Truman Holds Senior and Master Chief Pinning Ceremony

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Crayton Agnew | 220518-N-DN159-1045 MEDITERRANEAN SEA (May 18, 2022) Capt. Gavin Duff, commanding officer, Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), speaks to the crew during a pinning ceremony on Truman's flight deck, May 18, 2022. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of U.S., Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., Allied and Partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Crayton Agnew)  

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

05.18.2022

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kelsey Trinh 

USS Harry S Truman

MEDITERRANEAN SEA—Twenty-three Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) were promoted to senior and master chief petty officers during a pinning ceremony on Truman’s flight deck, May 18.

The ceremony began with words from Truman’s Command Master Chief Keith Wilkerson.

“You don’t put on a star without being a selfless leader,” said Wilkerson. “Nobody in this group got this star today without investing in their Sailors and proving to you that you can trust them. Thank you, I am very proud of every one of you!”

During the ceremony, friends and mentors pinned on their new rank and placed a combination cover on the head of each of the newly appointed senior and master chiefs.

“It’s a relief,” said Master Chief Aviation Electronics Technician Michael Gerbert, from Oxnard, California. “It feels like a culmination of all the work. I’ve worked and continued to work with good people. The knowledge and enthusiasm of the Sailors I work with make my job worth it.”

Before concluding the ceremony, Capt. Gavin Duff, Truman’s commanding officer, expressed his appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the newly pinned Sailors.

“Today is one of those events where you get to see everything that is good and right about the Navy,” said Duff. “To see the joy in your faces and to hear the cheers, you know the Navy got it right. Congratulations to each and every one of you; thank you individually and collectively for what you do. We are incredibly grateful for the difference and the impact that you make.”

Truman; additional elements of the carrier strike group include the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, commanded by Capt. Patrick Hourigan; the staff and guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28 commanded by Capt. Todd Zenner, which include: USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), USS Cole (DDG 67), USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109), and the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56), commanded by Capt. Christopher Marvin.

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to maintain maritime stability and security, and defend U.S., allied and partner interests in Europe and Africa.

For more news from CSG 8, visit, www.facebook.com/CSG8, www.navy.mil/local.cvn75/, www.facebook.com/usnavy, www.instagram.com/uss_harrys.truman, www.navy.mil, or www.twitter.com/harrystruman.

• Date Taken: 05.18.2022
• Date Posted: 05.21.2022 11:52
• Story ID: 421230
• Location: MEDITERRANEAN SEA