Naples first classes complete chief training course

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet
Courtesy Story

Date: 06.29.2012
Posted: 06.29.2012 10:51
News ID: 90844
Naples first classes complete chief training course

By Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa
U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

NAPLES, Italy – Members of the Naval Support Activity Naples Area Chiefs’ Mess and First Class Petty Officers’ Mess completed the chief petty officer indoctrination course on Naval Support Activity Naples in Naples, Italy, June 29.

The training session, which featured 38 area first class petty officers, was held in support of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy’s CPO 365 program which is designed to prepare first class petty officers for the transition to chief petty officer.

“This course gives leading petty officers and senior first classes the tools to better manage young sailors,” said Chief Utilitiesman David Jones, one of the leading facilitators. “It also gives them the information needed, if they are not selected for chief, to put them in a better position to understand why they were not selected.”

In addition to the week-long training, the chiefs and first classes also conducted physical training in the mornings.

“I thought that the PT sessions were very good, extremely motivational,” said Operations Specialist 1st Class Howard Carter. “The session built up camaraderie between all of us that wasn’t there before.”

The course also gave the first classes an opportunity to network together.

“A forum like this with so many first classes together, you get an opportunity to network and meet new people you haven’t met before,” said Carter. “We now have a list of emails and contact information for each other, that wouldn’t have happened if it not for this class.”

“Throughout the week, these thirty-eight sailors started congregating together, they started becoming an actual mess,” said Chief Legalman Tanica Bagmon. “If they are selected to be a chief petty officer this year, this course will help them gel together faster because they already know each others personalities.”

The training concluded with a chief petty officer board precept brief.

“Understanding the board precept process is a way to learn to take better care of sailors,” said Master Chief Intelligence Specialist Joel Steinbach, an instructor during the course. “It gives them knowledge of the eval program, how to fix their record and how to take care of their sailors’ records.”