Navy's First Female Master Chief Passes Away at Age 90

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Abraham Essenmacher, Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's first female master chief died Aug. 4 at the age of 90 while residing at Vinson Hall Retirement Community, in McLean, Va.

Master Chief Yeoman (Ret.) Anna Der-Vartanian began her military career in 1943 when she enlisted in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service program, or WAVES. In 1946, she transitioned to the Navy and 13 years later she became the first woman in any of the armed services to advance to E-9, the highest enlisted paygrade.

During her Navy career, Der-Vartanian was stationed in Washington, San Francisco, Boston, Pearl Harbor, and Paris. After retirement she went to work for the CIA as a junior analyst after retiring from the Navy in 1963, and later worked as a counterintelligence specialist.

"We are saddened by the loss of Master Chief Anna Der-Vartanian," said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) (SS/SW) Rick D. West. "She was an inspirational pioneer in our Navy, and a role model for courage and commitment to every Sailor in uniform during the last 50 years. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family."

West spoke at length on the impact Der-Vartanian had on the Navy and the chief petty officer community.

"Her life was dedicated to selflessly serving the nation in any way she could, a tireless aspiration that went far beyond the Navy and left a profound impact wherever she was involved," he said. "Anna's contributions as a Sailor, as a citizen, and as a master chief petty officer will long burn as one of the brightest lights in our proud Navy heritage."

"The Navy chief petty officer community will miss Anna's wit, her energy and the deep satisfaction she took in helping others," West continued. "She led people from the front by personal example, a virtue we strive to instill in every chief who wears anchors today. Anyone fortunate enough to spend time with Anna could not help but be impressed by her humility and strength of character. We were privileged to have her at several CPO events in recent years and she captured the undivided attention of everyone in the room when she was there. We won't forget her. "

Der-Vartanian is survived by numerous nieces and nephews. She was awarded the National Defense Medal and other various other decorations for her service.