Edinburg to host ceremonies, performances during inaugural RGV Navy Week
Edinburg News, Edinburg TX News, Rio Grande Valley Navy Week
Staff Report
Edinburg, TX – The City of Edinburg will serve as a key host site during the inaugural Rio Grande Valley Navy Week, scheduled for Jan. 24–31, as the United States Navy brings more than 70 Sailors to the region for a week of public ceremonies, educational outreach and community engagement.
Navy Week is a national outreach program designed to connect communities without a major naval presence to the Navy’s mission and service members. While events are planned across Mission, McAllen and Brownsville, Edinburg will host several signature observances tied to military service and local history.
Honoring Edinburg’s military legacy
A central focus of Navy Week in Edinburg will be recognition of Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Alfredo “Freddy” Gonzalez, an Edinburg native. Sailors from the USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), named in his honor, are expected to participate in memorial events highlighting Gonzalez’s legacy and the city’s longstanding ties to military service.
A wreath-laying ceremony at the gravesites of Sgt. Gonzalez and his mother, Dolia Gonzalez, is scheduled for Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. Later that day, a brief wreath-laying ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. at the Petty Officer Jose Antonio “Tony” Saenz memorial electrical lightbox.
Proclamations, performances and outreach
Edinburg officials will issue a Navy Week proclamation during a public bienvenida event at the Edinburg ACE Center on Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. The following evening, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m., residents are invited to attend a Navy Band and Ceremonial Guard performance at the Edinburg Municipal Auditorium.
Additional community-focused programming includes STEM activities and a book reading hosted at the Edinburg Public Library on Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. Navy Week events throughout the city will also feature appearances by the Navy’s Deck Plate Brass Band and members of the Navy Ceremonial Guard.
National outreach initiative
Rio Grande Valley Navy Week launches the Navy’s 2026 national outreach schedule and coincides with the “Road to 250” initiative leading up to the nation’s 250th anniversary. City officials said Edinburg is proud to participate as a host city, connecting local residents with the Navy’s mission and the service members who carry it out.
Source — City of Edinburg.