{"id":11574,"date":"2025-09-24T11:46:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T19:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelcostamesa.com\/blog\/?p=11574"},"modified":"2025-10-16T13:39:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T21:39:21","slug":"veterans-day-in-costa-mesa-heritage-heroes-and-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelcostamesa.com\/blog\/veterans-day-in-costa-mesa-heritage-heroes-and-history","title":{"rendered":"Veteran\u2019s Day in Costa Mesa: Heritage, Heroes, and History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you picture the OC Fairgrounds<\/a> in Costa Mesa, your mind probably goes to the sizzle and scent of fryers and grills, the bass of live music at the Pacific Amphitheatre, or the Ferris wheel towering overhead. But the land has a longer, deeper story\u2014one that makes Veteran\u2019s Day in Costa Mesa especially meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long before the rides and music, the site was home to the Santa Ana Army Air Base (SAAAB). Starting in 1942, SAAAB saw thousands of cadets at the base in pre-flight training before heading overseas. In 1944, SAAAB became the Army Air Force (AAF) Personnel Distribution Command. In 1946, the base was decommissioned, though in the 1950s it was briefly used as a guided missile training facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the service members who trained at SAAAB or worked at AAF returned to Orange County after the war\u2019s end, and they helped develop the area into the beautiful, thriving community it is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n