Sal Herrera: Serving on the USS Midway Museum

The USS Midway Museum Safety Department provides physical security for the museum with a crew at each entrance and exit. The crew examines the contents of any carry on bags or containers entering guests bring with them. One member of the Safety Department is Salvador “Sal” Herrera. 
Salvador’s grandparents were born in New Mexico, in an area that used to be Mexico but became a part of the United States after many treaties. Sal’s grandparents used to remind Salvador that they didn’t cross they border, but that the U.S. border crossed them. Sal’s grandparents later moved to Los Angeles, this was nearly a century ago! 
Salvador’s father and mother worked in defense plants in Los Angeles during World War II. Salvador was born in 1945, two months after the USS Midway’s commissioning, and grew up in Los Angeles delivering newspapers as a boy. In high school he tired of squeezing his full name into the narrow spaces on forms, so he started signing his name as “Sal” and it stuck. 
After four years as a Navy Electronic Technician repairing and maintaining shipboard communications equipment, Sal was discharged as a petty officer in September of 1968. He then worked 40 years, with perfect attendance, for the U.S. Postal Service. Sal married his wife Olivia in July of 1971 and moved their family to San Diego in 1978. Sal and Olivia have three children and 12 grandchildren. “When we have a family get-together, it’s a reunion—we don’t need anyone else,” Sal says. 
Sal is a staunch supporter and advocate for Hispanics and the Military. During his Postal Service employment, he was involved in evening and weekend job fairs and seminars directed to hiring military members and Latinos. 
Herrera has also been involved in youth sports most of his life as a board member, manager, coach, and umpire in baseball and soccer. Sal continues his coaching legacy as the head coach of his grandchildren’s baseball and soccer teams. He’s been a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose for over 25 years and is in their Clown Club, providing fun and laughter for children at charity events and parades. 
In 2007, Sal was umpiring baseball when a fellow umpire asked him to join him in the Safety Department aboard the USS Midway Museum. He came on board the USS Midway on Halloween of that year and, seeing the entire staff in costume, the atmosphere of fun appealed to him and he joined the red-shirts. 
Sal became a Safety Lead in 2012 and takes great pride in his post. “One difference as a Lead is that I work all day instead of a four-hour shift; I like the responsibility of that,” shared Sal. 
When not working as a Lead or Team Member, Sal specializes on ship-board events, some held at night after the museum is closed. These events include banquets, parties, concerts, movies, or Fourth of July fireworks on the flight deck. Daytime ceremonies include military retirements, promotions, commissionings, changes of command, and memorials for the deceased. These events  require extra work to keep the general public guests and event participants safe. Recent events on board the USS Midway  which Sal was involved with include an Olympic Water Polo press conference and an Olympic archery demonstration for USA teams that competed in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. 
The Safety Department also provides liaison with first responders, such as the San Diego Fire Department and the Harbor Police Department. They hold frequent drills and practice sessions aboard Midway Museum. 
One of the most interesting exercises is where a patient is trolleyed from the ship’s superstructure to the flight deck and transferred to a gurney for removal from the ship. Safety  then“directs traffic” to clear a passage for first responders when they come aboard and exit. 
Sal recalls an unusual event in preparation for a local television station’s high school football awards  banquet. The Famous San Diego Chicken mascot was filmed with the trophy dashing through various passageways throughout the day. Sal made sure the filming route was clear and safe so that all went as planned. The edited video was projected the night of the banquet and it appeared that the Chicken had just dashed into the hangar carrying the trophy onto the stage in time for the award. 
Sal currently has over 12,500 hours of volunteer work aboard USS Midway Museum. “It has been my pleasure to volunteer my time to enhance the Midway,” says Sal. He tries to do 100 hours per month, which is extraordinary and greatly appreciated by all!