Captain’s Column

This past week was a powerful, emotional week. We remembered 9/11 and closed the week by pinning six new chief petty officers.

I had the privilege to join the 9/11 commemoration hosted by the NASCC Fire and Emergency Services department. It was a beautiful, touching tribute to all the lives lost, both on that terrible day and in the global war on terror that followed.

We were joined by active duty members, retirees, civilian employees, family members, and even our local State Representative Todd Hunter.

As a diverse group, we remembered 9/11 in different ways, but we all mourned the fallen together. We paused to honor the acts of courage and selfless sacrifice, known and unknown, displayed by first responders and ordinary people on that day.

We also honored the courage and sacrifices made by our military and first responders over the years in the war on terror. We also thought about who we were as a nation on Sept. 12: the way we came together and overcame our differences to show unity, resolve, and patriotism.

After the ceremony, our MWR hosted a remembrance run, during which I was honored to run alongside Fire Chief Ruben Perez.

I am grateful for all the preparation that our fire and MWR departments dedicated to make this event special.

We ended the week with a proud tradition going back 126 years, during which six outstanding Sailors became new chief petty officers.

It was a powerful ceremony that reminded the new Chiefs about the values of service, sacrifice, and honor that the Chiefs’ Mess was built on.

The message to the new chiefs was clear: they will be challenged as never before and will have the responsibility of developing junior officers into future commanding officers and junior Sailors into future chiefs.

The Chiefs’ Mess stands behind them, ready to help them measure up to that sacred responsibility. I am grateful that we have such selfless and dedicated leaders, and I congratulate our newest Chiefs for joining this proud tradition.

Now, looking ahead, there is much work to do. Be on the lookout for announcements in support of more training drills: these drills will impact access to the base gates as well as traffic.

We do our best to minimize the inconvenience, but first and foremost we must maximize training so that our Security and Fire & Emergency Services personnel are ready for any threat, any emergency.

See you on the base!