Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Ian Kinkead | NAVAL BASE KITSAP-BREMERTON, Wash. (Aug. 16, 2018) Sailors selected to advance to...... read more read more
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Standing attentively with honest intrigue the Sailors aboard USS Nimitz stood listening to the annual Chief results over the ships intercom system. The short announcement on Aug. 7th was the beginning of a long road ahead when 26 first class petty officers received the news that they had been selected for the rank of chief petty officer.
The first class petty officers newly selected for CPO will begin a rigorous, five-week training process known as CPO Initiation before they can wear their new khaki uniforms and anchors.
CPO Initiation is a tried and true training ground where those selected for chief are pushed to their limits through physical activity, classroom training and personal mentorship. At the end of the process they are ultimately accepted into the exclusive Chiefs Mess.
“What we’re doing right now is testing and building them,” said Command Senior Chief Terry Loeffelholz, CPO initiation chairman, from Dubuque, Iowa. “We’re training them to be effective chiefs by the end of the season, to be able to give back to their junior Sailors, build the Chiefs Mess and contribute to the mission of ship.”
Being selected for chief is a big milestone in the career of a Sailor. Even though the selectees have a challenging training process ahead of them, most keep a positive outlook due to the satisfaction of knowing that they were selected.
“It is the greatest moment in my naval career,” said Machinist Mate 1st Class Christopher M. Loucks, from St. Louis, MO, and who has been selected for chief. “It means that the members of the greatest community in the Navy want me to be by their side. It is an extreme honor to be chosen to join the ranks of the CPO mess.”
With new rank comes new duties and responsibilities. The challenges of CPO Initiation are to prepare the selectees for new roles that will be required of them and to change their mindsets to a new level of leadership in the Navy.
“When you are a Chief, you are everything,” said Loucks. “I have Sailors as a first class. I might have some that aren’t mine ask me for things, but when you are a chief, all Sailors are your Sailors. You will get questions from all over, and you have to know what to do. You are the one they look to and we want to help anyone we can.”
With their large blue “Chief Select” badges, quick pace and overtaxed look it is hard to miss the chiefs in training. It’s evident that they are working incredibly hard, yet for those first class petty officer who didn’t make it there are feelings of missing out and disappointment, with restore to make it next year.
“For the first classes that weren’t selected this year, just keep your head up and keep pushing,” said Loeffelholz. “Keep working at it and you’ll make it."
Nimitz is conducting a docking planned incremental availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, where the ship is receiving scheduled maintenance and upgrades.
| Date Taken: | 08.07.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2018 13:39 |
| Story ID: | 289282 |
| Location: | BREMERTON, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 295 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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