FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2010VOL. 7, NO. 1

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Serving NAS Whidbey Island and Community www.northwestnavigator.comServing NAS Whidbey Island and Community www.northwestnavigator.com

NPASE Det. NW

The chief petty officer community welcomed more than 250 newly pinned chief petty officers during

ceremonies held throughout the Northwest Region, Sept. 16.

Ceremonies were held on or around Naval Base Kitsap, Naval Station Everett, and Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, where friends and family members gath-ered to witness their loved ones assume the title of “chief ”.

“This experience was very challenging, the most challenging thing I have done in my life,” said Chief Machinist’s Mate (SW/AW) Ranzanee Candare assigned to NBK. “My father retired as a chief, and I always looked up to him. I am looking forward to leading my Sailors and helping them as much as I can.”

The chief ’s pinning ceremony is a special Navy tradition, which dates back to 1893, when the chief petty officer paygrade was created. The ceremony signifies a new posi-tion of leadership and responsibility for the Navy.

Selectees participated in an induction process where they learned valuable lessons that will help them become better chief petty officers.

“This has been a tremendous honor,” said

Chief Legalman (SW/AW) Megan Wenthur, Naval Station Everett. “I am very excited and can’t wait to start my career as a United States Navy Chief.”

During the ceremony, family members pinned on two gold anchors to each newly appointed chief ’s uniform.

“The chief petty officers before you have met the satisfaction of this CPO mess; the integrity required to wear these anchors and the decisive leadership required to represent our Chief ’s Mess,” said NBK Command Master Chief (SS) Joseph Fahrney. “Throughout this process they have been through personal tragedies, vic-tories, triumphs, successes and failures. For the last 32 hours they have proven to the mess that they are ready, willing, and able to carry these anchors. Welcome to our mess.”

“This past few weeks have been very hard, but it has been all worth it in the end. This is the happiest day of my life,” said Denver native Chief Naval Air Crewman (Operations) (NAC/AW) Matthew Pope of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

“I feel great and excited. I’m very tired right now, but I can’t wait to begin my career as a chief petty officer,” said Chief Air Traffic Controller (AW/SW) Jeffrey Barkley of Uniontown, Pa., assigned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

By MC2 Nardel GervacioNPASE Det. NW

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island hosted a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day ceremony at the POW/MIA Sentinel Memorial on the Seaplane Base, Sept. 17.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day honors the courage of those who were held as prisoners of war in foreign conflicts and ensures those who remain missing in action are never forgotten.

Lt. Cmdr. Brian Danielson, of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129, who expatriated his father Capt. Ben Danielson’s remains from Laos and laid him to rest June 15, 2007 spoke to the crowd of more than 200.

During his speech, Danielson began by reading the POW’s code of conduct, “Words that tend to be forgotten after basic training but is always refreshed and re-enforced

throughout a service member’s career.”

Danielson continued his speech and said “The honoring of POW/MIA’s and the importance of return-

ing them all home exist as a remind-er of the great importance that our country place on the value of a human life.”

“I think it’s always important to

remember service members who served before us and never came home, in my situation I’ve been friends with Lt. Cmdr. Danielson a long time and followed his family’s journey,” said Cmdr. Lee Jackson, commanding officer, VAQ-129. “It’s hard to hold back emotions with ceremonies like this.”

Also mentioned at the ceremony was the return of the remains of U.S. Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher. Speicher was shot down in an F/A-18 Hornet on the first night of Operation Desert Storm, Jan. 16, 1991, approximately 100 miles west of Baghdad, Iraq. On Aug. 13, 2009, at 3 p.m., Speicher’s remains arrived in NAS Jacksonville, Fla., and he was laid to rest at the Jacksonville Memory Gardens.

The names of 57 repatriated remains from this year were read by Jackson.

“The ceremony was very moving,

MC2 Nardel Gervacio

Chief Gunners’s Mate William Schmidt stands at attention during the reading of the benediction at the closing of the Chief Petty Officers Pinning Ceremony held at Oak Harbor High School Wildcat Memorial Stadium. Sixty-seven selectees from various commands at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island were pinned to the rank of chief petty officer during the ceremony.

POWs/MIAs honored at NAS Whidbey

MC2 Nardel Gervacio

The color guard stand at attention as Cmdr. Lee Jackson, commanding officer, Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129 reads the names of 57 repatriated remains from this year during the Prisoners of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day ceremony held at the POW/MIA Sentinel Memorial at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Seaplane Base.

See POW/MIA > Page 12