Sailors took the opportunity to give back to the community during Navy Week in Albuquerque, which took place Sept. 12-18. The weeklong series of community engagements brought America's Sailors directly to people and organizations throughout the area.

While in Albuquerque, Sailors reached out to youth of all ages at Boys and Girls Clubs, supported the community by building for Habitat for Humanity, and worked to help those struggling to make ends meet by volunteering at the Road Runner Food Bank.

"The Sailors you see here are part of Navy Week. We do this throughout the country, and we pick places where the Navy is not a familiar face," explained Rear Adm. Phillip Sawyer, Deputy Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet and the senior Navy official in Albuquerque for Navy Week. "We've come to Albuquerque to talk to the people who are our employers. We work for you - everything we do, is for you."

"Your military, including your Navy, is out there 24 hours a day, seven days a week," continued Sawyer. "When we go to sleep here in Albuquerque, there will be people forward deployed, taking (care) of us, to deter aggression; if that fails, they will fight and win wars. Sleep soundly tonight."

Gunner's Mate Third Class Johnelle Jones, currently assigned to the USS Constitution, echoed the Admiral's sense of pride in service when sharing her experience volunteering with Habitat for Humanity Albuquerque.

"It's an honor to work with Habitat, because they're able to help families that are not as fortunate as others," she said. "This means a lot to me because I come from a family that has received help from the community before, and I now get a chance to give back."

Community engagement is the backbone of the Navy's outreach strategy during Navy Week.

"The Navy has a long history with Albuquerque," said Lt. Jason Fischer, lead planner for Navy Week Albuquerque. "It is important to us to be of service to the community while we are here. There is a large population of former and retired Sailors in this area, and we want to nurture that relationship and our relationship with the city in general."

Navy Weeks provide area residents an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity. Events involve corporate, civic, government, education, media, veterans, community service, and diversity organizations throughout the city. Albuquerque is one of 15 cities selected to host a Navy Week in 2016. Since 2005, Navy Weeks have served as the Navy's signature outreach effort into areas of the country without a robust Naval presence, and has held more than 180 Navy Weeks in 68 different U.S. cities.


For more information, visit outreach.navy.mil.