Anchors Aweigh: An Inside Look at Chief Petty Officer Heritage Week

ITC (Sel) Zachary James climbs ropes aboard the USS Constitution.

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Jerine Lee)

The USS Constitution played host to the Cheif Petty Officer Heritage Week

(U.S. Navy Photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Elliott Fabrizio)

Chief Petty Officer Selects pull in the Main sail aboard USS Constitution during Chief Petty Officer Heritage Week

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Peter Ticich /Released)

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Peter Ticich /Released)

U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Selects participate in line handling evolutions during Chief Petty Officer Heritage Week.

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Peter Ticich /Released)

From August 19-23, 2019, LSC (Sel) Jimmy Johnson and I, along with over 90 other CPO selectees, had the unique opportunity of receiving mentoring and heritage training aboard the Constitution. During our week, we were led by Chief, Senior Chief, and Master Chief Petty Officer mentors. From the start, we recognized the drastic change in training dynamic from our previous three weeks of selectee training at Sigonella, during which we were challenged mentally and physically to prepare us for the stressful nature of our new professional responsibilities. This time, our training focused on learning from our elders and appreciating the deep Navy heritage that binds us all.

For heritage training, selectees were immediately assigned to one of twelve “gun teams.” Throughout the week, each team toured every nook and cranny of Old Ironsides, from her fighting top to her keel. We received training on pike handling and combat, procedures for loading and firing authentic 19th century powder-loaded musket rifles and cannons, how to furl and unfurl all 43 sails, as well as line handling, climbing, and working aloft. Each morning and evening, one gun team had the honor of conducting the colors ceremony, punctuated by the firing of the Constitution’s forward starboard cannon at call to colors, and each night we had the experience of sleeping aboard the ship. One night we were joined by Rear Adm. John Okon, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (and honorary Chief Petty Officer), who treated us to a traditional dining-in event to celebrate the successful week and award the dedication of mentors and gun teams.

In addition to heritage training, the value of the mentorship we received cannot be calculated. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russell Smith sat down with each gun team to expound on his successes, failures, and experiences as a CPO. He warned us of the common pitfalls that new chiefs face and challenged us to rise to meet the expectations of our new professional roles. Twice each day, we had the opportunity to sit with dozens of chiefs to learn from them and to receive honest feedback and advice. The invaluable experiences and contacts gained during the week will be drawn upon by all in attendance for the decades to come.

Selectees also participated in a community relations event aboard the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Cassin Young (DD-793). The force of Sailors provided over 400 combined hours of cleaning and repairing berthing and engineering spaces within the retired ship. The event director estimated that in a single morning, selectees had accomplished an estimated one years’ worth of volunteer work towards the ship’s preservation. Afterwards, we felt inspired to share our motivation with the entire city of Boston. We formed a three-column formation and marched through the streets of Charlestown, all the way from the Navy Yard, along Boston’s Freedom Trail to Bunker Hill Monument Park, and back again. The entire way, we sang “Anchors Aweigh” at the top of our lungs, prompting Boston residents to open doors and windows, stop their cars to record us on their smartphones, and wave with their children. We may have lost our voices, but our level of pride in our service was unsurpassed.

On the final day, all of our training culminated in us taking Old Ironsides underway. The Constitution left her home at Charlestown Navy Yard, traveled to Fort Independence on Castle Island, fired a ceremonial 21-gun salute from her starboard cannons, and returned home. Along the way, a second 17-gun salute was fired as we passed the U.S. Coast Guard Station and former site of the Edmund Hartt Shipyard, where the Constitution was built and launched.

Participating in Chief Petty Officer Heritage Week was a rewarding, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the lessons learned will last us all a lifetime. These lessons will be passed onto the hundreds of Sailors that we will lead and develop during our careers, so that we can instill in the entire enlisted community a sense of heritage and pride in our service, the finest and most powerful naval force in the world.