Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Gregory Harden | 160910-N-HI414-026 SAN DIEGO (Sept. 10, 2016) Marines and Sailors aboard amphibious...... read more read more
Subscribe
SAN DIEGO— San Diego Fleet Week 2016, which honors the men and women of the sea services and celebrates the strong relationship between San Diego and the military, is in full swing.
San Diego is home to the largest concentration of military forces in the world with more than half of the U.S. Navy’s fleet of ships homeported here. Together there are more than 115,000 active duty Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard members living in the county.
“People have been very, very friendly,” said Coast Guardsman Machinery Technician 2nd Class Michael Dalager. “They ask us a lot of questions about why we’re here and what we do. We’ve also constantly heard a lot of ‘Thank you for your service’ comments.”
Fleet Week events across America give Sailors, Marines and Coast Guard members the opportunity to educate the public about the nation’s sea services, as well as career opportunities for young men and women. Interacting with the public also provides an excellent opportunity for service members to demonstrate their mission capabilities and the quality of sea service personnel.
“I have the opportunity to showcase what I do as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialist,” said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Mitchell Hartman. “At the same time, I get to explain the Marine Corps mission and what we bring to the fight to protect our country.”
San Diego Fleet Week 2016 includes sports competitions, social events, military band performances and community relations projects. Other activities such as static displays, ship tours and demonstrations focus on educating the public about the Navy capabilities.
“The chance to actually get in the vehicles and operate the [EOD] robot is awesome. It’s an amazing experience for my kids to actually see this stuff up close,” said Christel May, who brought her children out to enjoy Fleet Week. “We also enjoyed seeing the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Fair.”
But it’s not just locals who flocked to downtown San Diego to enjoy Fleet Week activities. Michael Grob and Peat Neuenschwander traveled all the way from Bern, Switzerland, to experience the maritime festivities.
“Frankly I was a little surprised how young your service members are. It’s really impressive to hear them talk about their jobs. It’s all very impressive,” Grob said.
For the first time in eight years, San Diego Fleet Week brought back a sea and air parade that featured USS America (LHA 6), USS Champion (MCM 4), USS Sterett (DDG 104), USS Pinckney (DDG 91), U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sherman (WHEC 720), and Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Winnipeg (FFH 338). The parade was punctuated with fly-bys of several contemporary Navy and World War II aircraft. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aircraft included the F/A-18, AV-8B II Harrier, F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and several helicopters. The event also featured tactical demonstrations, including an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team cast and recovery, a Coast Guard Search and Rescue, and a helicopter fire bucket drop.
San Diego Fleet Week runs Sept. 8-15. For more information on Fleet Week San Diego visit: http://www.fleetweeksandiego.org or http://www.dvidshub.net/feature/fleetweeksandiego
| Date Taken: | 09.10.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2016 22:35 |
| Story ID: | 209242 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 293 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, San Diego Fleet Week 2016 is Underway, by PO1 Melissa Russell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT