Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam Ferrero | 190327-N-BD319-0004 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (March 27, 2019) Chief Culinary Specialist...... read more read more
Subscribe
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (March 26, 2019) – The path of an enlisted Sailor is paved with milestones. When it comes to advancement, one particularly important milestone is when Sailors transition from petty officer first class to chief petty officer. While only one rank apart, it would be a mistake to underestimate how different they really are.
“When I was a first class, I thought that being a chief would be easy,” said Chief Aviation Ordinanceman Kevin Kelly from North Kingstown, Rholde Island, a weapons department material maintenance management assistant on board the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). “They had more meetings and made the plans while I executed them. Now, on the other side, I know that [there] is a lot more to it than I thought. While now I do make plans, I am also out to make sure that things are going as scheduled and provide solutions for any obstacles that may come up. I would say that I had grossly underestimated the level that chiefs perform at.”
There can be vast differences between first classes and chiefs, not just in their day-to-day work responsibilities, but also in their mindsets and priorities.
“As a first class, my sights were set mainly on my division and not as broad as they are now,” said Kelly. “I now track things at a departmental level, and there [are] a lot more responsibilities and things to get done.”
Being a chief may come with more responsibility, but petty officer first classes still play a vital role in the Navy.
“I believe that first classes bridge the gap between junior Sailors and senior Sailors,” said Chief Culinary Specialist Quwanda Burnett from Kinston, North Carolina, the restricted personnel division chief petty officer aboard George Washington. “Possibly, it’s because the Sailors feel more comfortable with their [leading petty officer] then they do with their chief. The first classes are the buffers in the division and often times boost the morale.”
As a first class, Burnett already had firm ideas about what it meant to be a chief.
“Being a chief meant being an expert in my field, a positive role model, and the backbone of the Navy,” said Burnett. “My feelings [now as a chief] are the same, and I am beyond grateful to be a chief. As a young [culinary specialist], at the time [mess management specialist], I had amazing chiefs that always took care of me and showed me the way. I believe that is my duty, to give that to Sailors, if not more than what was given to me.”
For first classes looking to become chiefs, bearing in mind just what comes with the position will come in handy as they remember the traits that got them where they are.
“Becoming a chief was a goal I set for myself when I decided to reenlist for the first time in 2006,” said Chief Logistics Specialist Dominique Sherrod from Portsmouth, Virginia, ship’s force work package leading chief petty officer on board George Washington. “Once I reenlisted, I decided that I would strive to become a chief. There have been roadblocks and pitfalls, but there have always been chiefs, senior chiefs, and master chiefs who have always been there for me, and peers and junior Sailors who have kept me grounded.”
The rank of petty officer first class is an important step to becoming a chief, but it’s also so much more than that. Not all first classes become chiefs in the Navy, but both play separate and vital roles in its operation. By working together along with their junior Sailors, they ensure that the enlisted community will continue displaying just why this is the world’s strongest Navy.
Join the conversation with GW online at www.facebook.com/USSGW and www.twitter.com/GW_CVN73. For more news from USS George Washington, visit www. Navy.mil/local/cvn73/.
| Date Taken: | 03.26.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2019 11:26 |
| Story ID: | 316541 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 570 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Crows and Anchors: The Differences Between First Classes and Chiefs, by PO2 Adam Ferrero, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT