Baseball and the military have been closely linked in Pensacola for more than a century. As America went to war in the 1940s, many professional baseball players enlisted in the armed forces and formed amateur clubs while in Pensacola for training. Pensacola’s Air Base All-Star Team, featuring many of the best players from auxiliary base squads, played a traveling series to benefit morale for military personnel. Pensacola’s previous professional baseball teams, like the Pilots, Fliers and Angels, referenced the area’s status as the Cradle of Naval Aviation.

The Blue Wahoos played a “Turn Back the Clock” game as the Ted Williams-led Bronson Bombers in 2022 and unveiled a concourse graphic showing Pensacola’s Navy baseball history. Since 2023, the Blue Wahoos have worn aviation call signs on the backs of their jerseys on Military Appreciation Night.