Peninsula Chief Petty Officers, Chief Selectees Run Through Historic Yorktown

By Mark O. Piggott, Naval Weapons Station Yorktown Public Affairs

YORKTOWN, Va. (NNS) -- Chief Petty Officers (CPO) and CPO selectees from Naval Weapons Station Yorktown (WPNSTA Yorktown) and its tenant commands took a step back in history together to learn more about their community and where our nation began.

The officers, CPOs and CPO selectees ran in formation through historic Yorktown, Sept. 5, as part of the CPO 365 Phase II training.

"We work and live here in Yorktown and a lot of our junior Sailors don't know anything about the battle of Yorktown or its significance in our nation's history," CMDCM(SW/AW) Steven Seals, WPNSTA Yorktown Command Master Chief, told them. "You need to bring your Sailors out here and show them what you've learned today."

"To be on the same grounds as those who fought on the battlefields was humbling," said BMC(EXW/SW/SCW)(Sel) Krista Park from Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (NAVELSG). "I learned a lot about the area and have a new-found respect for it. It made me proud and was a great adventure to participate in."

The CPOs and CPO selectees were joined by some of their command leadership on a five-mile formation run circling the Yorktown Battlefield; from Surrender Field to Redoubts 9 and 10, ending at the Yorktown Victory Monument. The CPO Selectees researched various elements of the battle and its commanders, including Major General Benjamin Lincoln and the Marquis de Lafayette.

"None of us would be here today, in this great country of ours, if not for the patriots who won the battle that day, October 19, 1781," proclaimed ETC(EXW/SW)(Sel) Jon Bedford, Coastal Riverine Squadron THREE (Detachment Yorktown) at the final stop on the run, the Yorktown Victory Monument. "When word of the British surrender reached the Congress, they immediately ordered the construction of a monument to recognize the victory of General George Washington and our French allies. It took more than 100 years for this monument to be erected," he concluded.

"The Yorktown Pride Run really helped to tie in the surrounding area with the massive amount of history and sacrifices that went into the birth of our country," said EODC(EWS/SW)(Sel) Clay Middlebrook, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 2 (EODMU2) Detachment Yorktown.

"Though the majority of our nation celebrates the 4th of July as our Independence Day, here in Yorktown, we celebrate our nation's birthday on October 19," Seals added.