More than 150 chief petty officers and 1st class petty officers attended a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony at Barrancas National Cemetery onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Dec. 7.

The hour-long observance began with morning colors and culminated with flags being placed on the gravesites of five Pearl Harbor veterans. Event organizer Chief Navy Counselor (ret.) Gordon Daly said the event served not only to recognize a critical part of United States history, but also instill the importance of sacrifices previous generations made.

"I was so happy and pleased that the brothers and sisters [fellow chiefs] came out today to pay tribute to those fallen," Daly said. "It's important to keep the thoughts, lessons and memory of Pearl Harbor alive for younger Americans to understand and appreciate."

Daly was accompanied by other retired and active duty chief petty officers, as well as members of Pensacola-area Chief Petty Officer 365 Phase 1, first class petty officers participating in the nearly year-long mandatory training evolution U.S. Navy E-6 personnel undertake.

"I think it's really important for our sailors to not forget our history and heritage," said Chief Air Traffic Controller Amber Khoryati, the Pensacola-area CPO 365 community relations leader. "We must remember those who went and made the ultimate sacrifice before us."

Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) Command Master Chief Israel Pedregon said the ceremony served to reiterate to attendees the unique bond Navy chiefs share.

"To have a retired Chief Petty Officer invite us over to help him honor our past and have our future there to see that was special," Pedregon said. "No matter active duty or retired we are there for our sailors."

For more than 70 years, with the last two decades at Naval Air Station Pensacola, NATTC has been providing training and increasing readiness within the Naval Aviation Enterprise. The facility graduates approximately 15,000 Navy, Marine Corps and international students annually.

NATTC is part of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT), which provides single-site management for Navy and Marine Corps aviation technical training.

CNATT is the technical training agent for the Naval Aviation Enterprise, an organization designed to advance and sustain naval aviation warfighting capabilities at an affordable cost, and is the largest training center under the Naval Education and Training Command.

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