‘We need the military’: Gloria Estefan at Fleet Week Miami
- Miami hosts Fleet Week for first time
- May is Military Appreciation Month
- Gloria Estefan: People need to see what the military does
(NewsNation) — Cuban American singer Gloria Estefan has partnered with U.S. troops to celebrate Fleet Week Miami.
“We’re here celebrating our amazing troops that give so much for our country and to us. I’m an Army brat, so I know exactly what military families go through,” Estefan said during a live appearance Monday on NewsNation’s “The Hill.“
May is military appreciation month, and for the first time ever, Miami is the host of Fleet Week, with five U.S. Navy battleships currently docked in the port.
Fleet Week is a time for the military to show off its best, while simultaneously tackling the ongoing issue of military recruitment.
Estefan, a Grammy award winner and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, is hoping to specifically help recruit Cuban Americans.
“We need the military in this country. I think when people come and see what they do. … I think when people see what our military does, (versus) just see them on the news, I think it really brings it home.”
Fleet Week Miami runs through May 14 at PortMiami. More than 1,500 service members are in PortMiami to make people aware of the sea services’ role in the country’s national defense.
The weeklong event features tours of U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard vessels, showcasing military technology to the public.