Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Riley | Family members pin Chief Machinist’s Mate (Nuclear) Scott Whispell, assigned to the...... read more read more
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For many Sailors, earning the right to wear the gold-fouled anchor that symbolizes a chief petty officer (CPO) fulfills a years-long endeavor that began in boot camp. Perhaps they enlisted with the intent to make the Navy a career and eventually join the ranks of enlisted leaders that comprise the backbone of our sea-faring service. Or perhaps they joined with a shorter time-horizon but soon found that the call to service and camaraderie with their fellow Sailors had a stronger pull than life as a civilian.
Regardless of why a Sailor continues to serve, becoming a CPO takes more than simply fulfilling one’s service obligation. The responsibilities vested on the rank—being the technical expert, leading enlisted Sailors, and mentoring junior officers—necessitates a dedication to one’s personal and professional excellence that surmount a staid, workaday approach to the job.
Just as assuredly as “Chief Season”—the colloquialism used to describe the period in late-summer to early-fall when first class petty officers are selected for promotion—happens annually, so too will mission requirements pull servicemembers away from their families. And, for the newly pinned CPOs of the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Kentucky (SSBN 737) gold crew, these two events coincided with one another, on patrol during one of the crowning achievements of their lives.
The usage of the term “chief” in the Navy dates back as early as our nation’s founding, when in 1776, aboard the Continental Navy Ship Alfred, the cook’s mate Jacob Wasbie was referred to as “chief cook.” Despite this, it wasn’t until President Benjamin Harrison signed General Order 409 April 1, 1893, that the rank of petty officer first class was shifted to chief petty officer.
Initially, the chief rank only encompassed nine rates, or operational specialties, including chief master-at-arms, chief boatswain’s mate, chief quartermaster, chief gunner’s mate, chief machinist, chief carpenter’s mate, chief yeoman, apothecary, and band master.
Thankfully, for Chief Missile Technician Joshua Handy, that list was expanded.
“We got the results one-week before heading out on patrol, and it just added another layer onto the pre-deployment preparations,” said Handy. “It was such a unique experience going through the trials of chief season while also having to balance the operational requirements. You would get to the end of a long workday, and it was just right back into the rigors of indoctrination.”
The only thing that would have made the achievement better, is if their family was able to be there to see the culminating event of nearly two decades of service. Luckily, when the crew returned from their deployment, the ship’s captain decided that if being pinned once while underway was good, wouldn’t having friends and family involved be even better?
On Dec. 12, 2024, in front of the people they love the most, in front of their reason to go on patrol, and, most importantly, in front of the reason they come home, five proud Kentucky Sailors were re-pinned as chief petty officers.
“It’s really special to be able to give these Sailors the recognition they deserve,” said Marissa Wright, whose husband Luke was one of the re-pinned chiefs. “I know how hard Luke has worked throughout his career, so it means a lot for them to hold a second ceremony to allow us to celebrate their achievement with them.”
While the ceremony marks the end of one phase of a Sailor’s career, it also represents the start of a new era for the Sailors—one where they bear the burden of immense responsibility and are looked to for guidance from every rank, rate, and creed of Sailor. The fouled anchor pin—originating from a nautical term that means to entangle or entwine, or that something is wrong or difficult—was chosen as the chief’s emblem precisely because it represents the principle that no matter the size of the trial or difficulty of the tribulation, a Navy CPO must be ready to overcome any obstacle.
As it states in the Chief Petty Officer Creed, “in your future…you will be forced to endure adversity far beyond what has thus far been imposed upon you. You must face each challenge and adversity with the same dignity and good grace you have already demonstrated. In the United States Navy - and only in the United States Navy - the rank of [chief petty officer] carries with it unique responsibilities and privileges you are expected to fulfill and bound to observe.”
Commander, Submarine Group (SUBGRU) 9, exercises administrative control authority for assigned submarine commands and units in the Pacific Northwest providing oversight for shipboard training, personnel, supply and material readiness of SSBNs and their crews. SUBGRU-9 is also responsible for nuclear submarines undergoing conversion or overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton.
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.13.2024 12:59 |
| Story ID: | 487412 |
| Location: | SILVERDALE, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Once is Good, Twice is Nice: Kentucky Chiefs Re-pinned in Front of Friends and Family, by LT Zachary Anderson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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