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Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Mike Stevens gives a brief to Marines and Sailors with 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and the Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., March 22, 2016. The MCPON discuss current trending and important topics, including: rating changes, deployment opportunities and the importance of senior leaders effectively communicating with their subordinates. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. U. Roberts/Released)

Photo by Cpl. U. Roberts

MCPON visits 2nd MAW Sailors, Marines across MCAS Cherry Point

30 Mar 2016 | Cpl. U. Roberts 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing

Marines and Sailors with 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and the Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point gathered to hear the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, March 22, 2016.

The Marines and Sailors were informed of current and trending topics that are circulating the branch, including: rate changes, deployment opportunities and the importance of effective communication between senior leaders and their subordinates.

“I believe it is important to hear directly from your Sailors so that they can share with you what their challenges are and what things they are doing that are working well,” said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Mike D. Stevens.  “So when I am asked to render an opinion on something I can render the opinion not based solely on my own experience, but on the experiences of our people that are doing the heavy lifting for our Navy.”

During the brief, Sailors voiced their opinions and asked various questions regarding future changes to rates and deployments.

“For a corpsman, one of the things that are first and foremost on their mind is how we are going about this rating title review,” said Stevens. “I wanted to not just explain to them what we are doing specifically with the corpsman rating but [talk about] the approach we are taking – it goes to the way that we make decisions at large across the Navy.”

The board is evaluating the 91 ratings currently used in the Navy, including three that are held by Sailors at MCAS Cherry Point: hospital corpsman, personnel specialist and boatswain’s mate. For example, current naming conventions of these rates are being looked at to see how the U.S. Navy can make them transparent in comparison to the same job in the civilian sector.

While the meeting addressed some of the Sailors concerns, it was also conducted in an effort to maintain and improve operational readiness.

“In order for someone to be most effective in executing a mission they have to understand the why,” said Stevens.  “Helping our Sailors understand why we are doing what we are doing allows them to be more mentally focused and understand the reason behind the things we are asking them to do.”

During the meeting the Marines and Sailors listened attentively and felt the brief was informative and worth attending.

“The brief was very informative,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandyn Jackson, an aviation electrician mate 3rd class with the Center of Naval Aviation Technical Training. “I thought it was great that the MCPON felt it was very important to make his way down the East Coast to personally speak to his sailors.”

From the brief, Jackson took that communication is essential in every job. He believes that communication is essential for organizational success.

“The junior Sailors and Marines are the bulk of the work force, and every senior Sailor and Marine has been in their shoes, in order to meet operational requirements we must have an efficient streamline of communication,” said Jackson. “When you show a subordinate you are relatable, it makes them work that much harder for you.”

Of the many topics that were discussed during the brief, Jackson believes the most important subject was exhibiting determination, dependability and decisiveness in all actions.

“The most important thing that I took away from the brief is the MCPON three keys to success: work hard, stay out of trouble and be a good person,” said Jackson.


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