The Chiefs Mess aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) held a ceremony on the mess decks to commemorate the 124th birthday of the establishment of the rank of chief petty officer (CPO) April 1.

The ceremony included a speech from Command Master Chief Angelo Raqqa, Laboon's Command master chief, and a cake-cutting ceremony. The most senior and junior Sailors of the ship, Chief Culinary Specialist Giovanka Minott and Cryptologic Technician (Technical) Seaman Ryan Busa, cut the cake with a ceremonial cutlass.

"Being able to serve Sailors as a chief petty officer is the greatest honor of my life," said Raqqa. "While growing up as a young Sailor, I viewed our chiefs as a safety net. They were stern, professional and selfless; I wanted to become exactly like them."

U.S. Navy chief petty officers are afforded more responsibility than any other equivalent enlisted rank in the U.S. military.

"Take care of your Sailors and your Sailors will take care of you - not because of how it will benefit you, but because they deserve to be taken care of," said Chief Logistics Specialist Joquel Chapple. "In my opinion, one of the strongest assets of being a chief petty officer is having a network of chiefs around the world that are always available to assist upon request."

Approximately 30,000 Sailors wear the rank of chief, senior chief and master chief petty officer in the Navy.

"The three most important titles in my life are as follows: 1. husband, 2. daddy, 3. chief. I am now responsible for the men and women serving this great Navy," said Chief Master-at-Arms Patrick McKay. "I love being a chief to help Sailors just like my chiefs helped me when I was a junior Sailor. I now owe it to all Sailors to pay it back. I am charged with keeping the traditions and heritage of the Navy alive, an entity that has been around for 241 years. It is my job to ensure junior Sailors know where we came from and that the Navy is still the best for another 241 years."

Laboon's chief's mess is a small, tight-knit band of hard-working individuals, who manage the Sailors aboard to ensure the mission is met with the highest caliber of determination and effort.

The rank of chief petty officer stands out as one of the most prestigious titles and achievements in the Navy. It is an accomplishment, personal and professional, that is paid forward every day in the work Sailors do to make the Navy better and more efficient in the way Sailors are treated and conduct their daily operations.

Laboon is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations designed to reassure allies and partners and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region as part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG).

GHWBCSG is comprised of the staff of Carrier Strike Group Two; aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77); the nine squadrons and staff of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8; Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22 staff, guided-missile destroyers USS Laboon (DDG 58) and USS Truxtun (DDG 103), and Danish guided-missile frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes (F 362); and Mayport-based guided-missile cruisers USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) and USS Hue City (CG 66).

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.