Sailors from Navy Recruiting District (NRD) St. Louis officially joined the Navy's chief petty officer (CPO) ranks during a pinning ceremony at the State Capitol building, Sept. 16.

The city's Mayor Carrie Tergin attended the time-honored tradition where Chief Operations Specialist Leon Levy and Chief Navy Counselors Tony Murphy and Raul Villafana were formally promoted after receiving their gold fouled anchors and khaki covers.

"We appreciate you all being here today, especially all of the families who have traveled here and most importantly want to congratulate you and thank you for your service on behalf of the city of Jefferson," said Tergin.

The event marked the final phase of extensive leadership training designed to prepare selected Sailors for their new responsibilities as a CPO.

According to Villafana, being a chief requires a lot of leadership, discipline and a lot of training.

"I've been training for this the last 15 years to get to this level, now you get to this level and it continues, you can continue to learn, continue to get better," said Villafana. "I'm ready to lead and I'm ready to represent the chief's mess at the highest level and be the backbone of the Navy that we represent."

Cmdr. John Mann, commanding officer of NRD St. Louis re-emphasized the newly pinned CPOs responsibilities as teachers and leaders.

"You are the example starting today, today you bear a special burden you're going to carry a special trust as the newest members of the chief's mess," said Mann. "You're now the backbone of the United States Navy."

The Navy is the only military service that appoints chiefs through a bureau and gives more responsibility and authority to the pay grade.

For more news from Navy Recruiting District St. Louis, visit www.navy.mil/.