What Becoming a Chief Petty Officer Means To Me

BY ABHC(AW/SW) MICHAEL G. CARBONE

NAS Brunswick, Air Operations

Looking back at the heritage of the Chief Petty Officers, their service, sacrifice and leadership: in peace, wars and in times of national crisis, I fully acknowledge that I have an enormous obligation to anyone with the title "Sailor" to strive towards excellence.

I am indebted to many Master Chiefs, Senior Chiefs and Chief Petty Officers that guided me towards my selection. I did not get here on my own..
I will not fail them.

I am indebted to my Sailors who spent late hours with me leading them, in harsh and sometimes dangerous environments, during flight deck operations as crash crew members, and sometimes risking their lives to achieve the mission, or to save the lives of shipmates in harms way.  The whole time I believed that that I was building them..Now I realize, at the same time, they were building me. I did not get here on my own..
I will not fail them.

I am indebted to my family, my wife and two boys. Who stand by me everyday. They are Patriots. Each time our nation has called and their husband/Dad had to go, they stood on the pier or airport sometimes sad but always proud. I love them. I did not get here on my own..
I will not fail them.

Some people call this a milestone in a Navy career..  I call it "The proudest damn thing I've ever achieved." .....But I did not get here on my own.

I will be looked at as the example. I will be challenged and when need be, I will have to be hard. but always fair. The Chiefs Mess is the keel or foundation of any ship or station. I can not become weak in any fashion, but I know when the time comes when I need support, my brothers and sisters of the Chiefs Mess will be there..and I will not fail them.

Our Nation needs strong and focused leaders, solutions not problems. I did not join the Navy for the college.  I joined the Navy because it was the right thing to do. With this outlook, a Chief is the right thing to be. I am deeply honored by this title and position. I feel that I will be able to build strong and well-trained leaders who will relieve our watch.

I will be the guardian of my Sailors. I am the person the worried parents, spouses and children put their trust in to take care of their loved ones while deployed, at war or in everyday tasking. I am accountable to them. I am dedicated them. I am committed to their excellence, readiness and standards. I have to be ..because I will be their Chief.

I will do the right thing, even when it's not popular, because I am obligated by a fowled anchor and a community of loyal comrades with the same goals and customary traditions of Unity, Service and Navigation towards our Navy.

I thank God for becoming what you are.