Santa Rita, Guam (Jan. 29, 2021) – Commander, Submarine Squadron 15 advanced six Sailors to the rank of chief petty officer during a promotion ceremony onboard Naval Base Guam, Jan. 29.
The ceremony followed a six-week training period known as CPO Initiation, which started the day the CPO advancement results were released.
“We made great chiefs this year; they are tougher and more equipped to guide their Sailors,” said Command Master Chief Eric Baker, assigned to CSS-15 and native of Chebanse, Illinois. “You must not only guide and encourage your Sailors, but instill principles of sound leadership and ensure that they are trained, qualified and prepared to be war-fighters. The newly pinned chiefs charged through this year’s season and remained a unified team, despite the challenges presented to them.”
During training, instructed by senior enlisted leaders, the chiefs encountered lessons and challenges, both mental and physical, designed to enhance their traditional abilities. They also learned what it means to be a chief, including the history and traditions of the chiefs mess.
“It is a culmination of a lot of hard work to make chief, and upon being selected you find that you have so much more to learn,” said Chief Electronics Technician (Nuclear) Joshua Wagner, from Wadesville, Indiana. “I have been fortunate to have many great chiefs in my time and I want to be them. When my future sailors reflect on the people who helped them succeed, I want to make sure that I’m on that list.”
These chiefs will now move forward and use the tools they learned during training to instill the same qualities of leadership and tenacity in the Sailors whom they lead.
“Transitioning from a first class to a chief is a big change,” said Chief Electronics Technician (Navigation) Alex Hepburn, from West Palm Beach, Florida. “Making chief means that I can change other people’s lives by sharing knowledge and upholding a standard for all Sailors to emulate.”
CSS-15’s newest chief petty officers are: Chief Electronics Technician (Navigation) Alex Hepburn, assigned to CSS-15, Chief Culinary Specialist (Submarine) Samuel Lewis, Chief Sonar Technician (Submarine) Francisco Cloud, Chief Electronics Technician (Nuclear) Joshua Wagner, all assigned to the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Key West (SSN 722), and Chief Electronics Technician (Navigation) Jonathan Durell, and Chief Corpsman Nicholas Majarrez, assigned to the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Asheville (SSN 758).
“The chiefs are now in a position to build strong relationships to help with the weight of the responsibility they now assume,” said Baker. “I’m proud to be with them. This might seem daunting from the outside, but it is an organization where you are never alone. It is a Chief’s job to take care of their Sailors, both junior and senior, and reflect on if they are shaping the leaders that they want their Sailors to be.”
CSS-15 is responsible for providing training, material, and personnel readiness support to multiple Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine commands located at Polaris Point, Naval Base Guam.
For more news from CSS-15, visit our official website at http://www.csp.navy.mil/css15 and our official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SubmarineSquadron15/.
Are you interested in taking orders to Guam? Want to learn more about the duty station and life on our island? For more information, check out the ‘Go Guam!’ website at http://www.csp.navy.mil/go-guam/ and download the ‘1st Fifteen’ checklist.