Avenue of Heroes: Fred Eckert

Prepared by partner Suzanne Manuel

Raised in New Jersey, Fred Eckert was 14 when he got his first job working alongside migrant farm workers. With the Vietnam draft in full swing, he joined the Navy after graduating from Trenton State Teachers College in 1971 to become a Naval Aviator. At Officer Candidate School, only 12 of 48 students in his class graduated under the watch of Marine drill instructors determined to weed out draft avoiders.

After earning his wings, Eckert spent two years in Norfolk as a communications watch officer before moving to the West Coast. In 1973, he qualified on the SH-2F Seasprite. For the next six years he deployed flying the SH-2F and instructing others while serving with the Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light (HSL) 31 and HSL 35.

In 1981, LCDR Eckert qualified on the UH-1 Huey and embarked aboard the USS New Orleans as a search-and-rescue pilot. As the only NATOPS qualified officer, he flew nearly every flight over the next two and a half years.

Returning to anti-submarine warfare, Eckert joined HSL 33 at NAS North Island, deploying to the Indian Ocean. During one deployment, the detachment helicopter crashed, losing both pilots. Eckert led the integration of a replacement aircraft and crew during an extended stay in the Maldives.

LCDR Eckert later served as a staff officer at Antisubmarine Warfare Wing Pacific before his final assignment as operations officer at the Weapons and Advanced Tactics School. There, he championed the training and teaching of enemy weapons systems, to better prepare pilots for combat.

After retiring from the Navy, Fred transitioned into the title business and dedicated himself to community service. Recognized regionally as an Outstanding Eagle Scout, he continues to help others and “do good turns.” He has served our community as a board member of Friends of Children United Society, the Coronado Schools Foundation, and the Coronado Chamber of Commerce. He is also active in the Coronado Rotary Club, Coronado Real Estate Association, and Military Officers Association. Known in town as the longtime emcee of Coronado’s holiday parade and tree lighting, he is on a first-name basis with Santa Claus.

Fred and his late wife, Susan, raised six children in Coronado.

The Avenue of Heroes military service recognition program is sponsored by the City of Coronado. Established in 2014, the program has honored 309 hometown heroes to date, with another 14 to be recognized on November 1, 2025. City staff and dedicated volunteers from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association, and the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association oversee the program’s operation.

The program was inspired in 2011, when the Coronado community spontaneously came together to honor the passage of two Navy SEALs to their final resting place. As news spread, members of the local Rotary Club handed out American flags, and residents lined Fourth Street in tribute. As the procession neared the Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood at attention, saluting his fallen comrades. In that moment, it became clear that Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

That moment inspired the City to formalize the program, which officially launched in May 2015 with 18 banners. Since then, the Avenue of Heroes has served as a lasting reminder of Coronado’s deep military roots and enduring legacy of service.

In 2014, Coronado resident Toni McGowan, a devoted advocate for honoring local military members, helped transform the idea into a lasting tradition. Her tireless efforts led the City to designate State Route 282—Third and Fourth streets from Orange Avenue to Naval Air Station North Island—as the “Coronado Avenue of Heroes” and to adopt the companion banner ceremony.

McGowan also worked with the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association and other partners to have the Avenue of Heroes designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway, a tribute to the nation’s Armed Forces. The State of California granted this designation in January 2017. Although McGowan passed away in 2019, her dedication and vision continue to inspire the program today.