Sixty chief petty officer selects visited the Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Pensacola Sept. 8 to help spruce up the displays dedicated to honoring those who served the nation before them.

The volunteers from commands throughout Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola and Corry Station cleaned statues and monuments at the park, including a one-half scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. The park also has memorials for World War I, World War II and the Korean War, as well as a running series of plaques to honor locals who died in the global war on terrorism.

"Coming out here, contributing, getting to know the community, gives us all a sense of pride," said Chief (select) Cryptologic Technician (Collection) (IDW/SW) Jim Frederickson, a Navy military training instructor for the Center for Information Dominance Unit Corry Station. "It's really a humbling experience getting out here to clean up a little bit and make it that much better for the public to enjoy."

The future chiefs volunteered their time as part of phase two of CPO 365, a year-round training initiative that chiefs' messes throughout the Navy take on to prepare first class petty officers to become chiefs. This year, phase two of CPO 365 began Aug. 5 when the chief petty officer selection board results were released. The roughly six-week process is designed to foster teamwork and resilience, as well as hone leadership skills.

"We like to give the (chief selects) the heritage of what the memorials mean as well as what the park's about," said retired Navy Capt. Butch Hanson, president of the Veteran's Memorial Park Foundation, a volunteer non-profit organization that oversees the park's care and maintenance through an agreement with the city of Pensacola. "It's about memorializing those who have lost their lives in service to their country. Pensacola does that as well as anybody. We're proud of (the chief selects) and certainly very appreciative of all their help."

Organized by the Corry Station Chiefs Mess, the volunteer event was another opportunity for the chief selects, along with sponsors or mentors, to come together before the chief's pinning ceremony on Sept. 16 at the National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola.

"It's a very inspirational time for us," said Chief (select) Aviation Structural Mechanic (AW/SW) Brian Collins, an instructor with the Naval Air Technical Training Center. "All these people gave so much for us to be where we are today. It feels like we're giving a small piece of that back, even though it's not that much. These are people that went before us, and now it's our turn to fill their shoes in keeping us free and protecting the great country we live in."

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