Direct Line

CMDCM Anna Wood, NAS Sigonella Command Master Chief

Greetings! I am Command Master Chief Anna Natsuyo Wood. What an honor and privilege it is to serve as your new Installation Command Master Chief! I am extremely excited for this opportunity to serve you in this capacity. I would like to share with you a little bit about family, how I was raised and some of my focus areas as a CMC.

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I am always eager to talk about my family as they are the center of my world. I am here with my husband, Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Albert Wood, who happens to be the CMC for Naval Medical Readiness and Training Center, Sigonella, also known as our Naval Hospital. We are Surgical Tech “C” school sweethearts and have been married for 23 years and counting. We are big on family values and are blessed with four AMAZING children. Alex is an Airman in the Navy with Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron FOUR ONE in Coronado, California. Mikayla is a senior at the University of San Diego studying international business. Madison and Melody are here with us in Sicily and are considered the “lucky ones” by their older brother and sister because they get to experience youth in this beautiful country. Madison is a junior in high school and Melody is a mighty middle schooler starting 6th grade.

For the majority of my childhood, I grew up in Cecilia, which is about an hour from Fort Knox, Kentucky. My father was in the Army, but by the time I was born, he was preparing for retirement and was settling down in the Bluegrass State. I was raised on a farm with lots of cattle, pigs, chickens and a healthy vegetable garden in the back yard. Shout out to my mother who built me into who I am today--she never allowed my sisters or me to give up or say that we couldn’t do something. In her own Okinawan way, she preached one of our Navy Chief mottos of “results, not excuses!”

During this initial message, I would like to focus on a simple area of leadership--building good character. What do I mean by “good?” As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “It’s always the right time to do the right thing.”

Over the last 27 years as a Sailor and leader and 22 years as a parent, I have learned that “good” is more than just a simple word; it has a deep meaning for a high standard and doing what is morally right. When I made Chief, I used to think that my role was solely to build junior Sailors into future leaders in the Navy. Then I started to realize that my parenting skills at home were very similar to my leadership skills at work. At first, I kept both worlds as separate as I could, but finally realized that was impossible for me. I wanted to see everyone succeed not only as quality professionals, but also, and more importantly, as good citizens. I felt that if I modeled and taught the behaviors expected as a quality citizen, the professional Sailor would naturally emerge. By all means, I am not perfect, so I often remind myself, “Don’t strive to LOOK good, strive to BE good.”

In closing, I am excited to help further strengthen the bonds among our US militaries, our civilians, and our host nation and NATO partners. I am proud to be here as an American ambassador and am a team player and team leader. I believe in servant leadership and I will work hard for you and what is right. Thank you to all of you--the team of professionals in the workforce, both military and civilian, and those on the home front as well--who make magic happen every day!