Ihave the distinct pleasure of serving in the world’s greatest Navy for the last 30 years and I am here to tell you I wouldn’t change one thing that I have experienced in all these years. I have had some great days and some not so good days, but they all were full of adventures. Today, I have the honor to serve as your Fleet Master Chief of Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education developing our Sailors “from street to the Fleet.” I am constantly in awe of the professionalism, creativity and personal confidence of each of the young recruits as they join our ranks. We are recruiting young men and women looking for something bigger than themselves and transforming them from civilians into Sailors. We train them with a specific specialty job and send them to the Fleet to join their shipmates as ambassadors of not just our Navy but our country! FLTCM APRIL BELDO This past April, we officially launched the Navy’s new “Keep What You’ve Earned” campaign. This campaign recognizes the challenges our Sailors have met to be successful and to become leaders. Whatever our pay grades, each of us is charged with guiding and mentoring our Sailors for continued success and promotion by helping to guide them past any pitfalls that could jeopardize their success. This campaign goes to Navy’s culture and Sailor’s character. We must remain aware of how America views us on and off the job. Remembering that, as ambassadors for our country, we cannot afford to behave in a way that would bring discredit to our service. As I travel throughout the Fleet, Sailors share with me their job experiences, what they are doing for their communities as volunteers and how they are helping their shipmates to succeed in the Navy. When I meet the Sailors forming and leading Keep what you’ve earned They find out very quickly that being a Sailor is no easy task. But they also find themselves members of an elite group of young citizens who volunteer and raise their right hand to promise to defend this nation’s freedom. Only one-third of 17-to-24 years old in the United States meet the standards to be eligible for Navy service and even fewer are capable of enduring the physical and emotional challenges of being a Sailor. The learning curve is steep and the pace fast in our Navy. Recruits must quickly learn all about the Navy core values of honor, courage and commitment. They learn what it really means to proudly wear the cloth of our nation and what a privilege it is serve in the world’s finest Navy. Then, it really comes together and makes all their hard work worthwhile. The first promotion ceremony, when they are the ones shaking the hands of the commanding officer and the command master chief as they are handed their letters of appointment to petty officer third, then to second, then to first class and finally to the ultimate rank of chief petty officer. There is no prouder moment for Sailors than the chief petty officer ceremony when they don their combination cover and anchors. I have attended over 600 frocking ceremonies for our petty officers and 18 chief petty officer pinning ceremonies, and it is always like my first time. I clearly remember my excitement in 1985 when I was selected to third class petty officer. I was even more pumped-up in 1995 when I was selected to chief petty officer. I still feel that pride today, to be a part of our Sailors achievements while serving their country. Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions (CSADD) chapters (a peer-to-peer mentorship program, geared at Sailors 18-to-25 years old, that reinforces our culture of “shipmates helping shipmates”), I think to myself, they get it, they know exactly what it means to “keep what you’ve earned.” I am no different from any other Sailor serving in today’s Navy. We all have to remember to “Keep What You’ve Earned.” I see myself as an example to every Sailor I come in contact with or who sees me out and about on the deckplates. It is my duty to be a role model and prove to them, no matter what their goals are, as we navigate through our careers, we all want the same outcome: to look back on our Navy career, to have had the opportunities to excel to the highest rank possible, to know we served our country with pride, and to have KEPT WHAT WE EARNED! Congratulations to all our newly advanced Sailors. The adventure continues. Senior Enlisted Voice Visit navy.mil for video of Fleet Master Chief April Beldo, USN, discussing the “Keep What You’ve Earned” Campaign. About the author: Fleet Master Chief April Beldo, USN, is the Fleet Master Chief of Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 21:24:27 +0000
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