Today was not unlike any other 16th of September in the Navy as many a new fouled anchor was pinned on our new legacy in the Chief’s Mess. Hence we all sat idly by as our new brothers and sisters were accepted into our exclusive fraternity for the ages. To be a Chief among our ranks is to be given the privilege and responsibility of no other group of non-commissioned officer in the Armed Forces. This is made quite evident in the “CPO Creed.” Something most of us were not consciously aware of but became obvious as we were tested through the season was the true meaning of being Chief Petty Officers. These guys were crusty salts with tattoos and permanent hooks for index fingers to carry their coffee mugs. They own the cliché, “Backbone of the Navy” for a reason. These hard-core bastards were always in your ass but were always there for you when you needed them most. That’s what I got out of “The Season” as I’m sure many of my brothers and sisters feel the same.
Though the season has changed a bit over the years as the Politically Correct madness has engulfed our Armed Forces, I believe the mess has done quite a job trying to keep the value of the season true. The Smug may have taken our toolbox away from us to make men out of boys but they didn’t take away our character or charm. No, that is something they’ll never be able to withhold from us.
Some Navy Brass would argue that CPO initiations do nothing but humiliate and degrade the selectees. I ask of them, “have you read the CPO Creed? In the beginning, word for word it states;
“During the course of this day, you have been caused to suffer indignities, to experience humiliations. This you have accomplished with rare good grace and therefore, we now believe it fitting to explain to you why this was done. There was no intent, no desire, to demean. Pointless as it may have seemed to you, there was a valid, time-honored reason behind every single deed, behind each pointed barb.”
The arguments against initiation posed by officers are relatively easy to combat, because the validity and need for the process can be explained and shown. In recent years some Commanding Officers have been invited to impose on the ceremonies and once witnessed to the accounts had vilified our reasoning to their own questions and curiosities.
Yes, in the Navy we’ve seen the changes in Boot Camp, Crossing the Line ceremonies and Chief Initiations alike. The right of passage has been labeled from Initiations to Inductions and all but discarded yet we still find a way to ad true value. I won’t always agree with all the changes, but hey we can always agree to disagree, and some things do need to change in time. So, let none of it take away from what any of our young brothers and sisters have went through this season as to any other. You have earned your right to be a “Chief” no less than any other… and I for one applaud you!
I believe I wrote this about two years ago during the CPO initiation...
ReplyDeleteI was on my way to the CPO initiation on the USS Peleliu LHA-5 in 1991, just cutting across the hanger bay from the main passageway. I was excited and apprehensive at the same time. How much was this gonna cost me? Is my charge book full? Is my sponsor gonna grill my ass? and many other manic questions raced across my mind.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't paying attention to my pathway and I tripped over something on the deck almost face planting into the non-skid on the deck. As I recovered, I looked back to see what had tripped me. It was two stokes litters covered with a tarp. In the stokes were the bodies of two pilots that had crashed a CH-53 off the side of the ship. It took our crew 4 days to recover thier bodies. We found the rest of the crew that night. All three died.
As I continued to the CPO mess for the initiation, I realized that there wasn't anything to be afraid of, we were here for each other and all of those that could no longer be.