"Two six, heave! Two six, heave!" Wooden wheels squeak under the three-and-a-half-ton weight of the replica 24-pound long gun as six chief petty officer selectees haul on a line. Two more selectees swiftly move to the front of the gun and begin loading gunpowder, wads of rope and a 24-pound round shot. Eight selectees then split up to haul on two more lines, moving the gun out into its port. "Two six, heave! Two six, heave!" The gun is prepped for fire and aimed. The gun captain gives the command to 'standby'. "Fire!"

Gun drills, simulating how to load and fire a 24-pound long gun aboard USS Constitution, are one of the many ways chief petty officer selectees learn the history of the Navy and work as a team during Chief Petty Officer Heritage Week.

Chief Petty Officer Heritage Week is a week dedicated to mentoring the Navy's newest chiefs through naval history and heritage training aboard America's Ship of State, USS Constitution. The Chief mentors focus on instilling trust and teamwork in the chief petty officer selectees.

"We do a lot of mentoring with a big focus on camaraderie," said Chief Culinary Specialist Everardo Gonzales, assigned to USS Constitution. "Everything that we do throughout chief petty officer heritage weeks is teambuilding. We have people from all over the world that have never met each other. By the end of the week, they're calling each other brother and sister. That's what we want them to know by the time they leave here. You're working together to realize that together you can never fail."

The rank of chief petty officer was established on April 1, 1893, and it's the chiefs' responsibility to teach the traditions, history and heritage of the Navy.

"The chief is the keeper of heritage," said Gonzales. "One of the biggest things the selectees are taught while they're being initiated is the heritage of the chief petty officer. The unique thing about going through heritage weeks at Constitution is that the selectees learn about the beginning of the Navy alongside the history of the chief petty officer."

The selectees that have the ability to train at Constitution take back the knowledge and heritage they learn to their local chief's mess.

"A big part of what these selects do is go back to their commands and they teach their mess what they learn here," said Chief Navy Counselor Nancy Lowe, assigned to Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. "I didn't get to do a heritage week when I got pinned, but I don't feel like I missed out because I just got it from another chief's perspective."

Heritage Weeks offer a glimpse into what the chief's mess is capable of to the selectees.

"For a selectee, it's going to be an eye opening experience because it lets you see how chiefs work together," said Gonzales. "We want them to know that when they leave here, they have brothers and sisters everywhere and they should be able to reach out to them for anything."

The selectees that come through Constitution for Chief Petty Officer Heritage Weeks are grateful for an opportunity to learn heritage aboard 'Old Ironsides'.
"I think it's a privilege to come here," said Chief Petty Officer (Select) Pedro Caro, assigned to USS Constitution. "There are a lot of people that try to come here that don't get the spot. That's all they've wanted is to make chief, come to Constitution and take part in heritage weeks. Luckily, my foot was already in the door being stationed here, but I'm still grateful that I get to go through it."

"Every Chief in the navy knows about Constitution," said Lowe. "You hear about the sense of heritage pride. Chiefs talk about it and I'm lucky to be here. This is an awesome opportunity that every chief should definitely partake in if they can."

USS Constitution, America's Ship of State, actively defended sea-lanes against global threats from 1797-1855. Now a featured destination on Boston's Freedom Trail, Constitution and her crew of active duty U.S. Navy Sailors offer community outreach and education about the ship's history and the importance of naval sea power to more than 500,000 visitors each year. Constitution is currently dry docked in Charlestown Navy Yard for a multi-year planned restoration period.

For more news and information on USS Constitution, visit: www.navy.mil/local/constitution or www.facebook.com/ussconstitutionofficial