Photo By Garrett Dipuma | Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola Commanding Officer Capt. Chandra Newman (center,...... read more read more
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PENSACOLA, Fla. – The second annual Pensacola Navy Days culminated with a two-day celebration May 9-10 after several festivities throughout April and May designed to honor the longstanding relationship between Pensacola-area service members and the surrounding communities.
“Pensacola Navy Days is essentially an opportunity for the local community to express appreciation and support for what the wonderful people in uniform do for our country,” said Pensacola Navy Days Chairman U.S. Navy Capt. (ret.) Dan McCort. “If you take a look at the history of this town, we go back almost 200 years to 1826, when the Navy Yard was established. We have been inextricably linked as military family and a community for all that time, and today we saw an opportunity for our community to get together and pay back our local military.”
The multi-day celebration included a Navy Days-themed Gallery Night April 18 in downtown Pensacola and an April 24 Blue Wahoos Navy Days baseball game. The celebration culminated with two days of events, including a golf tournament at A.C. Read golf course onboard NAS Pensacola and a formal gala at the National Naval Aviation Museum May 9 and a 4K run/walk, parade, proclamation signing and waterfront festival in downtown Pensacola May 10.
“In addition to every pilot in the Navy and Marine Corps, every mechanic that turns a wrench on an aircraft, every sensor operator, every flight officer and every cyber warrior … 60% call Pensacola home for the first time when they come here to learn their craft,” said NAS Pensacola Commanding Officer Capt. Chandra Newman. “More importantly, we have many that return to Pensacola after deploying multiple times to teach the next generation and have a little bit of respite on her beaches.”
The idea for Pensacola Navy Days originated through the efforts of Florida Sen. Doug Broxson, who collaborated with NAS Pensacola leadership and local stakeholders to establish an annual event that highlights the contributions of military personnel and showcases the appreciation of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
“We are defined by the history of this base and our military heritage. It’s what makes us unique,” said Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves. “There are a lot of vibrant cities and beautiful beaches, but very few get to relish in the fabric of the history that we have in this city, and there is no history in this city without the military.”
Pensacola Navy Days’ mission is to foster a mutually positive and lasting relationship between local and military communities, celebrate and publicize the rich military heritage of the Greater Pensacola Area and highlight Pensacola as the premier military-friendly community in the Southeastern U.S. for veterans and service members.
“This has been an amazing opportunity to bring our community together and share the goal of Pensacola Navy Days, which is ultimately to appreciate the combined relationship between NAS Pensacola and Whiting Field and the surrounding areas,” said Pensacola Navy Days Board Member Brent Lane. “We love our military, and that’s really what Pensacola Navy Days is all about.”
NAS Pensacola, referred to as the "Cradle of Naval Aviation," is designed to support operational and training missions of tenant commands, including the Naval Aviation Technical Training Center (NATTC); Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC); Marine Aviation Training Support Groups (MATSG) 21 and 23 and serves as the headquarters for Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).
| Date Taken: | 05.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2025 08:53 |
| Story ID: | 498039 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 149 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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