MERIDIAN —    Two hundred and sixteen years ago this week, Congress authorized construction of the USS CONSTITUTION, one of the first six frigates of the U.S. Navy.  From those humble beginnings, the United States Navy and Marine Corps have grown to become who we are today – the most formidable expeditionary fighting force in the world, with a fleet of 286 ships and a combined complement of over 900,000 Sailors, Marines, and civilian employees.  This week, here in Mississippi, you’ll get a chance to see some of these extraordinary Americans – many of them Mississippians – and learn about what they do.

    Mississippi Navy Week will kick off and close with the Blue Angels flying at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi on March 19-20 and at Naval Air Station Meridian on March 26-27.  Elsewhere, Sailors will be marching in a parade in Gulfport; holding discussions at clubs, schools and planetariums; and conducting community service projects with Big Brothers - Big Sisters, the Boy and Girls Club, and Gateway Rescue Mission, among others.

    All these events will serve to show off the commitment of our men and women in uniform and highlight the variety of missions the Navy and Marine Corps perform for our country all around the world, every single day.

    America needs a strong Navy and Marine Corps; water covers 70 percent of the Earth’s surface; 80 percent of the world’s population lives near the ocean; and 90 percent of all international trade goes by sea. 

    In order to remain strong, maintain our economy, and protect our commerce, the Navy and Marine Corps must be involved in the world, able to go everywhere and do what we need them to do without having to depend upon bases ashore.  We are America’s “Away Team”.

    Every day, tens of thousands of Sailors and Marines and about forty percent of all our ships are far from home, doing exactly that.  Our Marines, SEALs, and many other Sailors are fighting to defeat Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and are building Afghan government and military capacity.  Our planes, launched from carriers sailing the Indian Ocean, are flying about one-third of the close air support missions that protect our Soldiers and Marines on the ground.  Our submarines are cruising the depths of the world’s oceans.  Our AEGIS cruisers and destroyers are protecting our allies from ballistic missile attack in the Pacific, Arabian Gulf, and the Mediterranean; fighting pirates off Somalia; and catching drug smugglers in the Caribbean.  And our expeditionary units are building new partnerships in South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

    Last year, it was the Navy and Marine Corps that were the first to arrive after the devastating January 12th earthquake in Haiti, including the carrier CARL VINSON, the hospital ship COMFORT, and the amphibious ship BATAAN with thousands of Marines on board.  Halfway around the world, after Pakistan was struck by August floods that made millions homeless, helicopters from the USS PELELIU and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit helped deliver over 2,000 tons of relief supplies and rescued more than 10,000 people.  Folks here in Mississippi saw that firsthand after Katrina, when the hospital ship COMFORT pulled into Pascagoula and helicopters from our ships offshore rescued many people in distress.

    The Navy and Marine Corps are fast, flexible, and because our ships sail all over the world, there is always a ship nearby – ready to respond.

    And it’s the Sailors and Marines of the fleet that make us who we are.  As America’s Away Team, you don’t always get a chance to meet them and see the incredible work that they do every day.  This week, you can.  And I’m sure that when you do, you’ll come to understand why no other country can match the professionalism, skill, and dedication of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

    

    For a full listing of Navy week events, go to www.navyweek.org/mississippi2011. Ray Mabus is Secretary of the Navy and the senior Navy representative for Mississippi Navy Week.