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September 24, 2004
[Have an opinion about the issues discussed in this article?
Sound
off in our Discussion Boards.]
By Scott Schonauer,
Stars and Stripes European Edition
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| Chief Petty Officer Angel Rivera hugs another chief after
a pinning ceremony Wednesday at Naval Station Rota, Spain. |
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| David Furford is pinned during a ceremony Wednesday at Naval
Station Rota, Spain. (photos courtesy of Scott Schonauer / S&S)
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NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain — There were days when Chief Petty Officer
Angel Rivera, 39, wasn’t sure he would reach his goal of becoming
a Navy
chief.
Although it took longer than usual, he reached the career benchmark
on Wednesday. “It took 20 years, but I finally made it,” said Rivera,
a master-at-arms chief with base security.
The Navy pinned 13 of its newest chiefs during a ceremony in the
base theater. Getting promoted from first-class petty officer is
considered more than a boost in pay rate. Enlisted sailors selected
to chief are part of an exclusive fellowship that comes with much
more responsibility.
Wednesday’s ceremony was emotional for many of the new chiefs.
Some had family members or friends pin the chief anchor on their
uniform.
“This is what everybody strives for when they come into the military
enlisted,” Chief Petty Officer Ricky Neitzel said. “They dream of
the day they put the khakis on, and this is my day.”
The new chiefs in Rota waited longer than most sailors for the
big day. The ceremony was originally scheduled for Sept. 15, but
an investigation into inappropriate conduct during a skit performed
at a chief “transition” function postponed it.
A “phallic-shaped device” was displayed during one of the skits,
prompting complaints from those in the audience. Capt. John Orem,
commander of U.S. forces at Rota, took nonpunitive administrative
action against those involved with the skit because he considered
it inappropriate. The Sept. 9 event on base was attended by 40 to
50 chief petty officers from various base commands.
Chief Petty Officer Keith Rawls, who is assigned to the base hospital,
said the attention put on the investigation and what happened during
the skit is a reminder that being in the Navy carries a tremendous
amount of responsibility.
“The attention that’s been placed upon this … I hope something
good comes out of it,” he said.
Chief petty officers go through a “transition” period, once known
as initiation, before they are pinned. It begins when chiefs are
named at the end of July until the day of the ceremony.
The period aims to mold first-class petty officers into better
leaders. Hours before the pinning ceremony, new and current chiefs
in Rota participated in several events to help them be better supervisors
and mentors.
“Whether they stay in the Navy or get out and go to corporate America
or [Naval Reserve], they now have tools that they can use for the
rest of their lives,” said Master Chief Petty Officer James Stone,
a Navy leadership trainer.
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