Mayor Greg Stanton urged Phoenix residents to show their gratitude and support for more than 800 visiting Marines who will be hosting and participating in various events throughout the city this week as part of Marine Week.
Marine Week, which is hosted in a different city each year, is dedicated to honoring and supporting the U.S. Marines, while sharing the culture of the Marines with the culture of the host city, and vice versa.
“We’ve hosted Super Bowls in this city,” Stanton said. “We’ve hosted major concerts and events. But I’m telling you, at least in my time as mayor, this is the coolest thing we have got to host here — Marine Week.”
The opening ceremony, held Wednesday at Civic Space Park, welcomed the Marines to Phoenix, and featured Stanton, District 7 Councilman Michael Nowakowski and Lt. Gen. David Berger.
“We are going to learn from each other this week,” Stanton said. “We are going to show our patriotism, and we are going to have an opportunity to tell these Marines we truly love you and respect your service.”
At the ceremony, parents were urged to bring their children and participate in as many events as possible during Marine Week. Nowakowski, chair of the Public Safety and Veterans city council subcommittee, said it is important for his children, and others, to listen and learn from the Marines’ incredible stories.
“We don’t have a Marine base here in Phoenix, so for me the most important thing is the people that live here seeing who we are and what we do,” Berger said. “The most important thing for the week is people from the city getting to know the Marines.”
The opening ceremony also included a performance from the United States Marine Corps Silent Platoon, a 24-man rifle group. Berger said the audience was amazed by their impressive and sharp performance.
After the ceremony, audience members flocked toward any and all Marines in uniform. They thanked the Marines for their service, asked them questions about their experiences, and even requested a selfie or two.
“Sometimes you turn on the television and you see these superheroes, or the Avengers and all that,” Nowakowski said. “But, you know, these are the real heroes of today.”
Throughout the week, Marines will be taking over the streets of Phoenix.
“They are going to leave our city, as Marines always do, they are going to leave our city a better place because of Marine Week,” Stanton said.
Events to look out for include:
• Marine Week exhibits, including military equipment, weapons and transportation, on display at First and Jefferson streets and at Civic Space Park
• Workouts hosted by the Marines, Thursday through Saturday at Civic Space Park, 7 a.m.
• The All-Marine versus Arizona State University club soccer game, Thursday, at 6:30 p.m.
• “Marine Night at the Ballpark” at Chase Field, Friday, 6 p.m.
• Marines at the WNBA Mercury Game at US Airways Center, Friday, 6 p.m.
• “Marines Rock” concert featuring the Marine Band San Diego Rock Band at Civic Space Park, Saturday, 7 p.m.
• Marines at the ASU football game in Tempe, Saturday, 8 p.m.
• Arizona Cardinals pre-game festivities and Marine Air-Ground Task Force Demonstration at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
For a complete list of events and more information about Marine Week, visit the event’s website.
Contact the reporter at Sloane.McGowan@asu.edu
