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Several Syracuse city officials, including Mayor Ben Walsh and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, joined Rear Admiral Stephen “Josh” Jackson and other United States Navy personnel on the steps of Syracuse City Hall Tuesday morning to commemorate the start of Syracuse Navy Week.

During the meeting, around 30 community attendees — many of whom were local government members — watched Walsh and McMahon deliver a proclamation to officially recognize Navy Week in the city of Syracuse and throughout Onondaga County. Throughout the ceremony, members of the Navy offered remarks about the week, which aims to increase outreach into cities “without a significant Navy presence.”

“For those of you that have spent time here before, this is a public space for celebration, where we acknowledge and celebrate our many diverse policies,” Walsh said. “As we continue to use this space to celebrate the beautiful diversity of our city … we also use it to continue to celebrate all of the incredible things that make the United States of America so special.”

The Navy Week program visits 15 different U.S. states annually. The festivities have not occurred in Syracuse since 2016.

Walsh said the state of New York is home to 16,197 active duty sailors, more than 1,700 Navy reservists and over 8,300 retirees. In 2022, the Navy selected aerospace and defense company Saab Inc., which has a headquarters in Syracuse, to upgrade its radar systems, syracuse.com reported. The decision was projected to create 50 jobs in the area.

The Navy will make appearances at public events and city organizations throughout the week, including visits to SU, the Great New York State Fair, Onondaga Community College, the Food Bank of Central New York and the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology, Lieutenant Commander Jeffrey Migdal said.

The ceremony began with the Navy Band Northeast playing several patriotic songs as attendees took their seats outside city hall. Migdal, an operations officer for the Navy Information Operations Command, delivered the opening remarks. During his speech, he thanked Navy personnel and local political leaders, including Rep. Brandon Williams, for attending the proclamation.

Following Migdal’s remarks, Franklin Parker — assistant secretary of the Navy for the Manpower and Reserve Affairs department — discussed the Navy’s “National Call to Maritime Service,” which was announced by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro in May.

A day before the ceremony, Parker said he met with former Secretary of the Navy Sean O’Keefe, who currently works as a professor at SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Parker called O’Keefe an inspiring contributor to public service, as the SU professor held several high-level government positions prior to working at the university.

“Many of you in the audience are serving in your own capacity, whether participating on a local board, volunteering for a charity, serving in law enforcement, working as a teacher in a local school or supporting your community,” Parker said. “Service looks different for everyone … but (it) binds us together as a nation.”

As of Tuesday, the Navy launched a website for its Naval Civilian Careers and National Call to Maritime Service, Parker announced. These sites will serve as online portals for civilians to explore Navy careers, both in and out of uniform.

Walsh and McMahon took turns reciting pieces of the proclamation, codifying the city’s recognition of Navy Week. After the recitation, Jackson said the decree was one of the “most precise” and “well-written” Navy Week proclamations he’s heard.

“Onondaga County and the city of Syracuse are honored to have the presence of the United States Navy in our community,” the proclamation reads. “Syracuse Navy Week hosts special events and programs for the city to increase the community’s knowledge and understanding of the Navy and its global mission.”

Jackson, who was born in Syracuse and attended Fayetteville-Manlius High School, was deployed several times after entering the Navy Surface Warfare pipeline, Migdal said. Today, Jackson is the deputy director of operations and integration directorate at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and co-leads the Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal, among other roles.

Jackson said he looks forward to reintroducing the Syracuse community to the Navy through its outreach events. During SU football’s season-opener versus Ohio University Saturday, Jackson will represent the Navy and will be named a “Hometown Hero.”

Published on August 27, 2024 at 10:21 pm

Contact Julia: jmboehni@syr.edu