Avenue of Heroes: Peter Manx Moriarty

Prepared by: Marcia Karadashian (daughter)

Peter “Pete” Manx Moriarty was born in 1929 in Indianapolis and spent his early years in Annapolis, Maryland. He attended and graduated from St. Paul’s School for Boys in Baltimore. When Pete was 12 years old, the United States entered World War II. During his early teenage years, he often complained to his mother that he had been born too late to join the military and defend his country.

After graduating high school, he enlisted in the Navy as a midshipman. While awaiting active duty, he attended Duke University. Pete was called to active duty in 1949 and was commissioned as an ensign in 1951.

Pete had dreamed of being a Navy pilot since he was a young boy – he even earned his pilot’s license before getting his driver’s license!

In February 1952, Pete married Susan Bush at the North Island Chapel. The newlyweds spent their first few months living in an apartment on Orange Avenue in Coronado. In June 1952, Pete boarded the USS Essex for a Korean deployment.

On Oct. 17, 1952, Pete was covering the rescue of a downed pilot over North Korea when he was shot down. He bailed out of his AD-4 Skyraider and landed in a field, where Korean farmers fired at him. He successfully evaded the farmers and approaching soldiers while under fire and was rescued by a helicopter. At the time, he was one of only five Navy pilots shot down by enemy fire in Korea who returned to tell the tale. Their story was featured in the February 1953 edition of Naval Aviation News, which referred to them as the “Lucky 5.” Pete received a Purple Heart for the mission.

Pete’s flight jacket and the story of the “Lucky 5” are on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

In 1966, Pete, Susan and their five children were living on Alameda Boulevard in Coronado while Pete served as the safety officer and special weapons pilot for his attack squadron aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard. During this assignment, he completed several tours to Vietnam.

Pete’s final assignment was at the Fleet Logistics Center in Point Loma. His distinguished military career was cut short by his untimely death in 1973.

The Avenue of Heroes military service recognition program is sponsored by the City of Coronado. Introduced in 2014, the program has honored 293 hometown heroes to date. On May 17, 2025, another 16 were honored. City staff and dedicated volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association and the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association oversee its operation.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Avenue of Heroes program – ten years of telling the stories of courage, sacrifice, and service that are woven into the fabric of Coronado.

The inspiration for the program emerged in 2011, when the community spontaneously came together to honor the passage of two fallen 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 solemn 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: Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

That spontaneous beginning launched the program in May 2015 with 18 banners. Since then, the Avenue of Heroes has served as a powerful reminder of Coronado’s deep military roots and legacy of service.