, CEO of the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

"They're out there in the middle of nowhere. They're going to spend Christmas there away from their families," Kidrick added.

Many of the people at the ceremony will be on a float Tuesday at San Diego's annual Veterans Day Parade.