"Now, hear this! Now, hear this! Reveille! Reveille! All hands heave out and trice up! Happy birthday, Chief Petty Officers! For 122 years, you have led, mentored, and trained our Sailors! Navy chief, Navy pride! Hooyah!" bellowed Chief Boatswain's Mate Edmundo Brantes over the 1MC as the night crew retired to their racks and the day crew rose to begin their day.

Brantes, of Miami, ushered in the day as approximately 350 chief petty officers assigned to Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) (TR) and Carrier Air Wing 1 celebrated the 122nd anniversary of the creation of the chief petty officer rank (CPO), April 1, while out to sea.

Theodore Roosevelt Command Master Chief Bill Smalts kicked off the first celebratory event in the hangar bay as TR's chiefs fell into ranks.

"Ahoy! Navy Chief! Navy Pride," Smalts said. "Happy 122nd birthday! I want to take this opportunity to reminisce a little bit. In 1999, the year I made chief, I was just about right here on the Roosevelt. It's full circle that after 20 years, my last tour at sea is here. I couldn't be more proud to be here and to be a chief petty officer."

The United States Navy's chief petty officer rank is symbolic of the transition from lower-level leadership to a respected khaki-clad leader always in authority of their respective field.

Sailor of the Quarter, Culinary Specialist 1st Class Anthony Scott, of Columbia, South Carolina, said he was exhilarated to celebrate the 122 years of legacy set forth by the Chiefs Mess.

"The CPO rank is so significant to the Navy's heritage because the CPOs are the subject-matter experts and driving force behind our Navy and its regulations," said Scott.

The celebration highlighted the history and heritage of the coveted rank.

Before April 1, 1893, chief was a title assigned by a commanding officer to the most senior first class petty officer in each rate. President Benjamin Harrison established the rank of chief petty officer Feb. 23, 1893 through General Order 409, which came into effect April 1, 1893.

General Order 409 also designated the chief insignia as a gold-fouled anchor surmounted by a silver U.S.N. The "U" stands for unity, a reminder to cooperate, maintain harmony and continuity of purpose and action. The "S" stands for service to one another and the Navy. The "N" stands for navigation, as a reminder to be true to ones' self, as well as each other.

Initially, only nine rates had the rank of chief petty officer: master-at-arms, boatswain's mate, quartermaster, gunner's mate, machinist's mate, carpenter's mate, yeoman, apothecary, and bandmaster. The rank has since expanded to encompass all Navy rates.

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Mike Stevens described the rank of chief petty officer as one that, "demands flexibility, innovation and composure under stress. Above all, it requires accountability to every level of the chain of command."

"Our job, once the order is given and the expectation is set, is to put the right face on, go out there and execute the orders and make sure our Sailors are taken care of," said Smalts.

The day a first class petty officer dons the uniform of an E-7 and is accepted into the chief petty officer community is said to be one of the proudest days of an enlisted Sailor's naval career.

"If given the opportunity to become a CPO, I would hope to impact each and every Sailor that I come in contact with in a positive way; whether personally or professionally," said Scott.

Smalts added that any Sailor is capable of having the leadership qualities of a chief.

"Deckplate leaders can be anybody on the deckplate who is out there taking charge and leading things," said Smalts. "I think the necessity of chiefs on the deckplate is to teach the first and second classes how to take charge, and [demonstrate] different leadership techniques.

"I hope that younger Sailors that are working [their] way up the food chain don't look to their chiefs wanting to be just like they are today," urged Smalts. "I challenge you to be better than every chief you see today; to do it better than I'm doing it and every other chief is doing it, and we promise you, we will keep doing the best that we can."

Theodore Roosevelt, currently operating in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, deployed from Norfolk and will execute a homeport shift to San Diego at the conclusion of deployment.

For more news from USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), visit www.navy.mil/.