By Lt. Caroline Ready, U.S. Navy, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Millington, TN (NNS) – The U.S. Navy is preparing to bring a Navy Week to Wilmington, N.C. during the week of April 10-16, as the fifth Navy Week of the calendar year.
Wilmington Navy Week will bring between 50 and 75 Sailors from across the nation to volunteer throughout the community and discuss why the Navy matters to Wilmington. This will be the second Navy Week hosted by Wilmington and the surrounding communities. The program last visited Wilmington in 2019.
Wilmington Navy Week will feature in-person demonstrations, performances, and engagements throughout the week that will include:
- Senior Navy Leaders – Flag officer and senior civilian Navy leaders with ties to Wilmington and the surrounding area.
- Namesake Sailors – Sailors serving on USS North Carolina (SSN 777), a Virginia-class fast attack submarine.
- U.S. Navy Band Southeast -Performances and masterclasses with Navy Musicians.
- Naval History and Heritage Command – Educational presentations and lesson plans about the deep ties between North Carolina and the Navy.
- USS Constitution – Demonstrations about the oldest commissioned ship in the Navy.
- Navy Expeditionary Combat Command – Educational STEM presentations and fitness demonstrations by technicians, medics, and divers.
- U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command – Educational presentation on the importance of atmospheric and oceanographic science and the overall value of STEM education to the Navy.
Navy Weeks are the service’s signature outreach program, designed to allow the citizens of Wilmington to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity. The Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) coordinates Navy Weeks.
“We are excited to bring Navy Week to Wilmington,” said NAVCO’s director, Cmdr. Anthony Falvo. “Seapower and America’s Navy are more important now than ever before. The U.S. Navy remains our nation’s most powerful instrument of military influence and Navy Weeks allow us to showcase how the Navy serves America at sea, in the air, and ashore.”
Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort to regions without a significant Navy presence, with over 250 Navy Weeks held in more than 80 different U.S. markets.
“We coordinate about 75 outreach events during a Navy Week through corporate, civic, government, education, media, veterans, and community service engagements,” said NAVCO Navy Week program manager Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Chambers. “We are looking forward to another great year of engagements and bringing the Navy to every corner of the United States.”
For more information on Wilmington Navy Week, contact Lt. Caroline Ready at (910) 915-6386 or [email protected].
