Photo By Gregory Mitchell | YOKOSUKA, Japan (Sept. 16, 2016) - U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka's Commanding Officer,...... read more read more
YOKOSUKA, Japan – Friends, family and fellow chiefs filled Fleet Theater aboard Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka to witness 42 Sailors receive their fouled anchors, the emblem of the rank of chief petty officer (CPO) at the CPO pinning ceremony Sept. 16.
Of the 42 consisting of eight tenant commands, five represented US Naval Hospital (USNH) Yokosuka; Hospital Corpsman Chief Petty Officers Rico Bautista, Victoria Cruz and Leslie Regala; Gunners Mate Chief Petty Officer Alfonzo Ford and Fire Controlman Chief Petty Officer Christopher Mach.
Western Pacific (WESTPAC) Alliance members pinned include Hospital Corpsman Chief Petty Officers Allan Rosete from Branch Health Clinic (BHC) Atsugi; Jesse Evans from Branch Health Annex (BHA) Fuji; Lamonica Harrision and Kwok Yeung, both of BHC Iwakuni.
“Throughout the 16 years of attending these ceremonies having traveled throughout the region, I can tell you that you have the best of them right in front of you,” said U.S. Naval Forces Japan, Navy Region Japan, Command Master Chief Joseph Fahrney, guest speaker. “We will formally recognize the years of hard work by these Sailors, their subsequent selection for chief petty officer, and their devotion to their families in support of that service.”
Although the chief selectees had been working their entire careers to be accepted into the chief community, they spent the weeks prior to the pinning ceremony working closely with mentors, their chief sponsors, volunteering at base events and, of course, running together to further instill the values and ethic demanded of the CPO mess.
“I’m just super proud of them and if it were up to me to say whose new Chief selectees are the best, I would say the USNH chiefs are the best.” said USNH Yokosuka Command Master Chief Loren Rucker. “These guys really do a great job to out-perform all of the other chiefs in the area and it shows in everything they do. Their performance has been outstanding, they put a lot of effort into every exercise, evolution, and training they that we put in front of them and they excelled which culminated in today's pinning. It takes a lot to be a Chief. It is still a daily thing that they have to earn. They have proven over the last 6 weeks they have earned the right to be a Chief.”
The ceremony began with the entrance of the soon-to-be anointed members of the mess marching in step while roaring "Anchors Aweigh". The conclusion saw each chief pinned by their respective sponsor and mentors, along with family and friends, receive their combination cover then proceed to walk through sidebouys officially as ‘the chief’.
"It's a great feeling, almost beyond words,” said Bautista. “Getting pinned, getting covered today – it is such a great honor to be a part of this tradition. This has been a career-long achievement, a milestone; a pinnacle of success. I know the journey is only just beginning for me, my immediate family and my Navy family.”
Chief Petty Officers of the United States Navy have been providing deckplate leadership for more than 123 years. Their technical expertise, commitment to achieving and maintaining the highest levels of training, operational readiness and personnel readiness within their respective commands has helped forge the U.S. Navy into the formidable fighting force it is to date.
The newest chiefs of USNH Yokosuka and have a proud tradition to take strength from, and were selected to help instill that tradition of leadership and responsibility into their "people," ensuring the Navy remains strong in the 21st century and beyond.
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.23.2016 04:13 |
| Story ID: | 210374 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 299 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, New USNH Yokosuka CPO’s pinned during honorary Ceremony, by Gregory Mitchell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT