In celebration of the U.S. Navy’s 246th birthday, the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO), based at Stennis Space Center, sent teams of military and civilian personnel out into communities in southern Mississippi and Louisiana to give back on Oct. 15. More than 20 volunteers from the Navy command teamed up with Mississippi Coastal Cleanup to collect dozens of bags of trash and recyclable items from the beach near Jones Park in Gulfport, Miss. A second team partnered with Healthy Gulf to perform clean-up efforts at the Chalmette Battlefield in southern Louisiana.
“The motto of the U.S. Navy is ‘Non Sibi Sed Patriae’ (‘Not for Self but for Country’),” says NAVOCEANO Commanding Officer, Capt. Ken Wallace. “I have found over the last 18 months in command that NAVOCEANO Sailors and civilians are always among the first to lend a helping hand and give of their free time to help coworkers, neighbors and their local communities. The culture of resilience and southern hospitality for which the Gulf Coast is known is rooted in selflessness and service to others and goes hand in hand with the Oath of Office taken by every uniformed military and civilian NAVOCEANO employee.”
NAVOCEANO’s outreach efforts reach far beyond Gulfport city limits and the Navy’s birthday week. For more than a decade, the command has incentivized community service for its civilian employees, encouraging all personnel to perform community service at least quarterly. From environmental stewardship to speaking engagements in schools, the predominately-civilian command logs hundreds of hours of community service in southern Mississippi and Louisiana each year, in addition to outreach efforts performed throughout the nation in support of the Navy Office of Community Outreach’s Navy Week program. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has hindered many of the command’s routine efforts, the organization is always on the lookout for ways to support the communities that support the Navy. Organizations in need of volunteers can request NAVOCEANO participation by emailing the command’s Public Affairs office at NAVO_STNS_PAO@us.navy.mil.
NAVOCEANO, comprised of approximately 700 military, civilian, and contractor personnel, uses a variety of platforms including ships, aircraft, satellite sensors, buoys, and unmanned underwater vehicles to collect oceanographic and hydrographic data from the world's oceans.
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2021 15:32 |
| Story ID: | 407485 |
| Location: | GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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