1st Navy Week: Mobile & Mardi Gras

Mobile, Ala., will serve as the first stop for 2019’s Navy Week programs and bring sailors and assets to the Port City in conjunction with the country’s oldest Mardi Gras festivities Feb. 27-March 5. Through nearly 100 events, the Navy will provide the public with a snapshot of service members making up the fleet, and highlight their expertise. Among participating sailors will be the crew of the oldest American warship, USS Constitution; Navy Band Southeast; Navy explosive ordnance disposal teams; Navy Office of Small Business Programs; Navy oceanographic and meteorology teams; Naval History and Heritage Command; hometown sailors; and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95). Operations Specialist Seaman Dalton Thomas, a native of Mobile and sailor aboard DDG 95, expressed his enthusiasm to bring the Navy home with him. “I’m excited to … have my family finally see me in uniform,” said Thomas. “My friends and I used to go to Mardi Gras … but this will be my first time going with my ship.” During the week, sailors will also visit eight high schools where students will have the opportunity to visit the Burke - a large state-of-the-art, mobile virtual reality experience that simulates a Navy SEAL extraction mission. (Source: US Navy 02/21/19) The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS James E. Williams was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in nearby Pascagoula, Miss.