U.S. Navy selects Columbia to host Navy Week Celebration
Contributed by the U.S. Navy

The United States Navy announced Columbia has been selected as a host city for a 2008 Navy Week celebration. Each year, the Navy selects to serve a handful of cities across America to thank its citizens for their support of the world's finest maritime force. This year's Columbia Navy Week will run September 22 through September 28.

While no ships will be docking in Lake Murray, the F/A- 18 flight simulators, SEAL Accelerator and Navy Diver Dive Tank could simulate what it's like to serve in the Navy. Navy Week also includes performances by Navy bands, drill teams, and a visit by Navy leadership. The stars of the show will be those from Columbia brought home for a hero's welcome.

Sailors will visit local schools to talk about their journeys around the world while serving in the Navy. They will also visit terminally ill children to deliver ship ball caps as part of the "Caps for Kids" program.

This year, 22 cities have been selected to host Navy Week. They are Tampa, Galveston, Sacramento, Nashville, Dearborn, Denver, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Roanoke, Boston, New Orleans, Duluth, Wilmington, Delaware, Spokane, Chicago, Buffalo, Cleveland, Albuquerque, Austin, Orlando, Columbia, and Quad Cities, Iowa.