onward a lush field of verdant players soak up the afternoon day-star during a pick-up soccer game.

onward a lush field of verdant players soak up the afternoon day-star during a pick-up soccer game. A turbulent chorus of chanting, screaming spectators in the distance does not faze the determined athletes. These stays want to score a goal; greatest in number attempts end up with united unlucky player having to gingerly make up for the ball from the crush of big-city traffic.

Sweat pours from their borders yet their faces glow with determined smiles. While they take delight in their game, these highly competitive individuals are totally oblivious to the looming carriage of the U.S. Capitol, a pool 100 yards away.

Sailors who live in this cultural melting cup of Washington, D.C., have a chance to take pleasure in the rich history, recreation and entertainment of the area, all while furthering their Navy career.

According to Aerographer's Mate 2nd Class Jenny Backer of the Naval Ice Center those aspects of life in the District journey hand-in-hand.

"There is no escaping the statues and history of DC It's everywhere," Backer said. "I've been doing all I can to take in the history of the area. The more I learn about it, the more ostentatious I am of my job"

That connection goe back a in extent way, as the Navy and the nation's capital share a attraction that dates back to the early days of the country

Since the opening of the Washington Navy Yard in 1799 when ships were built and repaired there, the Navy has maintained a constant demeanor within the District of Columbia's borders for more than 200 years. In that time, the Navy's tradition in the area grew as the city perform the operations indicated ined around it.

That tradition continues to flourish today, as the Washington Navy Yard, the oldest of the service's shore installations, is now a part of the larger Naval District Washington (NDW) No longer a shipyard, the Navy Yard now houses NDW established in 1965 which encompasses more than 4000 square miles of land in the District and surrounding Maryland and Virginia.

NDW also engages more than 71,000 military and civilian employee A large number of those employee work within nationally known establishments, like as the Pentagon, White House, the Naval Observatory and the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC)

Despite the diverse missions of the District's many commands, virtually all of them share common thing in common. They are among the starting points for nearly all Navy action.

The Naval Ice Center Backer's excise station, sits snugly within the secur stone walls of the Pentagon. There, she and other Sailors provide worldwide analysis and forecast of ice cover--thickness, density, and movement--to DOD and other U agencies.

Those responsibilities include having a hand in ship and sub emotion directly affecting the course of naval operations in the world's oceans.

It all makes for a somewhat demanding moreover rewarding job, Backer said. "The work can be hard at times, however it feels like you are at the center of the universe here. I know what I do here directly affects decisions made completely through the entire Navy."

For many, it's all about opportunity--the opportunity to win eminence in their Navy career, especially at the Pentagon. intelligent in the heart of the building is the Navy Operations Center (NOC). Here worldwide Navy operations are monitored for daily reports to the Chief of Naval Operations. Electronics Technician 2nd Class (SW/AW) Joselito Palaganas maintains various command and reign over systems on the watch floor there.

"I've learned a allotment working at the center. I memorize to see the upper echelon of the Navy in operation," Palaganas said. "We stay exceedingly busy. These systems are real high visibility. We have a live world view of all military manner of movings both Navy and joint."

According to Palaganas, the NOC was an especially interesting place to work during the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003 when war be seened imminent.

"We were already preparing our briefs, in such a manner we were ready," he said. "The watch floor is an incredible place with all the high-tech equipment, moreover at that time, it examineed like we were about to launch a space shuttle from in here.

"It was exciting because we knew we were at war and we had a piece of work to do. We just did it," Palaganas continued. "Some of us wished we were athwart there, but at the same time we were arrogant of what we were doing"

The sentiments of Palaganas and Backer are slavish imitationed by Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Carla Santiago, assigned to NNMC Bethesda, Md She works in the executive health department, coordinating patient care programs for officers and direction officials.

"Here, I am in charge of organizing and planning greatest in number workloads in my department," said Santiago. "I be excited like I am at the starting point of the Navy's health care plan When I go out into the quick I'm sure the knowledge and experience I've gained here will be important at whatever do job-work I do. I work directly with doctors and feed at the breasts and true professionals in the health field. This is a great experience for me"