Navy Week comes to San Jose for the 1st time in the celebration's history
Navy Week comes to San Jose for the 1st time in the celebration's history
More than 75 members of the Navy are in San Jose this week, engaging the community during events across the city. The group kicked off the week packing for food for families at a South Bay food bank and playing free, live music at a popular shopping area in San Jose.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - More than 75 members of the Navy are in San Jose this week, engaging the community during events across the city. The group kicked off the week packing for food for families at a South Bay food bank and playing free, live music at a popular shopping area in San Jose.
The Navy's quintet band performed for the first time in San Jose, in the courtyard in front of Maggiano’s.
From August 15 to August 21, you just may see sailors, dressed in all white, out and about in San Jose. On Monday, one of the bands played traditional Navy music on the plaza at Santana Row.
"We are a woodwind quintet. We also have our jazz funk band here as well. They were at the Jazz Festival last weekend and had a great show there," said Navy Musician First Class Whitney Adams.
Navy Week is held in up to 15 cities each year and since 2005, Navy Week has been celebrated in over 80 different U.S. cities.
"All that good stuff, but you know just to see them and know that they have a talent, a hidden talent. I think it’s great," said Srey, a San Jose resident.
Adams has been playing in the Navy’s quintet for the last 10 years.
"But certainly, the reason I’ve stayed in for so long and will stay, we just have the most amazing experiences with our audience when we’re overseas. It’s a lot of diplomacy and relations with our partner countries," Adams said.
Earlier Monday, a different group of sailors also volunteered at Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, a San Jose-based food bank and member of Feeding America.
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"The US navy has brought navy week to second harvest of Silicon Valley, and we couldn't be more thrilled, by helping provide access to healthy food," said Eddy Shahin, Sr. Manager of Volunteer Engagement with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley.
During Navy Week, up to a hundred outreach events are planned with corporate, government, education and diversity organizations throughout San Jose.
Navy Week is designed to give people the chance to learn about the Navy, the people who serve and why it’s important to our overall success as a nation. So, if you see a sailor in San Jose this week, give them a wave, and thank them for their service.