Hundreds of service members are expected to arrive at Port Houston as part of the celebration, which runs April 15–22.
HOUSTON — Houston will make history this week as it hosts its first-ever Fleet Week, bringing Navy ships, service members and a series of public events to the city beginning Wednesday.
Hundreds of service members are expected to arrive at Port Houston as part of the celebration, which runs April 15–22. The event will give the public a rare opportunity to tour active-duty Navy ships and meet sailors — some of whom call the Houston area home.
Navy Capt. Matthew Breedlove, who has served for 24 years, said selecting Houston as a Fleet Week destination was an easy decision.
“For 24 years now, I’ve been serving our country in uniform, and the opportunity to share that with folks here … to bring a fleet to Houston so you can see it up close and personal is an amazing opportunity,” Breedlove said.
More than 1,000 service members will participate in events across the city, aimed at connecting the public with the military and showcasing daily life in the Navy.
“This is a chance to actually discover what it is that we in the services provide to the nation, and especially Houston,” Breedlove said.
Among those participating are sailors Terran Foreman, Ebony Henderson and Bradley Greene, all assigned to the USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship based in Norfolk, Virginia. The ship can carry about 1,500 Marines and roughly 1,000 sailors, according to Henderson.
For these sailors, the event is also a homecoming. Each grew up in the Houston area and will have the chance to show family and friends what their work entails.
“Even though I’ve been in for almost 13 years, my mom still sometimes is like, ‘What do you do again?’” Greene said. “So it would be cool to finally let them see what I do every day.”
Henderson said the experience brings together two parts of her life.
“It’s like merging my work life with my back home,” she said.
The sailors serve in a range of roles, including engineering, training and crew support, but share a common mission: staying prepared for operations at sea.
“We do hard things every day, but it’s good to take on those challenges and learn a lot,” Foreman said.
“It’s very taxing, but it’s very rewarding at the end,” Henderson added.
In addition to ship tours, Fleet Week will feature free concerts, a drone show and aviation exhibits throughout the city. Ship tours require advance registration.
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