Under cloudless skies, 24 Sailors were frocked to the next rank of petty officer third class, second class or first class during a frocking ceremony at Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella, June 6. Over 20,000 Sailors were promoted Navywide during the 2016 spring advancement cycle.

"This day is about you," said NAS Sigonella's Commanding Officer Capt. Brent Trickel. "My sincere congratulations to you and all of those who helped you reach this momentous achievement."

Echoing the CO's remark was newly pinned Master-at-Arms 1st Class Franklin Klimek.

"I couldn't have done this without the support of my loving wife. Through the successes and the hardships, she has always been there for me," said Klimek.

Following the frocking ceremony, the NAS Sigonella Chiefs Mess presented each Sailor with a framed crow. Crow is an unofficial Navy term for the petty officer rank insignia, which includes an eagle above one to three chevrons depending upon a Sailor's rank.

"The crows inside these frames have been worn over and over by service members and represent hundreds of years of wisdom and experience," stated Senior Chief Air Traffic Controller Keven Sloan. "We [place] the crow onto the blue digital pattern as a symbol of our rich history and its significance in our future."

"The needle is symbolic of our strength to endure any endeavor that we face; we face it together," added Sloan. "It is left in place to remind you that now you join the ranks of leadership and thread that binds us all. You may not bear the same rate as depicted in the frame -- this is to show unity regardless of rate or division. We are one, separated only by job title."

Chief Master-at-Arms Brad Dickey was also pinned to Senior Chief Master-at-Arms during the frocking ceremony.

"It was an exceptional day filled with pride, as my girls and I pinned our hero!" said Dickey's wife Michelle.

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