MILLINGTON, Tenn. – U.S. Navy sailors from across the fleet are headed to Arizona for Tucson Navy Week, Feb. 17 to 23, to volunteer in the community and discuss why the Navy matters to the Old Pueblo.
While many of the sailors are from all over the country, this Navy Week will carry special meaning for visiting sailors from the area, including Petty Officer 2nd Class Abrianna Thompson, a native of Sierra Vista, Arizona.
Thompson, a 2015 graduate of Buena High School, started the journey in higher education in Arizona, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a certificate in criminology from Arizona State University in 2020.
The skills and values Thompson learned growing up in Sierra Vista are the same as those needed to succeed in the Navy.
“The biggest lesson I have learned is how important community is,” Thompson said. “Community is who you lean on for support and love during hard times. Being so far from family has taught me to lean on my Navy community and my community back home when I needed support.”
Thompson, who joined the Navy three years ago, is assigned to U.S. Navy Information Operations Detachment (NIOD) Korea.
“I was inspired to join because of the great opportunities the Navy gives people to grow as a person,” Thompson said. “I joined to travel and see new countries and cultures, as well as get my master’s degree in criminal justice.”
Thompson’s reasons to join have been realized – working on a master’s degree in criminal justice and traveling the world as far as South Korea. Now, Thompson is returning home to Arizona as part of the fifth Navy Week to be hosted in Tucson, with the last visit in 2023. Navy Weeks are a series of outreach events coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity.
“Participating in this Navy Week is important to me because the Navy has given me great opportunities to be a leader, benefits, a stable life and taught me many lessons,” Thompson said. “I think it is so important for young people to know how great of a stepping stone the Navy and the military in general is for them. It teaches you so much more than you could imagine, as well as providing stability.”
Today, Thompson serves as an information systems technician.
“On a daily basis, I manage 13 remote data centers, anything from new installs to cleaning to prevent fires,” Thompson said. “I also coordinate our detachment’s Medical Readiness Program to ensure everyone is keeping up on their physical health.”
Thompson has had many opportunities to excel in the Navy and was recently placed in a leadership position.
“My proudest accomplishment in the Navy is being given the opportunity to be the acting lead petty officer of our division,” Thompson said. “This allowed me to work on my leadership skills, practice my public speaking, as well as work with senior leadership on how to make our division run smoother for the junior enlisted sailors.”
Thompson is grateful to the Sierra Vista community and the family members who helped make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my parents and grandparents for raising me to be the best version of myself, lead with intention, and love with my whole heart,” Thompson added. “My Grandpa, who is a Marine – once a Marine, always a Marine – has been my biggest inspiration. He has helped me find the confidence in myself that I can do anything if I set my mind to it.”
Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort into areas of the country without a significant Navy presence, providing the public a firsthand look at why the Navy matters to cities like Tucson.
“As we celebrate 250 years of naval tradition and excellence as a maritime nation, we recognize it’s the combination of the world’s most sophisticated weapons systems, and more importantly our highly skilled people – at sea and ashore – who provide an unmatched advantage in promoting prosperity and security, deterring aggression and protecting the American way of life,” said Cmdr. Julie Holland, Navy Office of Community Outreach director. “Your sailors continue a tradition of decisive power from seabed to space and we’re thrilled to bring them to Tucson so you can witness their tremendous character, competence and dedication firsthand.”
Tucson Navy Week events include a Navy Week proclamation and recognition ceremony at the Arizona Heroes Memorial; Discovery Night at the Children’s Museum; Navy Day at the Reid Park Zoo; 100th La Fiesta de los Vaqueros Tucson Rodeo; the Pima Air and Space Museum; and free live music at venues throughout the city performed by Navy Band Southwest. Sailors will also volunteer with organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs; Therapeutic Ranch for Animals and Kids (TRAK); StandUp for Kids; YMCA; Habitat for Humanity; Market on the Move; GAP Ministries; Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona; and Tucson Bicycle Classic, among others.
For a list of public events, visit https://outreach.navy.mil/Navy-Weeks/Tucson-2025/