SAN ANTONIO – (Sept. 14, 2018) After six weeks of training, Navy Recruiting District San Antonio welcomed six new chief petty officers in the Chief’s Mess during a pinning ceremony held on the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word. Standing left to right: Chief Yeoman Erica Saiz of El Paso, Texas; Chief Personnel Specialist Elbony Harris of Selma, Ala.; Chief Machinist’s Mate Jaewlaye Sherman of Monrovia, Liberia; Chief Navy Counselor Sambath Ham of Boston; Chief Navy Counselor Marshall Baker of Santa Barbara, Calif.; and Chief Boatswain’s Mate Titus Jones Jr., of Fort Worth, Texas. (Navy Photo by: Burrell Parmer, Navy Recruiting District San Antonio Public Affairs/Released)


SAN ANTONIO, Texas —
At the conclusion of six weeks of training, Navy Recruiting District San Antonio, or NRD-SA, welcomed six new chief petty officers into the Chief’s Mess during a Chief Petty Officer pinning ceremony at the University of the Incarnate Word campus Sept. 14.

The ceremony began with welcoming remarks from NRD Command Master Chief Eric Mays.

“You were selected for chief petty officer because you have proven to your Sailors, to your leadership and to the Navy that you care for those Sailors under your charge and that you care for their families,” Mays said. “You’re here today, about to enter our mess because you’ve proven to the chiefs that you are ready to walk among us with anchors on your collars.”

Mays told the selectees to earn their Sailors’ faith and lead them well.

“Just as you trusted this Chief’s Mess to train you and make you ready to be the Chiefs, your Sailors now look to you as the benchmark for success and the guardians of their well-being,” Mays said.

After Mays remarks, the chiefs-select marched their way into the auditorium singing “Anchors Aweigh” as their fellow Sailors and family watched in anticipation.

NRD Commanding Officer Cmdr. Jeffrey Reynolds presided over the ceremony.

“Today is a momentous occasion in the lives and careers of these Sailors,” Reynolds said. “There are enlisted Sailors in our Navy who are top performers and we set them apart by promoting them to chief petty officer.”

After the new chiefs were pinned by their family members and friends, the Chief Petty Officer Creed was read by Navy Career Counselor Isabel Guerrero, which emphasized the added responsibility and higher expectations that come with the rank of chief petty officer.

At the ceremony’s conclusion, active duty, retired and former chief petty officers “Manned the Rails” and saluted each new chief petty officer as they passed through “side boys” and were welcomed into the NRD Chief’s Mess.

Promoted to chief petty officer were Titus Jones Jr., Marshall Baker, Jaewlaye Sherman, Sambath Ham, Elbony Harris and Erica Saiz.

The Chief Petty Officer Initiation consists of a six-week process to ensure Sailors are successful as the Navy continues to stay ahead of its competition.

The process, which is accomplished through intentional education, preparation and empowerment, began in August and culminated with the pinning ceremony where the selectees don their khakis uniforms and are pinned with their gold anchor insignias.

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