Fort Meade, Md., area commands advanced 45 Sailors to the rank of chief petty officer (CPO) during a pinning ceremony held at the base pavilion Sept. 13.
The ceremony featured active duty and reserve chief selects from U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/ U.S. Tenth Fleet (FCC/C10F), Navy Information Operation Command Maryland (NIOC MD), U.S. Cyber Command, Defense Information Systems Agency, Defense Information School, Defense Courier Service Baltimore, and the Joint Communication Integrations Element.
“The history of pinning is a Navy tradition going back 120 years,” said FCC/C10F’s Command Master Chief (SW) Jon Taylor. “These Sailors have spent their entire careers preparing for this moment. Today we are giving them the authority to carry out the duties of a chief.”
During the event, the newly appointed chiefs were ceremoniously pinned to the rank of CPO by family members and fellow chiefs.
“This is a major milestone for my career,” said FCC/C10F’s Chief Information Systems Technician (SW) Melvin Scott. “I never thought I would end up here, but to finally be selected after 14 years really means a lot to me.”
Scott attributes his accomplishments to his parents, both retired CPOs.
“Growing up, my parents taught me everything I needed to know about being successful,” said Scott. “I would not be standing where I am today without their guidance.”
The pinning served as the culmination of a six-week training program designed to give the Sailors a better understanding of what it means to be a Navy chief.
“This training opened my eyes to see the bigger picture,” said NIOC MD Chief Information Systems Technician (IDW/SW) Jermaine Profit.
“My goal moving forward is to become a better leader and my focus is on taking care of my junior Sailors.”
[mappress] Press Release, September 16, 2013