Photo By Chief Petty Officer Joshua Keim | 211119-N-VH839-2056 HOUSTON (November 19, 2021) Chief Navy Counselor Scott Hewlett,...... read more read more
HOUSTON (NNS) – In perhaps the most consequential ritual observance of an enlisted Sailor's career, Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Houston held a chief petty officer (CPO) pinning ceremony, Nov. 19, 2021, at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Houston, Texas. After several weeks of training and mentorship, 16 Sailors assigned to NTAG Houston donned a pair of gold-fouled anchors for the first time and became chief petty officers.
The pinning ceremony marked the culmination of six weeks of indoctrination and initiation into one of the most exclusive professional fellowships in the Navy – the Chiefs Mess. During initiation, dubbed the chiefs season, first class petty officers selected for chief are trained, mentored, and tested in leadership, core values, and an array of other professional and personal development areas before being, hopefully, accepted into the Chiefs Mess.
“It was the biggest self-check I endured in my entire Navy career,” said Chief Navy Counselor Justin Victor, a newly tried, tested and accepted chief in the NTAG Houston Chiefs Mess. “The most valuable lesson I learned was humility. This was my ninth and final try to be selected as a CPO, and finally being selected was my ultimate goal. I've been in the Navy for 21 years and made first class petty officer on Jan. 16, 2010. It was painful every year getting passed on and seeing people I trained make it. Getting selected was a true bitter-sweet moment because I honestly was getting ready to retire because I just didn't believe I was going to ever make it."
One year ago, chiefs season activities were curtailed after the burgeoning of COVID-19 and the pandemic's effects on the global population, but decelerated transmission rates and applied safety provisions cleared a path for a more conventional chiefs season experience. The pinning ceremony, set with a backdrop of historical military aircraft and adorned with the Navy's finest décor, was a welcomed occasion after more than a year of heavy restrictions on in-person communal events.
“Being selected [by the NTAG Houston Chiefs Mess] means the world to me after being a hometown recruiter for 13 years," said Chief Navy Counselor David Acevedo, one of the newly pinned chiefs. “I have been blessed with great leadership and Sailors who allowed me to work with and lead them. Being accepted means I have the trust of the mess, and that is everything to me. I believe everyone that joins the Navy enlisted ranks strives to one day become a chief petty officer.”
More than 50 NTAG Houston chiefs, led by the command master chief, worked tirelessly preparing the recently selected chiefs for their new roles in the Navy’s mission. Still, the chiefs season is a mere glimpse into the culture, traditions and expectations of a Navy chief and what is expected of those who wear the anchors; the rest is up to the bearer.
“We used the last six weeks to help these new chiefs understand the weight of the anchors they must now personify every day,” said Command Master Chief Alex Rincones. “It can be a heavy burden, but it’s something their peers have seen in them and expect from them each day. They must continue setting the highest standards, be the example for their junior Sailors, and decide which kind of chief, leader and mentor they’re going to be. They have so much to give, and I expect them to pay it forward.”
The history and traditions of the chief petty officer date back to 1893 and, each year, chiefs across the Navy work to uphold and instill the principles and observances the gold-fouled anchors represent.
NTAG Houston has 34 Navy recruiting stations covering more than 44,000 square miles in rural and metropolitan areas around Southeastern Texas and Western Louisiana. NTAG Houston has two Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers – TOAC Space City and TAOC Bayou City – and employs more than 300 recruiters, support personnel and civilians. Follow NTAG Houston on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NTAGhouston) and Instagram (@NTAG_Houston).
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, and 26 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 11.19.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.22.2021 16:53 |
| Story ID: | 409831 |
| Location: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 239 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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