Fleet Week officially started with the firing of the 11-gun salute as the USS Arlington approached the Verrazano Bridge. Brooklyn school children are regularly invited by Fort Hamilton to witness the historic event.
WATCH: Fort Hamilton Gun Salute
NYHC asked the Veterans Corps of Artillery of the State of New York who was willing to contribute some artistic talent to help celebrate the start of the 2018 Fleet Week. Chief 
Warrant Officer II Gerard Gioia, pictured here in uniform, answered the call.
Featured Artist
Gerard is an accomplished musician with training from the Julliard School. He is a former NYC school teacher, who after 27 years, taught Chinese students overseas in Taiwan. Gerard wrote an original composition, called ‘Fighting Man’, as it has elements of the traditional fife and drum music that dates back to George Washington’s army when the corps was created in 1790. It is fitting because of this unit’s fighting spirit that lives on today. However, Mr. Gioia provided us with a different composition that also serves the community.
“Brooklyn” by Gerard Gioia
Loved reggae and knew the late Peter Tosh(repaired his guitar). Was living in a Manhattan loft. Song came to me, lyric hit me and I sang it and danced for about 3 hours.
