By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Thomas L. Rosprim, Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the NavyNAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (NNS) -- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) visited Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) area commands and attended the Port Hueneme 70th Annual Seabee Ball during a three-day fleet engagement March 8 through 10.
During his trip, MCPON(SS/SW) Rick D. West toured facilities and spoke to Sailors stationed at China Lake, Port Hueneme, and Point Mugu, California.
While at China Lake, a topic brought up by local Sailors concerned their location and the challenge of finding recreational activities in the area.
"I'm not sure you understand how lucky you are here shipmates," said West. "Get out there and explore the mountains that surround you or take this opportunity to further your education. Ensure you are taking advantage of all these opportunities."
More than 800 Sailors stationed at Port Hueneme, the majority of them Seabees, arrived at the base theater March 9 for an all-hands call, leaving standing room only at the facility. What was lacking in seating was made up by enthusiasm in the room. At the end of the call, MCPON called for motivation with one word, Hoorah.
"Take that enthusiasm that you just gave me to your work sites every day, more importantly take it out there to those fields, wherever you are, whether it's in Afghanistan, Africa, you name it; make a difference," said West. "You've got that call; that can-do attitude. Do it every day, work your butts off. I love you guys. I love the Navy Seabees. Hoorah!" said MCPON. "Hoorah!" they answered back.
During a Chief Petty Officers call at Point Mugu, a Reservist complimented the active duty Sailors stationed there for embracing Reservists but raised concerns about the divide between active and Reserve he has seen elsewhere.
"Since 9/11, I do not even talk active and Reserve; I talk Sailor," said West. "I feel we have done many things to close the gap. For example, it used to take three or four months to transition from active to Reserve and Reserve to active, now it typically takes three or four days."
The trip concluded with a trip to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Air Force One Pavilion for the Port Hueneme 70th Annual Seabee Ball, where MCPON was the guest speaker.
"Every single Seabee needs to be ready to do what is necessary, and from where I stand, I can see you absolutely are," said West. "As always, your 'Can Do' spirit will drive you through any challenges our Navy faces, and you will continue to be a prime source for expeditionary engineering forces."
Fleet engagements are intended to provide senior leadership with a frontline assessment of Sailors and what they are doing in the fleet.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment