Honoring 250 Years of Naval Service: Huntsville Navy Week Comes Ashore at Veterans Clinic
Who says you need an ocean to celebrate the Navy?
For the first time since Navy Week’s creation in 2005, Huntsville hosted Navy Week — and the Birmingham VA Health Care System’s Huntsville Veterans Clinic was proud to be part of the action.
Sailors in crisp Navy Whites visited the clinic to greet Veterans, shake hands, share stories, and — in true Navy tradition — cut the ceremonial cake marking the Navy’s 250th birthday. Although the Navy’s official date of establishment is in October, the year 2025 marks a year-long celebration for 250. One Navy Veteran particularly, James Hester, was drawn to the group as soon as they arrived. James who served in the Navy during Vietnam, including two tours overseas, proudly joined the Sailors for the cake-cutting, continuing to slice and serve long after the official moment passed.
While the event honored the Navy’s long legacy, it was clear the Sailors gained just as much from connecting with our Veteran patients — hearing their ship stories, comparing jobs (“What was your rate?”), and feeling the powerful bonds across generations of service.
This is just one example of how community partnerships, like those forged through Navy Week, enrich the lives of the Veterans we serve — and remind all of us at VA why our work matters.