SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The USS Midway Museum is marking a milestone this weekend, celebrating both the aircraft carrier’s 80th birthday and San Diego's diverse cultural heritage.

For Pha Le, who works with the museum, the celebration is personal.

“We escaped from Vietnam on a boat in 1982. We had to leave my two brothers behind and we reunited with them after 10 years of separation,” Le said.

Le, an emergency physician, has lived in San Diego for years and volunteers with Honor Flight San Diego. He says the Midway has played a big role in his community work.

“I’ve been part of Honor Flight San Diego now for 12 years, and that’s what brought me to the USS Midway Museum,” he said.

Commissioned in 1945, the USS Midway served as one of the Navy’s longest-running aircraft carriers, seein

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