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Here's a great article I found at www.northwestnavigator.com: -- Twenty-eight new chief petty officers received their anchor collar insignia in a pinning ceremony held aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Friday while underway off the coast of Southern California. For many of the former first class petty officers who were pinned, wearing a khaki uniform and being recognized as a chief for the first time marked the high point of their Navy careers. “This is a huge milestone for me after 20 years in the Navy,” said Chief Hospital Corpsman Trent Sickles. “It’s a privilege to be wearing anchors and I intend to put them to good use for the Sailors that I work for.” The ceremony was held in Lincoln’s hangar bay in front of the ship’s assembled crew. Lincoln’s Command Master Chief, CMDCM Eric Schmidt and Commanding Officer, Capt. Patrick D. Hall each gave opening remarks and congratulated the new chief petty officers on their tremendous accomplishment. “You’ve all reached a new stage in your careers where leadership truly matters,” Schmidt said. “From this day on when somebody says ‘Go ask the Chief!’ it’s not going to be somebody else that they look to. It’s going to be you.” Each new chief had their anchors pinned to their collar and a combination cover placed on their head by their fellow chiefs. They then passed through side boys to stand in ranks amongst their peers. The ceremony Friday, September 21, marked the culmination of an intense six-week induction process for the new chiefs, designed to transform first class petty officers into the Navy’s frontline khaki leadership. “Chief induction is about taking the building blocks that a first class has picked up after 15 or 20 years in the Navy and building on them,” said Chief Personnel Specialist James Robertson, Lincoln’s Assistant Chief Induction Coordinator. Although much of the training and indoctrination took place behind closed doors, chief selectees participating in physical training, fundraisers, and other group activities had become a familiar sight aboard the ship since the selectee list was released. “As a chief, your number one goal is to take care of your people and that’s what they instilled in us,” said Chief Storekeeper Michael Nunn, class leader for Chief Induction Class 114. “Since we started it’s been inspiring to see how we’ve gone from a group of individuals to a team that takes care of each other.” One of the final steps in the induction process took place the night before the pinning. The traditional “White Hat Burial at Sea” ceremony, in which new chiefs bid farewell to their white hats, was held on the ship’s fantail late in the evening. “White Hat Burial at Sea is a very significant part of the transition because it represents laying to rest their first class insignia,” Robertson said. “Before the burial, each of the chief selectees writes a eulogy for their white hat—and some of them will bring a tear to your eye because you can tell how much it means to them.” With crisp khakis and shiny new anchors, the chief petty officers of Chief Induction Class 114 will now join the rest of Lincoln’s Chief’s Mess in guiding Sailors from the deck plates, making sure the job is done right every time and setting the standard for Navy leadership. http://www.northwestnavigator.com/index.php/navigator/regionalnews/lincolns_new_chiefs_put_on_their_anchors/