Your Name:

Your Email:

To:

Subject:

Message:
Here's a great article I found at www.northwestnavigator.com: -- Some say a good leader speaks by his actions, not his words. Recently, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) lost a leader who was an exception to the rule, one who led by both words and actions. The “world’s greatest warship’s” crew said farewell to Command Master Chief(SW/AW) John O’Banion, Abe’s senior enlisted leader for three years, in a ceremony in Hangar Bay Two, July 8. After the presentation of colors, Capt. Andrew McCawley, Abe’s commanding officer, showed his appreciation for O’Banion’s service to the Lincoln. “Master Chief O’Banion has been my most trusted and indispensable counsel and mentor,” said the gracious captain. “The officers, the chief petty officers, and most importantly, the Sailors of this ship have benefited from the last three years of master chief O’Banion’s leadership, experience, mature wisdom and judgment, and most of all his unfailing advocacy of Sailors of Abraham Lincoln.” McCawley talked to the audience about O’Banion’s journey of active-duty service. Starting at Cunningham, Kan., where he graduated high school and joined the Navy 30 years ago, to its end on Lincoln’s deckplates. “Master Chief O’Banion’s career of service and sacrifice is the stuff of legend and legacy,” said McCawley. McCawley closed by presenting O’Banion with the Joint Service Commendation Medal in honor of his leadership during Operation Unified Assistance earlier this year. McCawley also presented O’Banion a Meritorious Service Medal for his previous work on Lincoln. The Chief Petty Officer’s Association (CPOA) presented O’Banion with a “shadow box” containing items that represented his career and an American flag flown over Lincoln off the coast of Hawaii, June 3, to commemorate the Battle of Midway. O’Banion also received letters of thanks from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy(SS/AW) Terry Scott and President George W. Bush. O’Banion was visibly appreciative of those in attendance, both on the stage and the hundreds more that flooded Hangar Bay Two. After everyone voiced their feelings about Abe’s CMC, the CMC took the microphone. In true O’Banion style, he bypassed the formal podium and paced back-and-forth along the stage as he addressed his Sailors. First bringing them to “attention” from “parade rest,” then putting them “at ease.” “First off, to all you seamen, airmen, firemen, third class, second class, and first class petty officers, thank you,” O’Banion said warmly. “You are the heart and soul of this command. You have supported me for the past three years and I thank you for that.” Second, he addressed a group he worked more closely with during his time aboard Abe. The ship’s leading chief petty officers. “There has never, ever been one thing in which you guys have failed at,” said O’Banion. “You not only accomplished everything, you excelled at it and set the standard. You made it happen and without you, this would be just another command. You’ve made it special for me and made it worth 30 years of service. I owe you all a debt of gratitude.” He also passed along thanks to all of the Lincoln’s chief petty officers and stressed the importance of giving the same effort they gave him to Abe’s new CMC, Master Chief Michael Anjola. It was at that point of the ceremony where those who attended got the chance to see a side of O’Banion they might not have seen of the salty master chief over the past three years. As he beamed down from the stage toward his family and emotion choked his commanding voice, he thanked his friends and family for supporting him throughout his Naval service. His fiancÈe, Diane Sehr, was also present and as O’Banion was saying goodbye to one life, he made a commitment to the new life the two of them are preparing to start together. Lastly, O’Banion delivered his final words as Abe’s Command Master Chief with the same respectable honesty in which he led. “The last two months took forever, the last 30 years look like a blur, but I’m ready to retire,” O’Banion said with the slight Kansan drawl he’d become known for. “It’s scary, but I’m ready to start a new life.” To his Sailors, O’Banion stressed the importance of being good leaders and being the good followers that make good leaders. Though the Navy continues to evolve, he expressed the importance of remembering where it came from and lastly, as Abe’s top enlistedman, he reminded his enlisted counterparts that they forever needed to be the driving force behind the “world’s greatest warship.” “Keep plugging, keep the traditions going,” said O’Banion. “Embrace the change (the Navy is going through.) Stand up to it, but embrace it and make things happen.” http://www.northwestnavigator.com/index.php/navigator/regionalnews/abe_says_goodbye_to_its_top_enlisted_man/