When the Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy was created in 1967, the U.S. Navy took a giant step forward in untapping the leadership capabilities of its enlisted force. In the act of adding an extra gold star to a master chiefs crow, the senior levels of command were, in effect, saying to the enlisted community, we respect and value your opinion, we need your input, and we will listen and act.

And just as they have met the challenges of war and peace for more than two centuries, the enlisted community has responded in a way that not only silenced the “doubting Thomases,” but amazed those who initially believed. No one could have known 25 years ago that the office would grow into the position of influence and credibility it enjoys today. No officer, regardless of his position in the chain of command or Washington bureau, demands more respect, gains quicker access, or is listened to more intently than the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. Wise Congressmen, Secretaries of Defense and the Navy, Chiefs of Naval Operations, and Naval Personnel and many, many others have benefited from the sage counsel of the MCPON. For his voice is not only the voice of personal experience, but of the broad and ever-changing spectrum of the enlisted experience.

Seven men have survived “the winds of change.” They learned when to bend and when to stand firm. They adjusted, adapted, and adhered. Nonetheless, they refused to change one common denominator that has served them well throughout their voyage to the top. They continued to practice loyalty up, and loyalty down. They learned a keen sense of balance on the high wire on which we placed them: that bridge between the Officers and the Enlisted.

In each and every sailor serving the U.S. Navy today lies the potential to be a Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy and the opportunity to make the world’s finest Navy just a bit better for their shipmates.-Print ed.