Page 24 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2017

COASTNOTES
Navy Week
The Mississippi Gulf Coast is one of 15 locations selected to host Navy Week events this year. Gulf
Coast Navy Week is scheduled for March 31-April 8 in conjunction with the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration and Seabee Day at Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport. One of the Navy’s signature outreach programs, Navy Week is designed to give area residents an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people and its importance to national security and prosperity.
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of U.S. Navy
Big Gulf Coast
SET FOR MARCH 31 - APRIL 8
The following activities will be included in the week-long celebration:
• The Leap Frogs Navy Parachute Team
will have demonstration jumps on April 3 and 4 at Milner Stadium and the State Port in Gulfport, and Biloxi High School Stadium in Biloxi.
• Navy Band performances, Navy divers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams and other interactive displays at the Bicentennial Celebration March 31
and April 1, Centennial Plaza, Gulfport.
• Visits to area schools.
• Visits with local veterans.
“Gulf Coast Navy Week will be one of the biggest in the country because of the Seabee Base’s 75th anniversary and the Bicentennial Celebration,” Lt. Mack Jamieson said. “We did site visits to the area and weren’t disappointed. We have a sense of the assets available there plus those we bring to town.”
Jamieson says the purpose of Navy Week is to share the Navy’s mission and help people understand what the Navy does and why they’re deployed 24/7 for the United States.
“The Navy Band from Jacksonville, Fla., will perform, there will be concerts and workshops with some schools, and the week will end with the largest Seabee Day ever on April 8,” he added.
Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s main outreach effort into areas of the country that do not have a significant Navy presence, with 195 Navy Weeks held in 71 different U.S. Cities.
Navy Week in Houston with former President George and Barbara Bush.
Fleet Forces Rock Band and St. Louis parachute demonstration
24 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • March 2017 FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
Navy Week Houston with Habitat for Humanity.
For up-to-date information
www.outreach.navy.mil | www.ms200south.org