Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jonathan Word | Ensign Sarah Beason, an electrical officer assigned to the Virginia-class attack...... read more read more
Sailors and Marines volunteered with the Marlins Youth Academy to coach young baseball and tee-ball players at Babcock Park as part of Fleet Week Fort Lauderdale (FWFL) 2025, April 23.
While the Sailors want to give back and help the communities, such events also provide locals an opportunity to meet, appreciate and choose to support the service members who make up the Armed Forces.
“Our goal is to provide access to the game,” said Shannon Johnson, the manager of Marlins Youth Academy. “The kids are completely ecstatic to have the Sailors and Marines here. We want to instill values in our players, like Jackie Robinson’s nine values, and what better example than for service members to come out here and set that tone for us.”
The service member’s that participated in the children’s ball games also believe that volunteering in the local community is an important facet to their service.
“It felt good to come here and actually make an impact on them,” said Damage Controlman Fireman Hudson Cruthirds, a Sailor assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67). “If I had someone in the military come out when I was a kid, it would have been all I would have talked about for the rest of that year. It is good to get out and show people that we are all here for them. Why we serve is for the community.”
Video footage of the service member’s coaching and encouraging the children will be shown in the stadium at a future Miami Marlins baseball game, says Johnson.
FWFL celebrates a time-honored tradition of the sea services. It is an unparalleled opportunity for the citizens of Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen and witness the latest capabilities of today's maritime services. More than 1,100 service members will showcase their capabilities and equipment, participate in various community service events, and enjoy the hospitality of the Fort Lauderdale area.
Broward Navy Days and other military support organizations are the hosts of Fleet Week Fort Lauderdale. U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships moor at Port Everglades and support activities designed to show Americans the investment they have made in their Navy, as well as an opportunity for the citizens of South Florida and visitors to meet nearly 2,000 Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and firsthand see the latest capabilities of today’s sea services while increasing the awareness of the Navy’s role and purpose in our national defense.
Information and registration for all Fleet Week Fort Lauderdale events open to the public can be found at www.browardnavydaysinc.org.
| Date Taken: | 04.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2025 09:50 |
| Story ID: | 496040 |
| Location: | HIALEAH, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Sailors and Marines volunteer w/ Marlins Youth Academy | FWFL 2025, by PO1 Jonathan Word, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
