Anchor Up, Chiefs Arriving

Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Darren Cordoviz | YOKOSUKA, Japan, (Oct. 21, 2022) Chief Information Systems Technician Marcus Carter, is pinned to the rank of chief petty officer during a chief pinning ceremony at the Fleet Theater onboard Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY). Eighteen Sailors from CFAY and tenant commands were promoted to the rank of chief petty officer during the ceremony. For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Darren Cordoviz)  

YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN

10.28.2022

Story by Seaman Zenaida Roth 

Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka

YOKOSUKA, Japan – April 1, 1893, the rank of Chief Petty Officer was first created. While Chief Petty Officer has been an official rank for over 120 years, the first recorded usage of the term ‘chief’ was used as a title to refer to the ship’s cook in 1776. Since the beginning of the United States Navy, the Chief has had lasting historical importance. And last week onboard Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), that tradition carries on as the new chiefs of CFAY were pinned during a ceremony Friday, October 21st.
For many Sailors, reaching the rank of Chief Petty Officer is the pinnacle achievement of their service. Making it through chief season doesn’t only mean a change in rank, for many it's a change in career. It's a milestone less than 10 percent of enlisted sailors will ever reach.
“For me, being pinned is the culmination of effort over the years and a reflection of the accomplishments of the teams I've had the honor of working with throughout my career so far,” says Chief Gunner's Mate Jonathan Ward, a Forsyth, Georgia native and newly pinned chief.
Unlike any other military branch, the Navy’s E-7 rank has special requirements and duties attached, along with traditions which allow Sailors to have a sense of familial closeness and exclusivity in the rank over the past hundred years. One such tradition is ‘chief season’, a six-week training period that begins the day that the Bureau of Naval Personnel announces the advancement results. Chief season comprises a series of trials usually kept secret and individually determined by senior chiefs at each command. While not much is known about the specifics of the season, its intention is to prepare chief selects for the burden of upholding tradition and being a role model to their junior Sailors as all chiefs strive to do.
As the CFAY selectees went through their chief season, Ward explains, “I'd say the hardest thing so far is split equally between time management and teamwork. There are a lot of various things going on that require teamwork and having to balance it all between my job and ongoing chief season activities.” To be part of the chief’s mess is often compared to joining the world’s greatest fraternity, while it is difficult to accomplish and takes an average of 15 years, donning the anchors of a chief is a unique and honored achievement.
The Navy chief is the bridge between officers and the enlisted ranks, one of the most vital jobs within the Navy hierarchy. Each new chief pinned is a mentor and an example of the Navy’s core values: honor, courage and commitment. CFAY’s new deckplate leaders are no exception, they proudly uphold naval traditions while keeping the base mission ready through discipline and hard-earned experience.
For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet’s forward deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families.

• Date Taken: 10.28.2022
• Date Posted: 11.22.2022 21:12
• Story ID: 433853
• Location: YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP