Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, BETHESDA, Md  –   National Capital Region Navy Medicine hosted its FY-25 Chief Petty Officer Pinning Ceremony Sept. 27 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and 14 Sailors along with two Soldiers received their coveted gold fouled anchors and chief’s cover during the program rich in time-honored traditions.

“This is a Navy tradition performed 130 years,” shared Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Josina Cato. “This is one of the most significant transitions [the servicemembers] will ever make in their [military] careers,” she added.
The 17th Force Master Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery/Director of the Hospital Corps, Patrick Paul (PaP) Mangaran, served as the guest speaker for the ceremony, encouraging the newly pinned chiefs to reflect not only on the significance of donning the anchors and cover of a chief petty officer, but also on the expectations that come with their new leadership role.

“Your entire way of life has changed,” said Mangaran to the chiefs. “Boot camp teaches you, in those eight to 10 weeks of training, how to transition from being a civilian to a warfighter. The six weeks of chief petty officer initiation teaches you how to be a leader of warfighters. More is expected of you. More is demanded of you. Once you get those anchors on, it’s time to perform.”

Mangaran encouraged the new chief to remember their foundation of “competence, character and culture.”

Discussing competence, Mangaran quoted the Chief Petty Officer Creed, which states, the chiefs are “required [to be] the fountain of wisdom, the ambassador of good will, the authority in personal relations as well as in technical applications. ‘Ask the Chief,’ is a household phrase in and out of the Navy.”

“It’s our job to get our hands dirty, show that we are the resident expert and have a passion for our craft and hone in on our warfighting craft,” he added. “We got to keep our team members accountable to their roles to meet our Navy’s goals.”

“Your character is built on accepting challenges,” Mangaran continued. “All the challenges that you go through build perseverance, and that perseverance builds character, and that character builds the confidence and hope in your teammates that you’re going to navigate them through [their challenges].”

“You got to take care of our warfighters and our families,” Mangaran said. “Consistently converse and connect with your family members. Keep them in the loop with everything that’s going on, but also stay in the loop with what’s going on with them.” He explained culture includes “the accountability we have for one another. The Chief Petty Officer Creed states you got a special responsibility to your comrade, and your comrade has a special responsibility to you. This is not just for our professional life. No longer is there a personal life and a professional life [because] they are now integrated as one.”

Teammates, families, and friends pinned the new chiefs with their anchors and assisted them in donning their chief’s covers, and the chiefs took the Chief Petty Officer’s Pledge, committing to setting the example, making things happen, developing junior officers, and molding Soldiers while establishing the standards of performance. “I live by the Navy’s core values of honor, courage, and commitment,” they vowed.

The CPOs of FY-25 (Class 131) include HMCs Abdelwahid Kedir, Aisha Thomas, Alex Lawicki, Ashley Person, Brandon Hartman, Brian Stemple, Curtis Cortezpoole, Marcel Barry, Matthew Potaracke, Russell Hill, Jr., Ryan Dinglasa and Tiffany Copeland, NCC Nathan Freet, YNC Neil Nair and Chiefs Esteban Flores and Karen Florence (both of the U.S. Army).