News

HONORARY CHIEF PETTY OFFICERS!

December 26, 2018 By PNR 1 Comment

What is an Honorary Chief Petty Officer and who can become a Honorary Chief?!

By regulation, only the MCPON may authorize the recognition of an individual as an Honorary Chief Petty Officer.

An individual just can’t be recommended by anyone, well they could however, the recommendation has to be initiated by a Command Master Chief, Chief of the Boat, Command Senior Chief, or Senior Enlisted Advisor.

The recommendation needs to be backed by substantial factual data regarding the individual’s continuing involvement with the Navy’s Chief Petty Officer’s Mess, as well as justifying actions that exhibit the nominee’s advancement towards the professional objectives of the CPO Mess as well as demonstrating the principles consistent with the CPO Mess.

The recognition of Honorary Chief Petty Officer is intended to recognize a sustained contribution, not just a single act. The idea is that the individual has been and still is constantly contributing to the collective CPO community, enlisted force.and the Navy.

The title of Honorary Chief Petty Officer is in nature symbolic, there is no pay associated with it, nor is the individual eligible for any veteran’s benefits.

This recognition isn’t restricted to celebrities, nor prior enlisted Navy.

Department of Defense Civilians are eligible for this honor. Commissioned officers have been recognized as an honorary CPO. Even members of the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force may be recognized as an Honorary CPO.

Even children may be recognized as an Honorary CPO, in special cases, the youngest individual to be recognized was Diego Enrique Santiago, who received this honor at the age of 5 years old.

Diego was 5 year-old child who was at the time battling lung cancer, a battle that, sadly, he lost. But his wish was to be just like his dad, a Chief Petty Officer.

Politicians can also be honored as a Honorary Chief – Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus was recognized as an Honorary Chief in 2010.

Per the instruction, though, Honorary Chief is the highest grade that can be honored, no Honorary Senior Chief or Honorary Master Chief.

The idea being that’s appreciation from the Chief Mess as a whole, and not to divide the recipients based on current or prior rank.

However, we do have a few Honorary Master Chiefs….

ONE Honorary Master Chief is Robert Stetham who was made an Honorary Master Chief in 2010. I posted his story and his recognition on FB before. If anyone wants me to re-post that story, let me know.

The Office of the MCPON is tasked with creating and displaying a log list for all Honorary Chiefs, with information as their name, whether or not they had prior service in the military, and the date they were recognized.

However, at the moment, this log seems to be specifically hard copy in the MCPON’s office. There’s no public list that I could find.

Also the United States Coast Guard also has an Honorary Chief designation, with pretty much the same requirements. And, like the Office of the MCPON, the office of the Master Chief of the Coast Guard is also tasked with maintaining a log of individuals recognized.

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What does the 13 buttons on the Blue “Cracker Jack” pants mean?

December 26, 2018 By PNR 2 Comments

What does the 13 buttons on the Blue “Cracker Jack” pants mean?

If you said that they represent the original 13 colonies…you are wrong. 🙂

For decades, older Sailors told incoming Sailors that the 13 buttons on the front of the Cracker Jack bell bottoms represented the original 13 colonies. I was also told this by my first Chief on my first ship. 🙁

The myth was so commonplace , it actually had to be excised from Navy history texts.

Real reason the pants had 13 buttons…….Sailors originally used a drawstring to hold up their pants, but replaced the drawstrings in 1864 when a new version of the bell bottoms was designed with seven buttons across the top holding the crotch flap.

With a nod toward comfort in more tropical climates, the Navy elongated the flap also called a broadfall in 1897, and two buttons were added to each side, now totaling 11.

But as Navy men grew broader, thanks to improvement in nutrition, the flap needed to grow longer.

So in 1905 more buttons were added, creating those 13 buttons.

Why buttons instead of zippers?

Because buttons are much easier to replace on the fly, and early zippers corroded in the salty weather.

SO YOU WANT TO BE A NAVY CHIEF?!

December 24, 2018 By PNR Leave a Comment

A Navy Chief is almost a Mythical being.

They can and have dressed down Admirals and new recruits with Equal ease.

They are not only experts at their rate, but also in management.

Junior Enlisted know that they can go to their Chief for Sage advice. Junior Officers often hide when in the presence of one of these beings. Senior Officers depend on the Chief’s Mess for order and discipline.

A Chief wears an Anchor as the Symbol of his or her rank. That Same anchor is the symbol of the Navy. It is fair to say that the spirit of the Navy, Its tradition, ceremony and its very honor are alive because its Chiefs keep it that way.

The Chief is the anchor of the Navy. Without the Chief’s a ship would be just a ship with no soul. Its crew would just be doing a Job with no life.

Words like shipmate would have no meaning. The Goat Locker gives the Ship and its crew its collective Spirit.

To become a Navy Chief is almost impossible. It must be a goal that an enlisted man/woman never loses sight of.

On average it will take a Sailor 15 years to reach the rank of Chief Petty Officer. 17.5 Years to Reach Senior. Chief and 21 Years to earn the Rank of Master Chief.

To even be considered, one must have shown their leadership abilities, time as a Leading Petty Officer at Sea, pass a very difficult test and go before a selection board.

Every Step of the way these Sailors are judged. If they are ever found wanting in any area, it’s the end of the Road.

The total number of Chiefs, Senior. Chiefs and Master Chiefs on active duty at any given time is about 10% of the total Number of enlisted.

Chiefs make up about 7%, Senior. Chiefs about 3%, and Master Chiefs are less than one percent.

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THE “JUNGLE” A GUIDE TO U.S. NAVY RANKS:

December 24, 2018 By PNR Leave a Comment

Gazelles = Ensigns

1. Although easily frightened, they have been known to stupidly lounge in plain sight of the “lions”.
2. Runs at high speeds, with no purpose or direction.
3. The slow and weak are frequently slain.

Cheetahs = LTjg’s

1. Loner, feisty.
2. Makes the occasional kill on a weaker animal.

Lions = Lieutenants

1. Hunts in packs.
2. Can bring down a larger animal with coordination.
3. Easily slays the “cheetah”.

Water Buffalo = Lieutenant Commanders

1. Aging, slower beast, but-
2. Cannot be brought down by a single “Lion”.

Hippopotamus = Commanders

1. Slow and cumbersome on land.
2. Safe in own environment.
3. Lays low to avoid enemies.

Elephants = Captains

1. Rules the “Jungle”.
2. Impossible to bring down except by his peers.

Hyena = The Chiefs

1. Laughs continuously at the “Cheetahs” and “Gazelles”.
2. Helps the “Lions” complete the kill on larger animals but is known to alter its natural instincts and assist “Elephants”, “Hippopotamuses”, “Water Buffaloes” and “Sloths”.

Sloth = Chief Warrant Officers

1. Skilled in one area only.
2. Comes around only to feed and take care of bodily functions.

Dung Beetle = Sailor

1. Forced to deal with the “crap” created by the other animals.

Great White Sharks = Senior Chiefs

1. King of the ocean.
2. Very tough skin and sharp teeth.
3. The other creatures get eaten alive if they step into their world.

Whale Sharks = Master Chiefs

1. Oldest Creature in the ocean
2. Moves slowly to conserve energy

A Sailors History of Tattoos

December 23, 2018 By PNR Leave a Comment

Why are Tattoos a lot of time associated with Sailors?

Tattoos have long been associated with Sailors, for good reason.

Travelers from way back in history got tattoos to identify who they were and where they had been, as a portable and indestructible record. Sailors who explored the world picked up tattoos from all over.

Body art was particularly well-suited to the transient and dangerous nature of life at sea.

These Sailors were traveling the world, and wanted to bring back souvenirs from places they had visited.

Aboard a ship, you don’t have much room to carry fancy souvenirs, so you end up getting tattoos as travel marks.

By the late 18th century, navy records show that around a third of British and a fifth of American Sailors had at least one tattoo, while other accounts reveal that French, German, and Scandinavian navies were also fond of getting inked.

But beyond mere records of their travels, tattoos also served a superstitious purpose among those living an unpredictable, and often risky, lifestyle.

Sailors are extremely superstitious, so they would get specific tattoos to relieve this anxiety over their beliefs.

There are stories of Sailors in the old, wooden-ship days who would get Christ’s head tattooed on their backs so if they got into trouble and had to take lashes, the person wielding the lash would be more sympathetic.

Sailors had other tattoos for various reasons, like hinges on their elbows to ward off arthritis, and later, evidence of war campaigns they participated in.

Below are but a few of the popular tattoos of a seaman’s life.

A PIG, on the top of one foot and a ROOSTER, on the other. This is said to protect the seaman from drowning, because both of these barnyard animals cannot swim so they would get the seaman quickly to shore.

An ANCHOR showed the seaman had sailed the Atlantic/Pacific Ocean.

A FULL-RIGGED SHIP showed the seaman had sailed around Cape Horn.

A DRAGON showed the seaman had served on a China station.

A SHELLBACK TURTLE denotes a seaman who has crossed the equator.

A GOLDEN DRAGON denotes a seaman who has crossed the International Date Line.

PORT & STARBOARD ship lights were tattooed on the left (port) and right (starboard) side of the body.

ROPE, tattooed around the wrist meant the seaman was a deckhand.

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