Good morning, everyone!

Thank you, Ms. Webb, for that kind introduction, for all your work with PortMiami, and for hosting us here for Fleet Week.

I want to especially thank the Honorable Daniella Levine Cava, Mayor of Miami-Dade County—and our host for the week—for opening the city of Miami to our Sailors, Marines, and Department of the Navy civilians.

Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, welcome, and thank you for your support of our service members and Veterans. We thank you for your leadership as the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veteran Affairs!

Thank you to the Honorable Franklin Parker, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, for the incredible work you have done to ensure the personnel readiness of our Sailors, Marines, civilians, and family members within the Department of the Navy.

And I also want to thank the Honorable Oliver Gilbert and the Honorable Danielle Cohen Higgins for your work within the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners.

General Richardson, thank you for your leadership of the service men and women in US Southern Command.

And I also thank Admiral Caudle, for your service and leadership of US Fleet Forces.

I welcome and thank Mr. Lewis, Norwegian Cruise Lines Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer—and also a Navy Veteran! Thank you for your service as a Navy seal, sir.

To our flag officers, general officers, senior enlisted leaders, and other distinguished guests with us here today—welcome, and thank you for your unwavering support of our maritime services and this incredible event that will take place this week.

Last year, on July 14^th 2023, here at PortMiami, on a very hot but beautiful day, Mayor Levine Cava and I announced the inaugural Fleet Week in this great city.

And now, we celebrate the beginning of a new tradition of service in Miami-Dade County—Fleet Week Miami.

Thousands of our Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and women, and civilian employees will take part in events across the greater Miami-Dade area, engaging with the American public they serve and standing ready to share their stories and motivations for their careers in public service.

Miami holds a special place in my heart—it was where the first chapter of my American story began.

My story began in Havana in the early 1960s.

The Castro Regime imprisoned my father, Raul Del Toro, for “counter-revolutionary activities.”  

When I was ten months old, my father was paroled while he awaited trial.

During this time, our emergency visas into the U.S. came through, and with what we could carry on our backs, we fled to America.

And America greeted us with a warm welcome in Miami.

Like thousands of other Cuban refugees, we called the Freedom Tower, our first stop on the road to freedom, home until we relocated to a tenement building on 42^nd Street and 10^th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, New York, where I grew up.

I often tell people that growing up in Hell’s Kitchen was just like the play West Side Story without the music or the dancing!

Throughout my childhood, both of my parents sacrificed and labored for the sake of their children—they wanted to give us a better life in America, a life unattainable back in Cuba.

I watched as they both worked two jobs to support our family.

Their service and sacrifice instilled in me a desire to give back to this great Nation which took us in at a time when we were most vulnerable.

In 1979, I left New York to attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

This began my career of service to this country.

Service to our nation is ingrained in the very fabric of this country.

And service does not only mean putting on a uniform—service can be defined in a multitude of other ways.

This week, as a part of Fleet Week Miami, I am proud to announce the Department of the Navy’s “National Call to Maritime Service” campaign.

Service in the Navy and Marine Corps is more than just a job—it represents a chance to serve something bigger than yourself.

To be part of a legacy of courage and honor that stretches back to the very founding of our nation—and beyond.

The Navy offers unparalleled benefits, free education and training, cutting-edge technology, and—best of all—the chance to see the world.

Becoming a Marine will push you to your limits, and in the process, you will learn you’re capable of more than you ever dreamed of.

Our Sailors and Marines are more than just service members—they are diplomats, humanitarians, and leaders.

Every one of the thousands of Sailors and Marines in their Navy Dress Whites and Marine Dress Blues this week chose to serve their nation, and it is my hope that you will consider it too.

And this is not the only way you can serve.

The Department of the Navy also provides numerous opportunities for public service beyond serving in uniform.

By choosing a career working as a civilian within our Department, you also have an opportunity to be a part of something greater than yourselves.

And no matter how you serve, you’ll be part of a team working together toward a shared goal.

You’ll learn invaluable skills and gain leadership experience.

As a Department of the Navy civilian, you have an opportunity to leverage your education, skills, and talents across a variety of disciplines—from healthcare to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—from human resources to program analysis.

Collectively, as a Sailor, Marine, or civilian, you will take part in tackling the world’s toughest challenges while promoting peace and preserving democracy around the world.

And in return, the Navy and Marine Corps offer stable careers, great salaries, comprehensive healthcare benefits, world-class education and training, opportunities to live and travel around the world, and a sense of tremendous pride and satisfaction in support of a noble cause.

We recognize the desire of Americans from all walks of life to use their talents to better our great Nation.

Our Navy and Marine Corps Team is the most powerful, capable, and lethal Force this world has ever seen.

I encourage all Floridians to come out this week and engage with Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and women, and all the civilians who support them—come listen to the stories of service and see where you can fit into the story.

And if what you hear inspires you to answer the call and join our ranks—we look forward to welcoming you aboard our naval family.

Thank you again, Mayor Levine Cava, for hosting our Sailors and Marines here in beautiful Miami—we look forward to an incredible week that will strengthen the bonds between our naval services and all of you who call Miami and South Florida home.

May God bless you and our Sailors, Marines, and service members all over the world.

Thank you.