Colorado Springs kicks off its first “Navy Week” at U.S. Olympic & Paralympic museum
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Mayor Yemi Mobolade announced the start of 'Navy Week' Monday at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in front of visiting sailors.
“This mayor loves the Navy. I hope I don't get in trouble with my army, Air Force, and Space Force friends," Mobolade said. "My country of origin, I was a Navy cadet in a leadership training and development program similar to the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, and my dream was to join the Navy.”
More than 50 Navy sailors will be in Colorado Springs and surrounding areas Monday through Sunday doing volunteer work and meet-and-greet events. The sailors will also visit Pueblo, Monument, and Woodland Park. One of them is a Colorado Springs native.
"I only met one person in the Navy when I was out here living. I've lived in Colorado my whole life. When I met that one person, he convinced me, and I've loved every minute of it," said Colorado Springs native and Navy Hull Maintenance Technician Jibreel Scott.
This week, he gets to try and be that one person for someone else, and he says he's happy to be home.
“I take it very seriously i think it’s a special thing to be able to help around the community show people what we do," Scott said.
At Monday's event, Vice Admiral John Fuller spoke on Navy Week and why they made the trip to Colorado Springs. He said it's because of the city's strong military culture, natural beauty, and the hope to educate the community on how the Navy can still impact a landlocked state.
"90% of international trade goes on the ocean and 95% of data travels through ocean cables," Fuller said. “The economy and businesses all in Colorado Springs rely on the Navy, and the Navy’s job is to protect the seas, and we thought it was a good fit to at least introduce the Colorado Springs public on the impact the Navy has on their daily lives."
The week will culminate with the Navy's flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, performing on Saturday in the Pikes Peak Regional Air Show.
Colorado Springs is one of 15 host cities for the 2024 Navy Week series. The tour has been the branch's flagship outreach program since 2005.
It's the first year Colorado Springs has won a bid. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said the Navy chooses its cities based on size, asset availability, geographic region, demographic make-up, potential for relationship building, and new outreach possibilities.
