Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) visited with Sailors assigned to Center for Information Dominance Unit (CIDU) Monterey during an all hands call Nov. 8.
“I was very impressed as I walked out this morning to see a sea of blue,” MCPON (SS/SW) Rick D. West said. “You’re looking good, you’re looking sharp, and I appreciate that.”
Nearly 650 Sailors from CIDU and Naval Post Graduate School attended the event.
“There’s a lot of movement within our Navy,” West said. “Our presence is forward deployed and our Sailors are out there doing the J-O-B. We’re out there, we’re engaged, and we’re doing what we need to do as a Navy.”
West spoke to the Sailors about the Navy’s engagements around the world, the magnitude of commitment that is required of all Sailors, and his expectations of them.
“I expect all of you to be a little bit sharper, to walk with a little more spring in your step, to stay out of trouble, to stay focused, and don’t lose this opportunity by getting yourself in trouble doing the wrong thing,” West said.
After the all hands call, Sailors showed appreciation for West taking the time to visit them.
“I deeply appreciate him leading the call to visit the Defense Language Institute,” Seaman Oneka Borders said. “I believe this is a training command with unique challenges that the MCPON was able to directly address.”
“MCPON West was an amazing speaker,” Seaman Randy Cortes said. “He was approachable, gave great advice, and brought the command together as a whole.”
“The biggest thing I took away is how important my job is to the fleet,” Seaman Gheorghe Cormos said. “It made me realize that the mission of CIDU is of such great importance that the MCPON himself came to visit and observe our training here.”
[mappress] Source: navy, November 11, 2011