Becoming a Chief Petty Officer is a defining moment in any Sailor's career and life. It symbolizes years of work and a track record of success. Simply put it defines the rest of the sailor's career in the United States Navy as a Chief.
Selection forces the new selectee to take on new roles and responsibilities as well as learn from the seasoned Chiefs around them. They're looked to as senior leaders of their sailors; they are expected to get things done and answer questions.
Unlike other branches of the Armed Services, promotion to E-7 defines sailors new role not only in paygrade but authority and status aboard US Navy ships. Large ships in the US Navy will have separate berthing (living) and mess (eating) areas for Chiefs.
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West - Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) is the highest position in the United States Navy an enlisted sailor can achieve. The MCPON is the only Master Chief Petty Officer that wears three silver stars due to his position as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. They are the senior enlisted advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations as well as the Chief of Naval Personnel.
There are three pay grades within the Chief community.
E-7 Chief
E-8 Senior Chief - Identified with one silver star star
E-9 Master Chief - Identified with two silver stars
The fouled anchor represents the trials and tribulations a Chief must endure every day. At times a chief may make unpopular decisions, they may have to go against the grain for the good of their sailors and remain open to input from their sailors. Simply they are the anchor.
To the novice, the fouled anchor of the Chief Petty Officer with the letters USN may stand for the United States Navy, but the Navy is rarely what it seems in its symbolism and traditions.
U - Unity -Unity of the mess for Cooperation, maintaining harmony and continuity of purpose and action specifically to the sailors, the ship, and the Navy.
S - Service - Service to God and Country
N - Navigation - The ability to navigate problems and provide sailors with guidance. Chiefs may not know the answer to every question but they almost certainly will know how to find the solution.
MCPON Black reads CPO Creed - Recording Uploaded by HRNavalMuseum