MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) — Ladies, get ready to grab a sailor! The U.S. Navy has charted its course and is scheduled to arrive in Houston for Navy Week, Oct. 17 through 23.
Houston Navy Week is planned to be held in conjunction with the Wings over Houston Airshow, featuring the Navy’s Blue Angels, and is designed to give area residents an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people and its importance to national security and prosperity.
“Our Sailors are extremely excited to visit Houston and showcase just a small portion of our Navy’s capabilities to the American public,” said Lt. David Carter, lead planner for Houston Navy Week. “The pride and professionalism they’ll display is just a snapshot of the larger U.S. Navy force that stands ready daily to carry out our nation’s work across the globe.”
Navy weeks focus a variety of outreach assets, equipment and personnel on a single city for a week-long series of engagements with key influencers and organizations representing all sectors of the market.
“It is an honor and privilege to participate in Houston Navy Week in the great state of Texas,” said Rear Adm. Thomas Ishee, deputy commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Global Strike. “In this challenging global environment, I believe it is important to share some of the great work our Sailors are doing to protect America from attack and preserve America’s strategic influence in key regions of the world.”
U.S. Navy’s parachute team the Leap Frogs, Navy Band Southeast’s musical groups, USS Houston and USS George H.W. Bush Sailors, Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Houston personnel and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit 11 will all be participating in Houston’s Navy Week.
“This is my first time being a part of a Navy Week and my first time visiting Houston,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Louis Velarde, assigned to EOD Mobile Unit 11. “I am looking forward to sharing EOD’s capabilities with Houston and seeing the city and what it has to offer.”
Throughout the Navy Week, EOD Mobile Unit 11 has scheduled Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics demonstrations showcasing their robot capabilities at local high schools, Boys and Girl’s clubs and the Wings over Houston Airshow.
Along with the demonstrations from EOD Mobile Unit 11, Sailors from USS Houston, USS George H.W. Bush and NOSC Houston are scheduled to participate in community relation events at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston National Cemetery, Habitat for Humanity and various area high schools.
While some Sailors are scheduled to participate in various community outreach efforts, Navy Band Southeast Sailors plan to give musical performances at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, Houston Community College, USS Texas Monument as well as local area high schools.
Navy medical leaders will also be meeting with local area medical staff and veteran affairs personnel throughout the week to illustrate Navy Medicine’s capabilities.
“It’s an honor to participate in Houston Navy Week and be able to share Navy Medicine’s role in keeping the Navy and Marine Corps family healthy, ready and on the job,” said Rear Adm. Kenneth Iverson, commander, Navy Medicine East.
The Leap Frogs are also scheduled to jump into action on Friday and Saturday at the Manvel vs. Texas City High School and Rice University vs. Prairie View A&M University football games.
Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s signature outreach effort into areas of the country which do not have a significant Navy presence, with 181 Navy Weeks being held in 68 different U.S. cities.
Houston Navy Week is the 14th of 15 Navy Weeks in 2016 that focus a variety of assets, equipment and personnel on a single city for a week-long series of engagements designed to bring America’s Navy closer to the people it protects.
For more information and a full schedule of events, visit http://www.outreach.navy.mil.
For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.
