CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq — "Attention on deck!" bellowed Command Master Chief Petty Officer John T. Lees, a New York native and the most senior enlisted member of Riverine Squadron Two, based out of Norfolk, Va. Lees brought the first Chief Petty Officer Pinning Ceremony held at Contingency Operating Base Basra to order at the Moral, Welfare and Recreation stage Sept. 16.
Standing on the stage in front of their fellow RIVRON TWO Sailors, 13 chief petty officer selectees were promoted to the rank of chief petty officer.
"The ceremony is only held once a year, so this is the only time we will do this," said Chief Petty Officer Josh Mazer, intelligence specialist, RIVRON TWO. "It is held at the same time for all of our Sailors, and it's the biggest milestone in a Sailor's career."
"Unlike petty officer first class and lower ranks, advancement to chief petty officer not only carries requirements of superior evaluation scores and specialty examinations, but also carries an added requirement of peer review," according to Ensign Gilbert Baughn, Riverine communication officer, and a former chief petty officer.
"A chief petty officer can only advance after review by a selection board of serving senior and master chief petty officers, in effect choosing their own."
After the completion of the opening ceremony, the inductees were called to the stage one by one. They made their way toward the center of the stage and were joined by their sponsors. Sponsors are chiefs who joined the ranks in prior years and are tasked with guiding the Sailors through the transition process.
As the petty officers took center stage to receive their promotion, their sponsors positioned themselves on either side of their Sailors. One stepped forward to place the new chief's hat on his head, and the other pinned the fouled anchors on the Sailor's collar. The fouled anchor is a gold anchor, a chain and the letters U.S.N., which stand for unity, service and navigation. In many cases the rank is supplied by another chief, a mentor or family.
The pinning ceremony is the last step in the long process. However, there is more to promotion to chief petty officer than just the ceremony.
"Chief selectees were announced Jul. 31, and during the six weeks of chiefs transition training, a period that prepared us as leaders in the Navy," said Chief Petty Officer Select Edward Pruitt, an intelligence specialist from Tangier Island, Va. "We learned the leadership and responsibility that we will use to take care of the Sailors. We did events that stressed physical fitness, Navy traditions and camaraderie."
"It's a life-long dream. Ever since I've been in the Navy, I've known this is something I wanted to be," said Pruitt.
"In the Navy, their uniform changes to reflect this change of duty, becoming identical to that of an officer's uniform except with different insignia," added Baughn.
Each of the new chiefs filed off stage through a line of their peers to receive the first salute in recognition of the milestone they achieved.
"It's time to step up and lead Sailors," said Mazer.
| Date Taken: |
09.16.2009 |
| Date Posted: |
09.21.2009 04:27 |
| Story ID: |
39072 |
| Location: |
BASRA, IQ |
| Web Views: |
291 |
| Downloads: |
149 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Contingency Operating Base Basra holds first chief petty officer pinning ceremony, by SFC Jeffrey Mullett, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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