Hail to the new Chief! (No...not him!!!)

This past Friday, I was honored to attend the "pinning ceremony" of my niece's husband, Jon.  Jon was recently promoted from Petty Officer First Class to Chief Petty Officer.  The ceremony was held in Washington, DC at the U.S. Navy Memorial.

 

 

It was not really a hot day for Washington DC - the temperature was about 85 degrees, and there was a nice breeze...in the beginning.  However, it is still Summer here and that sun was blaring!  The fall-out of the sunshine was that I had a hard time taking pictures - I could not see a thing through my view finder...so I was lucky to get any shots!  I won't even go into the massive sunburn I received..I am NOT a sun worshiper - Winter is my FAVORITE season!

 

I was able to get a nice picture of the National Archives, which sits directly opposite the U.S. Navy Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue. In my previous employment-for 20 years-I wrote proposals for Architects and General Contractors for building design and construction.  Many of the proposals involved renovation of the glorious historic facilities in Washington DC. Though I would not want to work in Washington, it is nice to "play tourist" and admire the architecture every once in a while!

 

 

The National Archives Building

The U.S. Navy Band was most impressive!  In fact, the entire ceremony was extremely well done!  Jon  - as well as all 52 of the Chief Petty Officer Selectees, as they were called - endured six weeks of INTENSIVE training prior to the ceremony.  This training was all "after work hours", and there was very little sleep involved in his schedule, which did not include days off.  My hats off to Jon (and Rachel - they are still in honeymoon stage, as they just got married in May)!

 

Parade of Selectees and their Sponsors (prior to receiving their official Covers).

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Selectees received not only their Chief Petty Officer pin, but their official "Cover", or hat in layman's terms.  Jon was standing behind a statue when he received his Cover, so no picture from me! However, I was able to snatch a picture of the Pinning!  Jon was pinned by his sister  Ericka (in black) and his wife, my niece Rachel (in orange).

 

 

It's official! (photo courtesy of Ericka)!

I was so proud to be a part a witness to this ceremony!  My sincerest congratulations to Jon - my nephew!  Thank you for allowing me to share in this important event and stage of your career!

 

Thanks for stopping by!