Golds, fouled anchors

UNITED STATES

11.21.2021

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Tristan Labuguen 

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)   

PACIFIC OCEAN — The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 squadrons held a chief petty officer (CPO) pinning ceremony in the hangar bay, Nov. 21.
Sixty-one newly pinned CPOs underwent a six-week initiation, a professional education and learning process that started when the selection announcement message was released on Oct. 4 and concluded with the pinning ceremony.
“This team overcame the challenges associated with conducting CPO training while at sea,” said Command Master Chief Brian Happli, Abraham Lincoln’s senior enlisted leader. “They were required to overcome the challenges that a leader undertakes every time they transfer and step into a leadership role in a new command — quickly networking and becoming part of the new bigger team.”
The course of initiation is a time to ensure that future CPOs are prepared to embody and instill within their Sailors a warrior mindset informed by the core competencies of initiative, accountability, integrity and toughness.
“As a chief, you will be challenged, and you will endure adversity just as you have for the past six weeks,” said Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt, Abraham Lincoln’s commanding officer, during the ceremony. “You are the trusted authority they will look to in good times, but most importantly, during hard times when you are tired, unsure or struggling.”
The process reinforced many essential traits expected of senior enlisted leaders. For Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Felix Sanchez, connectedness and humility were among them.
“My biggest takeaway from initiation is that you can’t know or do everything, but someone in the Chiefs Mess can help, so it’s okay to put your pride away and ask for support,” said Sanchez. “After going through initiation, I now have a new perspective and can see the bigger picture.”
A common expression in the CPO community is “chiefs make chiefs.” According to Senior Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Larry Pugh, the master of ceremonies for the event, this is due to the all-CPO effort necessary to foster unity and comradery within these deckplate leaders.
“I felt a profound sense of family both during and after initiation,” said Chief Air-Traffic Controller Bridgett Peñate. “The Chiefs Mess came together in miraculous ways — they covered down for us during the workday, but they still made time to mentor and guide us throughout.”
Fewer than 10% of Sailors who enter the enlisted ranks of the U.S. Navy ever reach the rank of chief petty officer. Despite being so few in number, they are entrusted as keepers of the Navy’s traditions.
“The leadership role, authorities and expectation placed upon the Chiefs Mess is unlike any other service in the Department of Defense,” said Happli. “The only way to continue to honor and serve at the level the Navy expects of us is to understand how we got to where we are.”
At the pinnacle of the ceremony, the new CPOs were pinned with the two hallmark fouled anchors on their collars, symbolizing a major shift in responsibility.
“The anchor is a reminder that as a chief, you are required to be the steadfast leader and repository of technical expertise to whom every officer and Sailor can turn for guidance and candid answers,” said Happli. “It is a symbol to every Sailor that the leader wearing the anchor has overcome a set of challenges — they have been tested, selected and then initiated and finally accepted by every other chief wearing a set of anchors.”
At the end of the ceremony, Bauernschmidt gave a final charge to the new chiefs.
“Lean on the mess,” she said. “Lean on the special community that you are joining and, in the end, it will be through your courage that you will overcome these challenges with your Sailors to overcome adversity so that together you will become more resilient each and every day.”

• Date Taken: 11.21.2021
• Date Posted: 12.07.2021 19:26
• Story ID: 410675
• Location: US