MCPON Commemorates Fallen Service Members on Memorial Day

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Stuart B. Phillips, Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Mike Stevens spoke at a ceremony honoring fallen service members at the Tidewater Veterans Memorial in Virginia Beach, Va. on May 25.

The ceremony was attended by the mayor of Virginia Beach, William Sessoms, veterans, service members, family members and residents of the Hampton Roads area.

Before introducing MCPON, Sessoms spoke about the long history between the region and military.

"Here in Virginia Beach, we place great value on our long and proud connection to the armed services and their members, who are so much a part of the community and our lives," said Sessoms. "We do not take for granted that they are standing watch all around the world to protect us and our homeland."

MCPON spoke about the significance of Memorial Day and what it means to honor those who have died serving their country.

"On this very special day, it is so humbling to see the citizens of our nation take a knee and bow their heads as we all pay tribute and give thanks to our fallen heroes," said Stevens.

Stevens, who spent 15 of his 32 years in the Navy living in the Hampton Roads area, shared personal stories of friends and shipmates he has lost, to include his former roommate, Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Butch, who was killed in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Gulf Sept. 14, 1991.

"You would think that after 24 years that memory would fade, but to this day, nothing tugs at my heart like the sound of taps at a military funeral," said Stevens.

Stevens told the audience he remembers standing on the sea wall at Norfolk Naval Station watching the battleship USS Iowa (BB 61) coming through the channel after losing 47 of its Sailors due to an explosion in one of its gun turrets. He also reminded them of the bombing of the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) in 2000, and of Operation Red Wing in 2005, when the special operations community lost 19 members in one day.

"Although these events and events like them are accompanied with extreme hardship and mourning, it is these tragedies that have helped form the extraordinary bond that exists between the citizens of Hampton Roads and the United States military," said Stevens. "These were your loved ones, your neighbors and your friends."

As he finished his remarks, Stevens paraphrased a quote from a speech given in 1868 by Congressman James Garfield, who went on to become the twentieth president of the United States. At the time, Garfield was speaking at Arlington National Cemetery on Decoration Day - a name later changed to Memorial Day.

"If silence is ever golden," said Stevens, "It is only beside the graves of the men and women whose lives were more significant than can be conveyed by words and whose deaths were a poem, the music of which can never be sung."

Fleet Week New York Music Festival Honors Service Members Past and Present

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patrick Gordon, Fleet Week New York Public Affairs

NEW YORK (NNS) -- Service members were treated to music and food at the Fleet Week New York Music Festival in Staten Island, May 24.

Hosted by the Fleet Week New York Activities Committee and the Flagship Brewing Company, the event featured local musical acts, catered meals, and games free of charge for service members. Visiting Sailors remarked on the hospitality of the Staten Island community and their outpouring support for the military.

"It's a great experience, and not one you might expect to find in a big city like this," said Gas Turbine System Technician 1st Class (SW) Dave Thibault USS Barry (DDG 52). "But honestly, the New York (area) has been gratuitously friendly to us, and they keep doing it year after year."

The event also served as an opportunity to recognize community members who have given freely of their time in support of the military for decades. Volunteers Cathy O'Donnell and Rita Hayes were given the titles of grand marshals of the music festival in recognition of their more than 70 years of volunteer service to such organizations as the Red Cross, the United Service Organizations (USO), and the American Legion.

O'Donnell's service began when her family was called to service in World War II.

"My husband served in the Air Corps and my brother served in the Navy during World War II, so I did as much as I could to help," she said. "During the war, as a teenager I remember folding bandages for the Red Cross after school. After I graduated, my first job was for the Bureau of Ships where we worked in expediting material for PT boat (short for Patrol Torpedo boat) construction."

Hayes started volunteering with the USO while still a teenager herself.

"Many years ago I was with the USO in my district here," she explained. "We had a hall where we would serve coffee and hold dances for the Sailors who were shipping out. Since then, I've just kept at it. I've been volunteering at the Stapleton Senior Center five days a week for 25 years and with the American Legion for 35 years."

Hayes added that Fleet Week remains one her favorite events to participate in because it reminds her of where she started it all.

"I enjoy it down at Fleet Week," said Hayes. "It's great talking to all these young Sailors ... it's just like when I served with the USO during the war."

Sailors and Coast Guardsmen joined the ladies on stage to show their thanks as the two were presented with flowers and letters of commendation from New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Organizers said they saw the event as a wonderful opportunity to say thank you to military and volunteer personnel throughout the years.

"Our grand marshals this year have been supporting the military in the community since World War II," said Donna Cutugno of the Fleet Week New York Activities Committee. "They're quite the example of how the community should support the military, as much as it supports us back home. So we're so happy to have everyone here."

Fleet Week New York, now in its 27th year, is the city's time-honored celebration of the sea services. It is an unparalleled opportunity for the citizens of New York and the surrounding tri-state area to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, as well as witness firsthand the latest capabilities of today's maritime services.

Ocean State to Host its First Navy Week

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jamal McNeill, Navy Office of Community Outreach

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- America's smallest state will host the world's largest Navy during the inaugural Rhode Island Navy Week, May 25-31.

The events and special programs to be held throughout the Ocean State are the culmination of planning and preparation over many months by the Navy Office of Community Outreach, multiple Navy assets and state leaders.

"We have been planning Rhode Island Navy Week since the end of 2014," said Lt. Javan Rasnake, lead planner for Rhode Island Navy Week. "There have been more than ten commands and 100 Sailors involved in the planning of this Navy Week."

The Navy Week program focuses a variety of assets, equipment and personnel on a single area for a week-long series of engagements designed to bring America's Navy closer to the people it protects. While Navy Weeks frequently are centered in areas without a large Navy presence, the Navy is keen to support a Navy Week in Rhode Island, which has a strong tie with the Navy that goes back centuries.

Rear Adm. Robert Girrier, deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and Rear Adm. P. Gardner Howe III, president of the Naval War College in Newport, will receive a proclamation declaring Navy Week from the Governor of Rhode Island, Gina Raimondo at the Rhode Island State House, Tuesday 3 p.m. This free event will also have a patriotic musical performance by U.S. Navy Band Northeast and the U.S. Navy parachute demonstration team, the Leap Frogs, will jump onto the State House lawn.

"The Navy Week proclamation is one of the two big events scheduled for Tuesday," said Rasnake. "Tuesday evening the Leap Frogs will also jump into the Pawtucket Red Sox's field, McCoy Stadium, as part of the team's Navy Night. To see the Leap Frogs, people need to get to the game at least twenty minutes prior to the 7:05 p.m. start."

As part of Navy Night at McCoy Stadium, Girrier will throw out the first pitch, Navy Band Northeast will provide a pre-game concert, and numerous displays will be presented by the Navy.

"The state of Rhode Island has a rich history with the Navy and baseball, so we are honored and thrilled to be able to join the Navy in celebrating Navy Week in Rhode Island," said Jeff Bradley, director of community relations for the Pawtucket Red Sox. "We expect a great deal of support from our fan base for this event and we are excited to experience all the different things that the Navy does and provides."

Along with the Leap Frogs and Navy Band performances, Sailors from USS Constitution, USS Rhode Island, and the local Navy Reserve will participate in community service projects at historic Fort Adams, Providence Habitat for Humanity, and Sachuest National Wildlife Refuge.

"The Sailors of USS Rhode Island and I look forward to meeting the proud citizens of Rhode Island, the supporters of this amazing ship, who have done so much for USS Rhode Island and its crew since its commissioning almost 21 years ago," said Cmdr. Matthew G. Gille, commanding officer of USS Rhode Island. "We are thrilled with the opportunity to visit our namesake state and participate in a wide variety of events throughout the state in support of Rhode Island Navy Week."

Rhode Island Navy Week is the third of 12 Navy Weeks in 2015 and is expected to be a successful week of events throughout the Ocean State that will provide the residents a better connection with the world's greatest Navy.

"The goal of the Navy Week program is to share the Navy's story with people across the country," said Rasnake. "It is my mission to ensure that after Navy Week, everyone in Rhode Island knows that the Navy protects and defends America on the world's oceans around the world, around the clock."

To ensure the Navy remains ready to defend America at all times, it is investing in cutting edge innovations in weapons systems, multi-mission ships and submarines, and the next generation of strike, patrol and electronic warfare aircraft. This is because the Navy has a forward presence: there where it matters, when it matters, and with the right tools to get the job done.