A Texas flag flies next to an American flag aboard USS Kearsarge as it sails into port as part of Fleet Week Houston on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)
HOUSTON — As soon as Marine Corps Sgt. Ashleigh Lozano heard the Navy was planning a Fleet Week for her hometown, she knew she had to find a way to be there.
“It’s history in the making, and to be home to show off my uniform, serving my country, and being in my city with pride, it was something I definitely wanted to be a part of,” she said Wednesday morning while standing on the flight deck of the USS Kearsarge as the amphibious assault ship made its way through Galveston Bay and into the Port of Houston.
She is one of more than 1,000 sailors, Marines and Coast Guard members participating in the first Fleet Week for a Texas city.
Sailors and Marines man the rail as two FA-18 Super Hornet aircraft and an E-2D Hawkeye fly overhead during a parade of ships in Galveston Bay, Texas, as part of Fleet Week Houston on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said the state may be more Army- and Air Force-centric, but he is ready to show the city’s 2.3 million residents what the sea services are all about.
“There are young adults out there, I think in middle school and certainly in high school who are thinking about service already. They’ve got that on their minds,” Caudle said. “I want to take the mystique out of that. I want them to meet the sailors, engage with them and understand they could do that, too.”
The U.S. Marine Corps Band performs outside Houston City Hall to kick off Fleet Week Houston on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)
Originally scheduled for November, the Navy and Houston decided to reschedule the event when the government shutdown occurred to make sure both parties could maximize participation.
Activities kicked off Wednesday morning with a parade of ships featuring the Kearsarge and the USS St. Louis accompanied by a flyover. These ships and others will be available for public tours, and events are scheduled across the city.
A Navy drill team performs during the opening ceremony of Fleet Week Houston, Texas, at city hall on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)
For her part, Lozano, a supply manager stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina, said she’ll spend the next week visiting a children’s museum and children’s hospital, an elementary school and a Houston Astros baseball game.
“I went to all the Astros games growing up,” she said. “I’m super excited to go there.”
During any downtime, Lozano said, she wants to show off Houston to her fellow Marines.
“We already have an itinerary built up,” she said.
Phil Brayton, a Navy veteran known as “the Houston Tan Man,” during an event at city hall as part of Fleet Week Houston on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)
