MILLINGTON, Tenn. – U.S. Navy sailors from across the fleet are headed to Virginia for Richmond Navy Week, May 12 to 18, to volunteer in the community and discuss why the Navy matters to the River City.
While many of the sailors are from all over the country, this Navy Week will carry special meaning for visiting sailors from Virginia, including Lt. Cmdr. Neil Rampy, who is from Warrenton.
Rampy, a 2002 graduate of Fresta Valley Christian School, earned a bachelor’s degree from Harding University in 2006, a master’s in social work from Washington University in St. Louis in 2012, and a master’s in public health from the University of South Florida in 2018. Rampy also earned a degree from the Naval War College in 2020 and will complete a certification through the Naval Postgraduate School in September.
Upon joining the Navy, Rampy quickly found that many of the skills and values forged in Warrenton were the same as those needed to succeed in the Navy.
“Fauquier Hospital is located on a hill overlooking Warrenton,” Rampy said. “I imagine with my mom being in labor at Fauquier Hospital on Independence Day, the town’s fireworks display that was visible from the maternity floor’s windows probably predisposed me to be patriotic. In seriousness, the town gave me a strong sense of community, which I always remember when I think about why I serve.”
Rampy, who joined the Navy 12 years ago, is assigned to the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, which is the headquarters for Navy Medicine.
“In childhood, I was inspired by family members to have a career in public service,” Rampy said. “I was a senior in high school when the attacks on 9/11 happened. This strongly reinforced my desire to serve others and serve my country. When I was in graduate school, I was extremely surprised to learn that the Navy commissioned clinical social workers. It was an easy choice to volunteer for a Navy career.”
Rampy is part of the second Navy Week to be hosted by Richmond. Navy Weeks are a series of outreach events coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity.
“Navy Weeks are a great opportunity to show the American people what the Navy does on their behalf,” Rampy said. “Many Americans live in the littorals, but few Americans have seen Navy shipyards or Marine Corps bases. Navy Weeks bring the sailors to the community. I have a deep love for Virginia, so it’s always nice to visit with my fellow Virginians.”
Today, Rampy serves as a clinical social worker.
“I evaluate and treat sailors and Marines with conditions such as depression, anxiety, traumatic stress or adjustment disorders,” Rampy said. “Currently, I am assigned to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Falls Church, so I am focused on the administration of mental health policy and programs. I spend a lot of time reading and writing about system improvements.”
Rampy has had many opportunities to excel in the Navy and sees military service as more than just a job – it represents a chance to become a better person.
“I was serving on Guam with Commander, Task Force 75 during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Rampy said. “I am especially proud of my time with CTF-75 when we took care of our fellow sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, our fellow American citizens on Guam, Saipan, and Tinian, and one another, and still accomplished our mission during an especially challenging time.”
Rampy is grateful for the Warrenton community and for those who helped make a Navy career possible.
“My family and I served overseas on Guam and Okinawa for almost nine years, from 2014 to 2023,” added Rampy. “We’re blessed to be stationed near our family in northern Virginia. Thank you to everyone in the Rampy, Pittelkau and Mowrer families for your unwavering love and support!”
Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort into areas of the country without a significant Navy presence, providing the public a firsthand look at why the Navy matters to cities like Richmond.
“As we celebrate 250 years of naval tradition and excellence as a maritime nation, we recognize it’s the combination of the world’s most sophisticated weapons systems, and more importantly our highly skilled people – at sea and ashore – who provide an unmatched advantage in promoting prosperity and security, deterring aggression and protecting the American way of life,” said Cmdr. Julie Holland, Navy Office of Community Outreach director. “Your sailors continue a tradition of decisive power from seabed to space, and we’re thrilled to bring them to Richmond so you can witness their tremendous character, competence and dedication firsthand.”
Richmond Navy Week events include a Mayoral Proclamation Ceremony at the Virginia War Memorial; displays at the American Civil War Museum, Children’s Museum of Richmond, Museum of History and Culture, VA Hospital, and National Battlefield Park; free public performances at the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Richmond Ivy, RVA Big Market, Mission BBQ and Dogwood Dell Amphitheatre; various community service-based partnerships to include Feed More, Chesterfield Food Bank, Beyond Boundaries, Richmond SPCA, and Habitat for Humanity; and opportunities for Sailor interactions all weekend long at the Dominion Energy Riverrock Festival.
Richmond Navy Week senior executive, Rear Adm. Todd Whalen, commander, Carrier Strike Group Three, will participate in community engagements and meet with local businesses, civic, education and government leaders.
For a list of public events, visit https://outreach.navy.mil/Navy-Weeks/Richmond-2025/
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