Members of the public in the Rio Grande Valley will experience a series of performances, educational events and service projects from the U.S. Navy.

According to a news release, the Navy is launching the Valley’s first-ever Navy Week, bringing over 70 sailors to the cities of Mission, McAllen, Edinburg and Brownsville.

For Navy Specialist 1st Class Ruben Perez, the week-long event is the result of a lifetime connected to the military branch.

“I started my Navy career right after graduation from Edcouch-Elsa back in 1980. I was on the aircraft carrier of USS Independence,” Perez said. “After that, I got out and went into the reserves."

After he retired from the Navy, Perez stayed involved. He later noticed that something was missing in the Valley.

“The Valley was missing something ever since we lost the air show back in Harlingen,” Perez said. 

“So after thinking about it, I said, ‘you know what? Navy Week would be a major event to bring here in Edinburg.’ So I started the ball rolling.”

Perez said he reached out to the mayors of participating cities, local recruiters, and leadership in Austin.

The event kicked off on Monday, Jan. 26, with a wreath laying ceremony. The week will conclude on Saturday, Jan. 31, with sailors participating in the Texas Citrus Fiesta Parade of Oranges in Mission. 

Navy officials said the goal for the week is visibility.

“We choose these Navy Week locations because they’re places that don't typically have a naval presence,” Lt. Winslow Blow said. “We really want to make our presence known, so, we bring our band, we bring our ceremonial guard, we're going to be conducting multiple flyovers.”

For Perez, the week-long event is about showing people what service can look like beyond the uniform.

A list of Navy Week events is available online.

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