Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea completed his first fleet engagement in the Norfolk and Tidewater area Sept. 15.
The visit coincided with the release of his priorities Sept. 13. Taking advantage of the largest fleet concentrated area, he was able to visit and speak with Sailors at Naval Station Norfolk, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Naval Information Warfare Command and Naval Air Station Oceana.
“When we’re better connected as humans, better connected shipmates, we're better overall,” said Honea. “If you are continually trying to make yourself better both personally and professionally, and if you’re continuing to make others’ lives better by having known who you are, you make organizations better simply because you’re a part of them.”
Also traveling with MCPON Honea was his spouse, Evelyn, who is one of the Navy’s Ombudsman-at-Large, to assist MCPON Honea with ways to better support Navy families. She met with the local command Ombudsman and Fleet and Family Support Center key staffers to discuss what programs are best serving Sailors and their families and which programs could be improved in the local area.
This trip is the first of many fleet engagements designed to solicit feedback and hear concerns or barriers of service Sailors are facing around the fleet.