Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Preston Jarrett | 210129-N-FC991-0166 MILLINGTON, Tenn. (Jan. 29, 2021) Chief Fire Controlman Matthew...... read more read more
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U.S. Navy story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elijah Newton
MILLINGTON, Tenn. - In the midst of COVID-19 precautions, five Sailors from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command (CNRC) joined the ranks of the chief’s mess during a chief petty officer pinning ceremony in front of CNRC headquarters, Jan. 29.
During the past nine weeks of chief initiation, chiefs at CNRC came together to make sure that new chiefs were able to get effective training while also following the COVID-19 precautions. This year’s chief training was jointly ran by chiefs from Naval Support Activity Mid-South, which is comprised of six different commands and more than 400 chief petty officers.
“There’s definitely a sense of pride and accomplishment in making chief,” said Chief Carlo Flaccavento, E-talent division leading chief petty officer at CNRC. “I’m grateful to all the people that have gotten me to where I’m at; because, I didn’t get me here on my own.”
After first class petty officers learn that they have been selected for promotion to chief petty officer, they immediately go into intensive training to learn leadership lessons and adjust their mindset to be able to fulfill the new paygrade and responsibilities that come with it. This process is called “chief season,” and the lessons, heritage and traditions learned date back to the establishment of the chief petty officer on April 1, 1893.
“As a first class, I would think how I can get the job done and how good a job I will do,” said Chief Petty Officer Jilmar Pena. “Now I think outward. By getting this done, how will it impact my Sailors, the command . . . so on and so forth.”
The new chiefs also learn they are not alone through this process. Its all about teamwork and helping out the Sailors around them.
“The greatest thing I believe I've learned throughout this process is that it's okay to ask for help when you need it,” said Chief Petty Officer Marlin Wren, the leading chief petty officer of Information Assurance department. “You’ll be welcomed with open arms when you need help”
COVID-19 presented this chief season with unique challenges, forcing the chiefs mess to get creative with the way they train their new chiefs. They weren’t allowed to be in groups larger than ten or close proximity during face-to-face interaction. Face masks were always required as well as strict following of CDC guidelines to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus.
“With the limitations of in-person interaction, we had to find meaningful alternatives to ensure that we are still providing good training that they need,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Sheryl Gutierrez, CNRC chief season leader for Naval Support Activity Mid-South.
Though the chief lessons span 128 years of history and experience, there was nothing antiquated about the fiscal year 2021 chief season, according to Chief Mass Communication Specialist Elijah G. Leinaar, chief season Heritage and Public Affairs committees leader.
“We issued the chief selectees iPads and equipment to be able to complete their training any time, location or COVID risk mitigation. Being able to hold training, virtually, with the largest chief’s mess in the world was a technical challenge we were able to overcome,” said Leinaar. “I’m proud I was able to be a part of this year’s season, because it reflects how the U.S. Navy is the most technically advanced naval force in the world and chiefs are able to find working solutions despite any challenges COVID presented.”
Even with the trials presented by COVID-19 restrictions, the new chiefs still feel like they got the best training available.
“They had many hurdles, if not more, to face than we did to get us the proper training to become chiefs,” said Flaccavento. “I think they did a fantastic job training us with what they had.”
Although the chiefs were limited to what they could do for training, they were able to find some unexpected benefits to virtual training. Through video conferences they were able to connect with each other no matter how far apart they were. They were still able to stay engaged and share experiences together.
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, 26 NTAGs and 64 Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers (TAOCs) that will serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the world. Their mission is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
| Date Taken: | 01.29.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 01.29.2021 18:17 |
| Story ID: | 387978 |
| Location: | MILLINGTON, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 335 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CNRC Promotes New Chief Petty Officers During Pandemic, by PO2 Elijah Newton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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