MILLINGTON, Tenn. – U.S. Navy sailors from across the fleet are headed to Pennsylvania for Harrisburg Navy Week, May 20 to 25, to volunteer in the community and discuss why the Navy matters to the Susquehanna.
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 3rd Class Hayden Ford, a native of Warminster.
Ford graduated from William Tennent High School in 2024. Upon joining the Navy, Ford quickly found that many of the skills and values forged in Warminster were the same as those needed to succeed in the Navy.
“I used to work landscaping with my dad in the summer, and he taught me the value of hard work and how important it is to always give your best effort,” Ford said.
Ford, who joined the Navy more than a year ago, is assigned to Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Pensacola, Florida.
“I joined the Navy after high school because I wanted to do something challenging, knowing that college wouldn’t give me that fulfillment,” Ford said. “My stepdad was a Marine, so he helped me choose the best branch, the Navy.”
Ford is part of the first Navy Week to be hosted in Harrisburg. 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 it lets me show the community all the opportunities the Navy can offer, especially in a city with not much Navy presence,” Ford said.
Today, Ford serves as an intelligence specialist.
“I provide intelligence briefs to high-ranking officials to better their situational awareness, allowing for informed decision making,” Ford said.
Ford 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 was helping to create an All Source Analyst (ASA) training course that will help qualify future ASAs,” Ford said.
Ford is grateful for the Warminster community and for those who helped make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my parents, I wouldn’t have gotten here without them,” Ford said. “I also want to thank my cousin, Jonah, who always has my best interests in mind and supports me no matter what, and my friends back home, who have helped shape me into the person I am 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 Harrisburg.
Sailors from USS Gettysburg and the future USS Harrisburg, the second ship to be named for the capital, will be participating in events throughout the week, including the Harrisburg Navy Week proclamation ceremony and the Camp Hill and Gettysburg Memorial Day parades. There will also be public performances throughout the week by the Navy Ceremonial Guard bayonet drill team from Washington, D.C., and U.S. Navy Band Northeast’s Brass Band and Woodwind Quintet. There will also be demonstrations by the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs parachute team and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Sailors will also volunteer with community service groups in the area.
More highlights from the week include Navy displays at the National Civil War Museum, activities at the Friday-Sunday Harrisburg Senators baseball games, participation at the Big 33 Football Classic Fan Fest and Pregame, and demonstrations, displays and performances at the Air Dot Central PA Airshow.
For a list of public events, visit https://outreach.navy.mil/Navy-Weeks/Harrisburg-2026/.