Great Navy Campout celebrates June and July events with outdoor fun and connection with nature

ByCommander,NavyInstallations

Command

WASHINGTON —The GreatNavy Campoutisback with its 8th annual celebration of outdoor recreation and camping Hosted by the Commander,NavyInstallations Command (CNIC) HQ Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR)Community Recreation and Liberty-Single Sailor programs,this year’s Great Navy Campout runs fromJune throughOctober andaims to connect military personneland eligible MWR patrons with natureand wildlife, promoting thejoy of campingand outdoor adventure.

Throughout June and July,Great Navy Campout hosted 17eventsinvarious Commander,NavyRegions,including Hawaii,Mid-Atlantic,NavalDistrictWashington, Northwest,Southeastand South- west.One ofthe standout events washeld atNavalWeaponsStation(NWS)Yorktown, Va.Theinstallation’sMWRprogramhosted acaptivating two-dayevent from June 24-25, 2023. The attendeesparticipated in canoeing,archery,crafts,feedingbutterflies and yard games.Asthe evening settledin, everyone gatheredaroundthe campfireto enjoymoviesands’mores

Great Navy Campoutextended its magic toCliffsideRVPark,nestledalongtheshoreline of NavalAir Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, Wash., hosting athree-day event fromJune23-25,2023.Theeventwelcomed over400attendeeswhoenjoyedamemorable campingexperience,including98firsttime campers.Adding to the excitement, NASWhidbeyIslandMWRhostedtheir3rd annualFamilyOlympicsignitingthespiritof friendlycompetitionamongfamilies.Participantsengagedinthreeexcitingchallenges, includingarelayracetosetupcamp,watermelon eating contestand aphysicalfitness challenge.

Innovating this year’s Great Navy Campoutprogram, Navy MWR Community Recreation and Liberty launched the “Pledge to Camp” giveaway. Each month, participants can register their camping experience for thechance to wingiftcards

Duringthemonthlygiveaways,NavyMWR CommunityRecreation and Liberty will selecttwo winners for $500 gift cards to an adventurestore —one fora familyand another for ajunior Sailor.The excitement doesn’t stop there as twogrand prize winnerswillbeselectedattheconclusionof theprograminOctober

As Great Navy Campout extends this summer,theNavyMWRCommunityRecreation and Liberty programs invite Sailors familymembers andall eligible patronsto participate in one of the upcoming events at their local installation.Whether youare aseasoned outdoor enthusiastoranovice camper,this extraordinary program promisessomethingspecialforeveryone.Tostay updatedonfutureeventsandthe“Pledgeto Camp” giveaway, visit www.navymwr.org/ great-navy-campout.

Navy MWRCommunity Recreation offers recreational programs and services includingoutdoorrecreation,specialevents, leisureclasses,trips, discountedattraction tickets,parksand picnicspaces and more.

Navy MWR Libertyoffers singleand unaccompanied junior Sailors (E1-E6) recreational and leisureprograms,trips and outings,outdooradventureactivities,entertainmentand cultural experiences,volunteer and outreach experiencesand social activities where theyneed tobetofigure outwhat’s going on.Wetalk alot aboutresiliency and toughness, and Ithink alot of the training I hadpreparedmefor that insteadofpanicking.Mymostrewardingjobs have been my most challenging and Iwas definitely groundedalotinthatexperience.”

The USSConstitution, athree-masted, wooden-hulled frigatelaunched inBoston Harborin1797

Thoughmadefromliveoakandwhiteoak, she earned the nickname,“OldIronsides,” after theWar of 1812whenBritish cannonballs were seenbouncing off the side of the hull.TheUSSConstitutionwasundefeated inbattle,witha33-0recordofdestroyingor capturingopponents.

“Ten to 15 percent of the ship todayis stilloriginal,” Farrell said. “Mostlythe keel and some of the pieces off of it which is actuallya great testament to aguy youmay have heardof, named Paul Revere.Ontop of being asilversmith and writing to alert that‘theBritishwerecoming,’hewasalsoa coppersmith,soheprovidedcoppertohelp makethepinsoftheshipandcoverthehull in asheet of copper to help preserveitand preventitfromdeteriorating.”

After the Warof1812,USS Constitution wasrepurposed, sailedonanaround-theworld cruise, went to the U.S. NavalAcademyasatrading ship duringthe Civil War, then sailed up to Newport,RhodeIsland, to re-establish the NavalAcademy. Once the Civil Warwas over, theshipsailed back downtoAnnapolis,Maryland USSConstitution later went to ashipyard in Kittery, Maine,and fell into astate of dis-repair.The Navy had planstouse it fortargetpractice,buttheAmericanpeople foughtagainstthisdecision,andthehistoric ship wassaved thanks to acampaign called the “Pennies Campaign.”School children fromalloverthecountrysentinchange,raising $154,000 to restoreher.Once restored, the USSConstitutionembarked on an around-the-countrytour,andthenreturned backtoBostonwhereit’sbeeneversince

The USSConstitution still sets sail for veteran commemorations,Independence Day,andontheship’sbirthday,Oct.21.USS Constitutionisopenfortoursandevents.To find out moreabout the ship’s history visit https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/.

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