Admiral, former Top Gun instructor, leads Naval delegation to Sioux Falls

Navy Week to feature various events, concerts, displays and area natives who now serve their country

A Sioux Falls native and former U.S. Naval instructor at its famed Top Gun flight school will lead a team of sailors to Sioux Falls this week as the Navy celebrates Navy Week in Sioux Falls.

About 50 sailors are expected to join Rear Adm. Michael Wosje to the city as part of the Navy’s effort to promote its mission and capabilities. The Navy sponsors various events in cities across the United States as an outreach to communities that don’t have a significant U.S. Navy presence. About 15 cities a year are selected for the Navy Weeks tour.

Various events in Sioux Falls will take place in the city from Aug. 4-10, including displays and performances at the Sioux Empire Fair. On Aug. 8, the Navy’s Horizon Band will perform at Levitt at the Falls.

This year’s Navy Weeks tours hit upon the anniversaries of two notable landmarks: The 250^th creation of the U.S. Navy during the American Revolution, and the 80^th anniversary of the U.S. and Allied victories over Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

Wosje, a 1989 graduate of O’Gorman High School, assumed command as director of the Airwarfare Division, N98, in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in June. He will join Sen. John Thune on Aug. 9 as a speaker at the Battleship South Dakota Memorial celebrating the end of World War II. The U.S.S. South Dakota was the Navy’s most decorated battleship of the war, playing a significant role in the Pacific.

The Aug. 9 ceremony includes a performance by the Navy’s Brass Ambassadors, the Navy’s Ceremonial Guard and sailors from the U.S.S. Constitution. There will also be displays from the U.S. Navy’s History and Heritage Command and various World War II-era vehicles.

Wosje, who went on to graduate from the University of Notre Dame, earned his commission in school through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. He then entered active duty, becoming a Naval aviator in 1995.

“It’s an honor to bring Navy Week home to where my journey began,” said Wosje. “The sense of service, resilience, and pride that I grew up with in Sioux Falls mirrors the spirit of our Navy. As we celebrate 250 years of naval service, I’m proud to share our story with the community that shaped me and remind everyone that the strength of our Navy begins in hometowns like this.”

Wosje will be joined by other area natives, including Lt. Ren Kribell, a 2016 graduate of Brandon Valley High school, Lt. j.g. Jenny Chatwell, a 2018 graduate of Roosevelt High School and Master Chief Petty Officer Christopher “Willie” Williamson, a 2006 graduate of Lennox High School.

The Navy started its Navy Week tours in 2005. It was last held in Sioux Falls in 2019.

Though far from any ocean beachfront, South Dakota has produced some notable Naval legacies, including its second leading ace of World War II, Cresbard native Cecil “Cece” Harris, who shot down 24 Japanese planes.

Lt. Cmdr. John Waldron, a Fort Pierre native, led his torpedo bomber squadron on a mission that discovered Japanese carriers during the Battle of Midway in 1942. Though he lacked fighter protection, Waldron ordered his pilots to attack. Waldron, as well as 28 of his 30 aviators, died in the attack, but their sacrifice allowed U.S. bombers to hit Japanese carriers, because their fighters had gone after Waldron and his squadron.

Perhaps the most famous member of the Department of the Navy from South Dakota was Marine Corps. fighter ace Joe Foss, who scored 26 victories early in World War II before being pulled from combat duty. He earned the Medal of Honor and went on to serve as governor of South Dakota.