Photo By Daniel DeAngelis | Bringing new energy, a fresh set of eyes, and a willingness to work with personnel at...... read more read more
Bringing new energy, a fresh set of eyes, and a willingness to work with personnel at all levels to accomplish the mission are just a few of the characteristics that Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s new Command Master Chief (CMDCM) Brent Blalock brings to the table. He is prepared to work hard while holding himself and others accountable.
CMDCM Blalock hails from Fort Gaines, Ga. where he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 1999 and completed both Recruit Training and Electricians’ Mate “A” School at Naval Training Center Great Lakes. Upon graduation, he reported to his first ship in July 2000.
“I joined the Navy right out of high school because I knew college wasn’t for me at the time and I really wanted to escape my small south Georgia town,“ said Blalock. Since enlisting, Blalock has had many sea duty assignments, serving on USS Shreveport (LPD 12), USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) and USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53). Blalock served as the Command Master Chief on both USS Hopper (DDG 70) and USS Oak Hill (LSD 51). He has seen multiple deployments throughout the Indian Ocean, Arabian Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Sea of Japan with operations and port visits in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Blalock is a father to three sons and has been married to his high school sweetheart for 20 years. When he is not supporting his family or serving his country, Blalock loves to golf, explore new breweries, smoke various meats and enjoy football.
Growing up in a small town in southern Georgia, Blalock’s grandfather owned a hog farm and throughout his elementary and middle school years, he participated in prize pig competitions. When Blalock reached high school, he became obsessed with hip-hop music, driving his low rider truck and installing speaker systems in his friends’ cars on the weekends. Blalock said, “I feel my southern country roots have led me to become the person I am today and I look forward to serving as NNSY’s Command Master Chief.”
One of the goals Blalock has serving as NNSY’s Command Master Chief is to leave NNSY better than when he found it and to inspire others to do the same.
Ready for the challenges ahead, Blalock stated, “NNSY is a very large command with a lot of moving parts. We have the tremendous responsibility of getting ships repaired on-time and getting them back to the Fleet. In order to meet this goal, we need to foster a climate of mutual respect, clear communication and a collaborative spirit between our Sailors and our civilian counterparts. We have to embrace new ways of doing things and not rely on the way things have always been done. Keep it simple when we can; if we over complicate things it will make us less efficient and less successful.”
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2021 11:21 |
| Story ID: | 403717 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | FORT GAINES, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 197 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Welcome Aboard: NNSY’s New Command Master Chief, by Jason Scarborough, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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