After 23 years of serving in the U.S. Navy, Master-at-Arms Senior Chief Petty Officer KC Dueñas got the opportunity to come home for Duluth Navy Week. Currently, Dueñas is stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She was born and raised in Duluth, and it’s where her family lives.

Dueñas says her work in the Navy has been rewarding, especially with the connections she’s made, “Mentoring, leading, and guiding multiple generations of sailors. Seeing their not only personal but professional successes. I get text and phone calls from all of them, still to this day.”

Duluth Navy Week is Dueñas’ first time participating in an event of this kind. “I didn’t realize the amount of work that went into it, and how long it takes to prepare and plan for this. So hats off to everyone who has been planning and coordinating for this.”

The U.S. Navy hosts weeks like this in cities across the country. It allows them to do outreach and teach people about the work that they do. Duluth’s just so happens to fall on America’s and the Navy’s 250th birthday.