Baton Rouge Navy Week Kicks Off

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Grant Ammon | 161031-N-OH194-114 BATON ROUGE, La. (Oct. 31, 2016) Members of the United States Fleet Forces rock band, Four Star Edition, preform a concert during a kickoff ceremony for Baton Rouge Navy Week. Baton Rouge is one of select cities to host the 2016 Navy Week, a week dedicated to raising U.S. Navy awareness through local outreach, community service and exhibitions. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Grant P. Ammon/Released)  

BATON ROUGE, LA, UNITED STATES

10.31.2016

Story by Grant Ammon 

Navy Public Affairs Support Element East - (Reserve)

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Navy kicked off Baton Rouge Navy Week during an opening ceremony held at the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial in downtown Baton Rouge, Oct. 31.

Opening ceremonies started with a performance by the U.S. Fleet Forces band, remarks by Cmdr. Tremayne Criner, executive officer of Southern University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and included proclamations from the office of Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser and Baton Rouge Mayor-President Melvin L. "Kip" Holden.

"Baton Rouge is extremely proud to be one of fifteen U.S. cities chosen this year to host Navy Week activities," said Mayor-President Holden. "It is our honor to welcome the Navy to Baton Rouge this week so our community can learn more about the important role it plays in keeping us safe."

The ceremony provided an opportunity for Navy leaders to share with the public the capabilities of the Navy and to highlight the importance of the relationship between citizens of the United States and the Navy.

“Today, your Navy is deployed around the world to ensure our country and way of life remains safe,” said Criner in his opening remarks. “Your tax dollars fund the most technologically advanced and capable fighting force the world has ever seen and the support of your community allows our Sailors to concentrate solely on completing their mission.”

Sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group (EODGRU) Two, USS Louisiana, Navy Recruiting District New Orleans, Navy Operational Support Center, and Southern University ROTC will participate in various events throughout the city as part of the Navy Week.

Sailors will get the opportunity to speak with local students at various schools, volunteer with local organizations, and entertain members of the Baton Rouge community with live music.

Every year, America's Navy comes home to approximately 15 cities across the country to show Americans why having a strong Navy is critical to the American way of life.

Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy's principal outreach effort into areas of the country without a significant Navy presence. The program is designed to help Americans understand their Navy is deployed around the world, around the clock, ready to defend America at all times.

Navy Weeks focus a variety of outreach assets, equipment, and personnel on a single city for a weeklong series of engagements with key influencers and organizations representing all sectors of the market. During a Navy Week, 75-100 outreach events are coordinated with corporate, civic, government, education, media, veterans, community service and diversity organizations in the city.

• Date Taken: 10.31.2016
• Date Posted: 11.01.2016 12:12
• Story ID: 213461
• Location: BATON ROUGE, LA, US