Avenue of Heroes: Edward S. Pietrzak Jr.

Prepared by: Eddie Pietrzak (son)

CDR Edward Stanley Pietrzak, Jr. was born in 1935 in rural Pine Island, New York and graduated from Warwick High School in 1952, lettering in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He earned a business degree from Drexel in 1956, where he met his future wife of 56 years, Marilyn Murray. Immediately after graduation, “Big Ed” entered Officer Candidate School at NAS Pensacola, Florida, earning his Navy Wings of Gold.

CDR Pietrzak’s 21-year career as a naval aviator began as one of the last of the blimp pilots, flying the ZPG-3W airship with Airborne Early Warning Squadron ZP-1 at NAS Lakehurst, New Jersey. When the Navy’s “gas-bag” squadrons were disestablished in 1961, CDR Pietrzak transitioned into the S-2F Tracker (“Stoof”), joining Anti-Submarine Squadron VS-28 at NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island. There, he patrolled the North Atlantic aboard the USS Wasp (CVS-18), searching for Soviet submarines and overseeing Gemini space-capsule recoveries.

CDR Pietrzak’s next duty station was NAS North Island, flying the E-1BTracer (“Willy Fudd” or “Stoof with a Roof”), joining All-Weather Squadron VAW-111 for a combat deployment to Vietnam aboard the USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14), leaving North Island on Dec. 28, 1967. Merry Christmas, indeed!

After returning to Coronado, Pietrzak rejoined Marilyn and their two growing boys, Eddie and Michael, serving a tour of duty at NAS Miramar on the staff of the Adversary Squadron. The Vietnam War was far away but far from over, so a second combat deployment was in store, this time aboard the USS Hancock (CVA-19) as Officer-in- Charge of his detachment of Willy Fudds, at sea for most of 1972.

CDR Pietrzak’s final billet before retiring in 1977 was as Executive Officer of Fleet Area Control Surveillance Facility at NAS North Island, a quick commute from the modest Coronado home he and Marilyn had purchased for a song in 1967.

CDR Pietrzak’s military decorations include the Bronze Star, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” for Valor, Air Medal with five Gold Stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Gold Palm Leaf, and several other campaign medals. We honor CDR Pietrzak’s selfless sacrifice, and we remain eternally grateful for his faithful service to our nation. HUZZAH!

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.