By Nandi N. Mbassi Nkoa (Navy Office of Community Outreach)
The Navy Week program has returned to the Memphis are starting June 13 and concluding June 19.
The week-long events will culminate with the Blue Angels headlining the Mid-South Air Show this weekend.
Memphis Navy Week brings Sailors from across the fleet to the area to emphasize the importance of the Navy to Memphis, the state of Tennessee, and the Nation. It is the first Navy Week in Memphis since 2017.
Participating Navy organizations include Navy Band Great Lakes, USS Constitution, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (METOC), United States Ceremonial Guard, Navy Parachute Team, Navy Recruiting Command, Outreach and Diversity, Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Nashville, Navy History and Heritage Command, and USS Tennessee (SSBN 734).
More than 75 Sailors will participate in education and community outreach events throughout the city, including a plethora of events hosted at the Museum of Science and History.
All participating commands will follow DOD, CDC, state, and local guidelines for safety during the current pandemic.
The Navy’s senior executive representative is Rear Admiral Alexis “Lex” T. Walker, commander, Navy Recruiting Command. Walker is a native of New York, and new to the Memphis area. During Memphis Navy Week, he will participate in community engagements, meet with local business, civic, education, and government leaders.
“I am excited and honored to represent the Navy and engage with the city of Memphis,” said Walker. “The city has been very welcoming to my family and me, as we settle in and focus on bringing the best and brightest into the Navy through our nationwide recruiting efforts.”
Navy Weeks are a series of outreach events coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity. Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort into areas of the country without a significant Navy presence, providing the public a firsthand look at why the Navy matters to cities like Memphis.
“We are excited to bring Navy Week back to Memphis,” said NAVCO’s director, Cmdr. John Fage. “Navy Weeks give us the opportunity to help connect Americans to their Navy. We are looking forward to safely and responsibly building those connections in the Memphis area and showing everyone why their Navy is so important.”
Throughout the week, Sailors will participate in various events, engage with youth camps in the area and volunteer with the city of Memphis, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, to name a few. Residents will also enjoy free live music by Navy Band Great Lakes at venues throughout the week.
Memphis Navy Week is one of 14 Navy Weeks in 2022, which brings a variety of assets, equipment, and personnel to a single city for a weeklong series of engagements designed to bring America’s Navy closer to the people it protects.
Each year, the program reaches more than 140 million people — about half the U.S. population.
The 2022 Mid-South Airshow presented by FedEx will be at the Millington-Memphis Airport located at 8182 Hornet Avenue on June 18 and 19. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels return to perform at the Mid-South Airshow. This first-class aviation event will feature military demonstrations, aerobatic performances, static display aircraft, and local emergency response helicopters.
For ticket information, visit www.midsouthairshow.com.
