You see them on the deck plates each day, documenting the lives and accomplishments of USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) Sailors.

They're the Navy's mass communication specialist (MC) rating and this year marks the 10th anniversary of its formation.

In 2006 four legacy rates, photographer's mate, lithographer, journalist and illustrator/ draftsman, merged to create the Navy's "MC" rating.

The merger was the idea of former Navy Chief of Information Rear Adm. T. L. McCreary, who envisioned well-rounded Sailors capable of meeting the Navy's many communication needs.

"I want the basic MC A-school graduate to be able to write stories, shoot storytelling pictures and video and deliver that information in multiple formats to multiple customers from anywhere in the world," McCreary said.

Sailors that once specialized in one specific job field were asked to diversify their talents.

"I think what the merger did for Sailors is it made them more well-rounded, gave them more of a skill set," said Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jen Blake. "As a journalist, I was good at writing print stories and doing newspaper layout and design, but now I've learned more about photography than I would have if I had stayed just a legacy journalist."

The MC has become a "jack-of-all-trades" in media, much like their civilian counterparts.

Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Sean Hurt said, "The plus side is that I am now more marketable; I can write, I can do video, I can do photo, I can do a little bit of graphic design, I can do a little bit of everything."

After the creation of the rate, new recruits began attending the mass communication specialist A-School at the Defense Information School in Ft. Meade, Maryland. Hurt himself received the new training.

"In the Navy right now we're getting some awesome product out from people that can do it all," said Hurt. "We've got amazing people in this rate who are talented beyond belief."

This can transfer to building a good life for service members after their time in the Navy is through.

Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Theodore Green, a former journalist said, "I think the skills that we are getting in the rate are something that we can take out and turn into a career outside of the Navy. The rate is much more marketable to the civilian job market."

In Green's opinion, the rating's future looks bright.

"The last ten years have been very interesting," he said. "The transition was rough at first for those of us who went through the merger. I think now we've got a better mix of old and new. These Sailors coming out of A-School know a lot, and as someone with experience I know how to put their skills to good use to tell the Navy's story. As we continue to grow and learn as a rating, I think we'll just keep getting better and better."

George H.W. Bush is currently undergoing a planned incremental availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

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