When George Leone began thinking about America’s 250th birthday in 2026, the retired New Jersey Superior Court judge and former Philadelphia assistant district attorney did not want to see Philly blow its chance in the spotlight.

So, the South Jersey native and son of a World War II Naval officer started planning a party of his own. One that could jump-start Philadelphia’s celebrations of the Semiquincentennial, as the national milestone is called, while honoring the service and sacrifice of veterans everywhere.

That weeklong bash, a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, both founded in Philly in 1775, is now a reality.

Known as Homecoming 250 — and running from Oct. 9, 2025 to Oct. 16, 2025 — the event will serve as a grand inaugural for Philadelphia’s 250th celebrations. Festivities will include a grand parade of ships on the Delaware River, ship tours, balls, concerts, commemorations, and family events. There will be a historical symposium on Naval and Marine Corps’ history hosted by the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University and a special preview screening of filmmaker Ken Burns’ forthcoming documentary, “The American Revolution.”

As of now, Leone anticipates eight visiting Navy vessels and two Coast Guard cutters to dock alongside the three historic ships anchored along the Philly and Camden waterfronts, which all together will represent nearly every American war. Scores of military brass — including every living Secretary of the Navy dating back to President Lyndon Johnson — and as many as 300,000 people are expected to attend Homecoming 250.

The event that Leone, 67, of Haddonfield, and a dedicated band of dozens of veterans and volunteers began organizing from scratch five years ago, is planned as the largest Semiquincentennial event honoring the military and veterans in the nation.

“It’s been a wonderful experience to see how people can come together for an event that reminds us what unites us,” Leone said.

The event

After parading up the Delaware, some of the visiting ships will moor alongside the Cruiser Olympia and Submarine Becuna in Penn’s Landing and the Battleship New Jersey in Camden. Other ships will berth at the Navy Yard and the Holt Logistics Corp shipyard in Gloucester City.

There will also be replicas of Revolutionary War ships, including the one General George Washington used to for his Delaware River Crossing. Leone is hoping to fund the construction of a temporary replica of a Civil War Naval ship.

“It will be a tremendous display of Naval history,” he said.

The week will also feature flyovers by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, an Independence Hall ceremony to commemorate the official founding of the Navy, a United States Navy Band concert, and a Navy gala.

Leone, who also sits on the board of a nonprofit rebuilding The Tun, said the October events will be followed by a Nov. 10 celebration marking the official founding of the Marines, including a Marine Corps ball. A portion of Second Street, near Market, will likely be closed for the party since the bar itself may not yet be completed, he said

Leone said he hopes Homecoming 250 can seize the Semiquincentennial spotlight for Philadelphia.

“So that when people think about the Semiquincentennial, they think of where the nation got started,” he said.

Back to 1775

The Navy was founded twice — both times in Philly.

The Second Continental Congress, meeting at Independence Hall, founded a Continental Navy in October 1775. Deemed too expensive, it was disbanded after the Revolutionary War. The founders again formed a National Navy in 1794 to deal with Barbary Pirates.

The United States Marine Corps was founded on Nov. 10, 1775, and traces its roots to its first recruiting station: The Tun, a tavern in Old City.

By 2023, Leone had garnered the support of the Navy and Marine Corps’ leadership, the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware congressional delegations, and the state’s governors and state legislatures.

Earlier this month, as part of a larger package supporting the Semiquincentennial, Philadelphia City Council approved $500,000 in funding for Homecoming 250. That money matched a grant by the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial. The Homecoming 250 Navy & Marine Corps nonprofit has raised over $4 million.

“We have an opportunity to roll out the red carpet for veterans and military members and set the stage for America’s 250th,” said Michael Newmuis, Philadelphia’s 2026 director. “For a week in October, all eyes will be on us.”

How it came together

Leone only embarked on his legal career after vision problems kept him from following in the service of his father, Joseph Leone, who hunted German submarines as a Naval flier in World War II.

After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School in 1982, George Leone clerked for Judge James Hunter III, a WWII veteran, who sat on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Camden.

“It was clear that even though he was just below the Supreme Court, the most important thing he had ever done was be a Marine Corps’ officer,” said Leone.

After retiring from the New Jersey Superior Court in Camden, Leone was teaching law at Rutgers University-Camden in 2020 when he and other volunteers began organizing Homecoming 250.

“I have managed to create a full-time unpaid job for myself,” he joked.

He began by gathering calling past Secretaries of the Navy, including John Lehman Jr., a Philadelphia native who served in the post from 1981 to 1987, under President Ronald Reagan.

Lehman, who lives in Bucks County, quickly signed on.

“It was time to remind people of the history of Philadelphia and the key role it played in the founding of our military,” said Lehman. “Both Naval and Marine Corps history is woven in Philadelphia.”

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