NAVCENT Sailors celebrate 241st Navy Birthday

By Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan D. McLearnon, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs | | October 16, 2016

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161013-N-YB753-049 NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN (Oct. 13, 2016) Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Joy, left, cuts the Navy birthday cake with Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, during a ceremony honoring the Navy's 241st birthday at Naval Support Activity Bahrain. In keeping with naval tradition, the youngest and oldest Sailors present have the first pieces of cake. Sailors worldwide observed the Navy birthday on Oct. 13 with this year's theme of “America’s Sailor: For 241 years, Tough, Bold and Ready."

161013-N-YB753-049 NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN (Oct. 13, 2016) Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Joy, left, cuts the Navy birthday cake with Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, during a ceremony honoring the Navy's 241st birthday at Naval Support Activity Bahrain. In keeping with naval tradition, the youngest and oldest Sailors present have the first pieces of cake. Sailors worldwide observed the Navy birthday on Oct. 13 with this year's theme of “America’s Sailor: For 241 years, Tough, Bold and Ready." (Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Morales)


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MANAMA, Bahrain – Sailors assigned to Commander U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) celebrated the 241st Navy Birthday during a cake cutting ceremony at Naval Support Activity Bahrain Oct. 13.

Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, NAVCENT commander, was the guest speaker and in his remarks highlighted the importance of forward presence and the stability in the region.

“There’s no region more vital to the global economy than the one you are in today,” said Donegan. “The 5th Fleet area of operations is where the action is. Sailors here really do the tasks that are at the core of our Navy: protecting our country, advancing our interests, supporting regional allies and partner nations, delivering aid to people in crisis, and vigilantly guarding the sea lanes that are so necessary to our economic stability.”

 

NAVCENT Command Master Chief Brian McDonough led the more than 200 Sailors at the ceremony in singing the Navy’s service song “Anchors Aweigh.”


For the traditional cake cutting, Donegan, as the oldest Sailor in attendance, stood alongside 20-year-old Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Joy, the youngest Sailor.

 

Joy, a member of the intelligence community, said 241 years of technological advances in naval warfare is directly reflected within his career field.

“With my job, I have seen how technologically advanced we are, especially in naval warfare and how we fight,” said Joy. “I have seen this mostly reflected by learning in history how we fought, and how intelligence moved to the forefront of the battle. It’s amazing to see how I fit in with that.”


In 1972, then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt authorized the recognition and celebration of October 13th as the Navy's birthday.

 

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command conducts persistent maritime operations to forward U.S. interests, deter and counter disruptive countries, defeat violent extremism and strengthen partner nations’ maritime capabilities in order to promote a secure maritime environment in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

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