Sailors gather and make final preparations around the installation for a pinnacle event of their naval career, the pinning ceremony where they don the chief petty officer uniform, Sept. 29, 2023. These Sailors will soon receive their anchors and covers, ushering in a new generation of enlisted leaders within the Navy.
For the new chiefs of Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota and several tenant commands, the pinning ceremony was held at the base chapel to an audience filled with family, friends, coworkers, and chiefs.
Naval Station Rota’s Command Master Chief William Rodriguez provided opening remarks to the ceremony and Cmdr. James Storie, command chaplain at NAVSTA Rota, stated that these new chiefs had been “tested, selected and prepared” for this new duty during the invocation.
Capt. Teague Suarez, the commanding officer of NAVSTA Rota, was the guest speaker for the event. During his speech, he focused on the new generation of Sailors, changing threats, and required warfighting for this new generation.
“What does that have to do with our chiefs – our new chiefs?” asked Suarez. “They will be the bridge between those like me – and many of you – who serve in a Navy… A bridge between us and those who will serve in the decades to come.”
He emphasized that the new chiefs will face the challenging task of forging a Navy that, “incorporates the strengths of two distinct generations.”
“These new chiefs are already stepping into the most difficult job in the Navy, and are donning the hat at one of the difficult times in our Navy,” said Suarez. “To our newest chiefs, your charge is daunting but if you can be true to who you are as a leader, you are ready.”
In pairs, the new chiefs were called to the front to receive their anchors and cover in front of Rota community members.
There were 20 new chiefs at the NAVSTA Rota pinning ceremony from the commands NAVSTA Rota, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Rota, Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment/Aircraft Supply Division Detachment Rota, USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic Det. Rota, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, Naval Munitions Command, as well as four U.S. Air Force Airmen who participated in the chief season.
There were three additional chief pinning ceremonies at Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 79, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8, and Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 11.
As the "Gateway to the Mediterranean,” NAVSTA Rota provides U.S., NATO and allied forces a strategic hub for operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NAVSTA Rota is a force multiplier, capable of promptly deploying and supporting combat-ready forces through land, air and sea, enabling warfighters and their families, sustaining the fleet and fostering the U.S. and Spanish partnership.
| Date Taken: | 10.10.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.10.2023 06:23 |
| Story ID: | 455421 |
| Location: | ES |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NAVSTA Rota Welcomes the Newest Chief Petty Officers, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
