Sailors Visit Children During San Antonio Navy Week

By Chief Mass Communication Specialist L.A. Shively, Navy Office of Community Outreach

April 18, 2010 - SAN ANTONIO (NNS) -- Navy units around San Antonio visited children and teens as part as San Antonio Navy Week, which started April 14.

Sailors from Navy Recruiting District (NRD) San Antonio delivered ball caps, toy bears and told sea stories brightening the rainy morning for several children and their families at Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital, as part of the Caps for Kids program.

Later in the afternoon, conversation about school and the future mingled with laughter and music at the Boys and Girls Club of San Antonio, where Sailors from NRD, Naval Medical Research Unit - San Antonio (NMRUSA), and Naval Medical Training Command (NMTC), Ft. Sam Houston, visited teens at the teen center.

"I was surprised" said 13-year-old Venus Perez who admitted never seeing a Sailor in uniform before.

Traditionally San Antonio has been an Army and Air Force town, but with the opening of the Medical Education and Training Center on Ft. Sam Houston, an influx of several thousand Sailors is expected to continue over the next two years.

Now that she's met several Sailors, Perez said she liked the Navy, but was leaning toward basketball. Several teens said they were surprised that careers in flying and music were available in the Navy.

"I think it's a wonderful thing," said Chief Hospital Corpsman Ferdinand Ajel, who is currently with NMTC. He said visiting teens was also surprising for him.

"At first I didn't know what we were going to do," he thought he was volunteering to build or paint – a more typical project. "I like that we can interact with the kids."

He said he talked about traveling and seeing places outside of his hometown as a Sailor and that the time he spent with these teens will help him at home.

"I have to talk to my own kids too. They are going to be real-life stories and that's what we've got going on here. I'm finding ways to reach [teens at the center] and it will be good for my own family," Ajel said.

Coming into the community and seeing Sailors gives kids an opportunity to think about their options in life said Capt. Vincent DeInnocentiis, commanding officer for NMRUSA.

"It helps them know they can do anything they want to do and that the Navy is an option. They don't have to stay in one place or listen to others telling them they can't do this or that."

A lot of us came from similar backgrounds DeInnocentiis stressed, and bringing Sailors into the community shows kids they can get an education and grow up to be somebody.

After visiting with teens, Sailors then spent the afternoon playing games with the younger set at the nearby game center.

Raucous squeals of delight erupted when a basket ball dropped into a hoop, or a foosball slammed into the goal, and it didn't matter what the score or who was winning.

Everyone was excited and enjoying each other's company simply playing carpet bowling, hoops or video games.

"[Play] helps put you in the moment instead of [worrying] about the future all the time," said Capt. R.G. Craigmiles, commanding officer of NMTC.

"It helps development. It also helps them interact with other human beings. Most importantly, it teaches teamwork and cooperation – everything you need to succeed."