MILLINGTON, Tenn. – U.S. Navy sailors from across the fleet are headed to South Texas for Rio Grande Valley Navy Week, Jan. 24-31, to volunteer in the community and discuss why the Navy matters to the Valley.
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 Thomas Trigg, a native of Mission, Texas.
Trigg graduated from Sharyland High School in 2023. Upon joining the Navy, Trigg quickly found that many of the skills and values forged in Mission were the same as those needed to succeed in the Navy.
“Growing up in Mission taught me that everyone had a chance to make something of themselves, no matter where you were from,” Trigg said. “I was always taught to put God first and that the rest would follow, and sure enough, I was put in the blessed position I am in today.”
Trigg, who joined the Navy 2 1/2 years ago, is assigned to Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Texas.
“I wanted to join mainly because I knew that I would be able to do something bigger than I am and give back to those who had come before me,” Trigg said. “I had previous family members in the Navy and other branches, and saw that the Navy had the best calling.”
Trigg is part of the first Navy Week to be hosted in the Rio Grande Valley. 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.
“Navy Week means that I get to show young people who were in my position that the military path can be incredibly fruitful and can drastically change your life for the better, and to share my story about how much I consider joining the world’s greatest Navy the best decision I have ever made,” Trigg said.
Today, Trigg serves as a cyber warfare technician.
“My daily job entails a variety of things, but I mainly work at a desktop and interact with every branch and civilians daily in securing the nation’s security in the cyberspace,” Trigg said. “The people I work with make my workload tolerable and the work day enjoyable with how laidback everyone normally is and how welcoming they are when I first got to my command.”
Trigg has had many opportunities to excel in the Navy and sees military service as more than just a job – it represents a chance to become a better person.
“My proudest accomplishment in the Navy still has to be graduating from ‘A’ school,” Trigg said. “The course that I took was incredibly challenging and tested my mettle and mental fortitude like no other, but nothing beat the feeling of hearing I passed when I completed my final capstone test.”
Trigg is grateful for the Mission community and for those who helped make a Navy career possible.
“I’d like to shoutout my mom, Susan Trigg, and dad, Michael Trigg, for always encouraging me, as well as my brothers, Tanner and Tyler,” added Trigg. “Were it not for them, I definitely would not be in the blessed position I am in today.”
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 communities like the Rio Grande Valley.
“We’re excited to bring Navy Week to the Rio Grande Valley for the very first time, and to kick off the 2026 Navy Week schedule in the Lone Star State,” said Cmdr. Julie Holland, Navy Office of Community Outreach director. “As the nation celebrates Freedom 250 throughout 2026, the Navy’s Outreach team will embark on a celebratory ‘Road Trip to 250,’ linking key locations in America to our maritime dominance. Navy Weeks will serve as a symbolic link connecting communities across America to their Navy, highlighting the shared history and the enduring commitment to defending freedom and supporting our nation’s independence.”
Rio Grande Valley Navy Week events include multiple engagements at the Texas Citrus Fiesta Fun Fair and live performances throughout the week from the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard and the Navy’s New Orleans-style music group, the Deck Plate Brass Band.
Sailors will also be volunteering with the Boca Chica Beach Community Clean-Up, visiting schools across the Edinburg CISD, working on a service project at the American Legion Freddy Gonzalez Post 408, volunteering with the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley and more.
For a list of public events, visit https://outreach.navy.mil/Navy-Weeks/Rio-Grande-Valley-2026/.