Avenue of Heroes: Sheryll Lynn Elston

Prepared by: Sheryll Lynn Elston (self)

Sheryll Lynn Bulmer is a Coronadan by birthright. She was born in 1952 at the clinic on North Island to Robert and Joanne Bulmer. Although she was only two years old when she left Coronado, she has had family living in the city since the 1940s. Growing up as a Navy dependent, she lived near Naval Stations up and down the coasts before attending Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. While at Stephens, she realized that her future was in the Navy. Sheryll transferred to the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where she met with Navy Recruiters and signed up for the Women’s Officer School’s Junior Program.

Sheryll began her naval career in Newport, Rhode Island. Her class was the first co-ed class to attend Officer Candidate School, setting a standard for future training. She married ENS Gilbert Elston and reported to her first duty station, the Atlantic Operational Support Facility in Norfolk, Virginia. ENS Sheryll Elston received temporary duty orders to CINCLANTFLT to assist with the change of command ceremony. She then returned to her duties as Atlantic Operational Support Facility training officer.

LTJG Elston was then transferred to Commander Operational Test & Evaluation Force. She was administrative assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff and qualified to stand watch as the Duty Officer for the command. Her career then transitioned to the Reserves.

As a reservist, LT Elston drilled at Naval Air Station Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, where she became qualified as an Intelligence Officer and changed from an Unrestricted to a Restricted Line Officer, Intelligence. She would rotate to serve as the Administrative Officer of a Fleet Intelligence Europe & Atlantic unit, the Executive Officer of a Defense Intelligence Agency unit, and Commanding Officer of an Office of Naval Intelligence unit. She also served on the Reserve Intelligence Area 16 staff before retiring as a Captain, with 22 years, in the Fleet Reserve.

After relocating to Virginia for her husband’s work, Sheryll worked for Hallmark as an assistant store manager, then as an office assistant for the College of William & Mary Foundation. Her two children, Joanne and Christopher, would follow in the family footsteps as well, serving in the Navy.

The Avenue of Heroes military service recognition program is sponsored by the City of Coronado. Introduced in 2014, the program has honored 261 hometown heroes to date. On May 18, 2024, another 16 were honored. City staff and volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association and Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association oversee its operation.

In 2011, the program was inspired spontaneously with the movement of two Navy SEALs to their final resting place. News spread quickly and the local Rotary Club passed out American flags. People lined Fourth Street to honor the fallen service members. As the procession approached the Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood at attention, saluting as he waited for the passage of his comrades. That moment made clear that Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

That spontaneous beginning launched the program in May 2015 with 18 banners. The Avenue of Heroes is a reminder that Coronado has a rich history and legacy of service to the country.