Since April 1st, 1893 the United States Navy has had in its ranks the title and very important rank of US Chief Petty Officer. They are often referred to as Navy Chief and there are a total of 3 ranks or often coined the terms Navy Chief, Senior Chief and Master Chief. The Navy Chief Petty Officer Personalized Coin was created in support of these men and women who do us honor. They wear one of the most iconic symbols found throughout the USN in the form of a gold fouled anchor.
What makes a great Navy Chief?
The Navy Chief is like middle management only better than corporate America by removing barriers and handles adversity to allow US Navy Sailors to do their jobs to the best of their abilities while demonstrating the humility to take a back seat when a good job is rewarded. This is one reason the US Navy Chief is often thought of as the backbone of the Navy. Being the Chief, you are the example of the Navy core values, Honor, Courage, and Commitment. These are just some of the words that form the bond among US Navy Chiefs.
How old is the Navy Chief?
April 1, 2020, is the 127th Birthday of the Chief Petty Officer rank in our United States Navy. Since those early beginnings, Chiefs have successfully influenced the quality of training, professional development, desired disciplines of leadership, while inspiring the optimum successes to make our Navy great. That is the requirement for preserving the naval supremacy that the US Navy is known for.
SO YOU WANT TO BE A NAVY CHIEF?!
A Navy Chief is almost a Mythical being.
They can and have dressed down Admirals and new recruits with Equal ease. They carry expertise, trial and error and they have learned directly from the Chiefs that have preceded them so that the time honored traditions and hard rules would be passed from generation of Chief to the next.
They are not only experts at their rate, but also in management. They know how to best get as much done with the tools they have at their disposal.
Junior Enlisted Sailors know that they can go to their Chief for Sage advice. Go ask the Chief! Junior Officers often hide when in the presence of one of these beings. Senior Officers depend on the Chief’s Mess for order and discipline.
A Chief wears an Anchor as the Symbol of his or her rank. That Same anchor is the symbol of the Navy. It is fair to say that the spirit of the Navy, Its tradition, ceremony and its very honor are alive because its Chiefs keep it that way. This is the time honored traditions that are forever a part of the fabric of the US Navy.
The Chief is the anchor of the Navy and has been since 1893. Without the Chief’s a ship would be just a ship with no soul. Its crew would just be doing a Job with no life. Once reason why every US Navy warship has a Chief Of The Boat!
Words like shipmate would have no meaning. The Goat Locker gives the Ship and its crew its collective Spirit.
To become a Navy Chief is almost impossible. It must be a goal that an enlisted man/woman never loses sight of. It takes continuity, leadership qualities of putting others ahead of their personal needs and more.
On average it will take a Sailor 15 years to reach the rank of Chief Petty Officer. 17.5 Years to Reach Senior. Chief and 21 Years to earn the Rank of Master Chief.
To even be considered, one must have shown their leadership abilities, time as a Leading Petty Officer at Sea, pass a very difficult test and go before a selection board made up of Navy Chiefs.
Every Step of the way these Sailors are judged. If they are ever found wanting in any area, it’s the end of the Road.
The total number of Chiefs, Senior. Chiefs and Master Chiefs on active duty at any given time is about 10% of the total Number of enlisted.
Chiefs make up about 7%, Senior. Chiefs about 3%, and Master Chiefs are less than one percent. Seeing a Master Chief is harder sometimes than running into a NFL quarterback on the street.
Because of these incredible men and women who wear the khaki uniform of a Chief (only branch of the US military that has a uniform change when this rank is earned) it was essential to create a series of United States Navy Chief coins that have the added feature of personalization options that allow you to engrave your most important information.
