2013 CPO Heritage Days at HRNM

Day one (August 19) group of chief selectees

On August 19 and 20, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, in cooperation with Nauticus and the Battleship Wisconsin, sponsored its thirteenth annual Chief Petty Officers Heritage Day for newly selected chief petty officers. Six hundred and seventy selectees from thirty-seven different commands participated in this annual ritual.

Day two (August 20) group of chief selectees

This year, several retired and veteran chief petty officers shared their wit and wisdom with selectees inside the battleship. Fleet Master Chief Charles Clarke,Force Master Chief Steven S. Giordano of Navy Cyber Forces, and Command Master Chief Dominick Torchia of Commander, Navy Region, Mid-Atlantic were also on hand to give their pep talks on leadership and the meaning of being a chief petty officer.

In addition to learning about the history of the U.S. Navy and the role of the chief petty officer, there was a day long competition that pitted each command's selectees against each other. The competition included an old fashion close order drill skill contest held at Town Point Park, the best turned out guidepost, and a series of forty-five questions on Naval and chief petty officer history and heritage. Active duty chiefs served as judges and awarded points based on each command's selectees performance.

Vanguard,inc. donated two trophies (one awarded each day) for the command with the highest score. Each trophy had the words "Where Chiefs Go, Only Eagles Fly" engraved on it.

Thank you to all who volunteered their time to make this event a success and congratulations to all the selectees on your accomplishment!