Three hundred forty-eight Sailors from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) (GHWB) and 11 Sailors from PCU Gerald Ford (CVN 78) were frocked to the next pay grade during a ceremony on the flight deck, May 29.

The frockees were presented with a certificate of promotion and congratulated by Commanding Officer Capt. Will Pennington, Executive Officer Capt. Gavin Duff, and Command Master Chief Huben Phillips.

Frocking authorizes newly-advanced Sailors to wear the rank and assume the responsibilities of the paygrade for which they have been selected. These Sailors do not receive pay for their promotion until their actual advancement at a later date.

Damage Controlman 3rd Class Kerri Sage, who advanced after her first time taking the test, had some words of wisdom for junior Sailors.

"My advice would be to study hard for advancement and put everything you have into it," said Sage. "Put your all into it, because it will benefit you in the end."

Other frockees were already looking forward to new leadership opportunities.

"At this point, I'm scoping the deck plates and looking at what my mentors, chiefs, and senior first classes do," said Navy Counselor 1st Class Tray Bynum. "I'm seeing how they run things and how they take care of everyone."

Sailors who did not advance this time around are advised to stay focused on their career-oriented goals.

"My advice to junior Sailors would be to put your time into your career and work hard," said Machinery Repairman 2nd Class Kody Kratz. "I'm going to use my new position to make sure my shipmates have those opportunities available to them because that's what they need to succeed."



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