Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, veterans and distinguished guests gathered during a Welcome To Brooklyn Celebration and BBQ at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal to kick-off Fleet Week New York (FWNY) 2016 festivities, May 25.

The event highlighted the arrival of service members from Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Farragut (DDG 99), USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), and U.S. Coast Guard medium endurance cutter Forward (WMEC 911).

"I can't tell the more than 2.6 million people of Brooklyn how grateful we are that you have rolled out the red carpet for us and have treated us all like a bunch of rock stars," said Rear Adm. John Scorby Jr., Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic. "This is going to be a great Fleet Week. To the borough of Brooklyn, I can't thank you enough for coming out and greeting us here today and providing an absolutely warm, wonderful welcome."

The more than 4,500 service members are docked at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal during FWNY 2016, local veterans from the Brooklyn American Legion and veterans of foreign wars had the opportunity to enjoy an afternoon of food, refreshments and performances by the USCG Silent Drill Team, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps Brass Band from Parris Island, South Carolina.

"I think New York is an amazing city and it's great to see the interaction between Sailors and Marines with the people of New York throughout Fleet Week," said Marine Cpl. Sterling Davis, USMC Brass Band trombone player and Columbus, Ohio native. "It's an overall great experience. I'm 20 years old and two years ago I was still in high school, so to be able to experience an event like this at such a young age is truly a special occurrence."

"I love how all of the people are so welcoming and appreciative of what we do as service members," said USCG Seaman Zachary Ruff, member of the USCG Silent Drill Team and Columbus, Ohio native. "It's nice to experience the camaraderie with the people of the city, and my fellow service members and veterans during the celebration of Fleet Week."

Farragut Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Megan Thomas; Bainbridge Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Martin Robertson; and Forward representative, Cmdr. Aurora Fleming were presented with a commemorative plaque and hand-crafted wreath to be displayed on each ship for the duration of FWNY. An honorary cake-cutting ceremony highlighted the appreciation between the borough of Brooklyn and members of the sea services.

FWNY, now in its 28th year, is the city's time-honored celebration of the sea services. It is an unparalleled opportunity for the citizens of New York and the surrounding tri-state area to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, as well as witness firsthand the latest capabilities of today's maritime services. The weeklong celebration has been held nearly every year since 1984.

For up-to-date information on all FWNY events, visit the official FWNY website at http://www.fleetweeknewyork.com/, "Like" FleetWeekNewYork on Facebook, or "Follow" @FleetWeekNYC on Twitter. FWNY photos can be viewed on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/fwnypao/ and Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/fleetweeknyc/. Join the conversation on social media by using #FleetWeekNYC.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy/, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy/.

For more news from Commander, Navy Region Mid Atlantic, visit http://www.navy.mil/.