Navy Leap Frogs Demonstrate Navy Skills for Baltimore Students in Baltimore

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Amy Kirk, Navy Public Affairs Support Element East

Sept. 12, 2014 (NNS) -- Members of the Navy Parachute Team demonstrated Navy skills Sept. 1 for hundreds of students and faculty at Heritage High School and Reach! Partnership School located on the Lake Clifton Campus in Baltimore.

The team, known as the Leap Frogs, was in Baltimore supporting the Star-Spangled Spectacular, a 7-day free festival celebrating the 200th birthday of the national anthem.

"It's a privilege to be a part of this event. We do a lot of Navy events across the country, but coming to out to Baltimore, it's such a gorgeous city and it's a lot of fun," said Navy SEAL Lt. Dan Gibson. "The team has been looking forward to this trip all year."

The team tours the country throughout the year performing at schools and events to raise Navy awareness and support recruiting.

"We're the face of the Navy United States Navy because you've got a whole fleet out there serving hard and protecting our country and what we hope to do is demonstrate professionalism and excellence of the United States Navy," said Gibson.

The demonstration provided the students with bit of excitement about the military and the opportunities it offers them in training, travel and education.

"It was amazing," said ninth-grader Robin Hodges. "I feel as though maybe I want to give it a try when I grow up. "The Navy is cool."

In addition to the Leap Frogs demonstration, residents and visitors to the city can take part in public visitation of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships and attend patriotic concerts and witness an extraordinary fireworks display over Fort McHenry and the Baltimore harbor.

The Star-Spangled Spectacular runs September 10-16, 2014. This event celebrates the bicentennial of the Battle of Baltimore which provided the backdrop for Francis Scott Key's famous poem, "Defence of Fort McHenry," which later became America's national anthem. More than 30 ships from the U.S. and foreign nations, and the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels aircraft will be on display and open to the public.