The enlisted service members of the Sea Service who wear the khaki like officers are a special breed. This day marks the 114th year of that this position has been in place as “the backbone of the Fleet.” From Navy News:

MCPON Reflects on 114 Years of Deckplate Leadership
Story Number: NNS070330-29
Release Date: 3/30/2007 1:34:00 PM
Top News Story – Editors should consider using these stories first in local publications.

Special from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SW/FMF) Joe R. Campa Jr.

WASHINGTON (NNS) — Following is a statement from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SW/FMF) Joe R. Campa Jr., commemorating the establishment of the rank of Chief Petty Officer (CPO) in 1893:

On April 1, all chief petty officers, active and retired, will celebrate 114 years of deckplate leadership. It’s important that on occasions like this we acknowledge the significant contributions of the generations of chiefs who made our mess what it is today.

Every chief in the Navy should pause a moment to reflect on the strong legacy of leadership that our mess is founded on. This is a time to reaffirm our commitment to our Navy, our Sailors and each other.

Our Mission, Vision and Guiding Principles were forged in a tradition of CPO leadership, a brand of leadership that is unique only to those of us who walk the deckplates as chiefs. Those principles are the time-honored values that have been the characteristics of chiefs since our inception in 1893.

They sustained our chiefs when they raised us, and they still serve as our heritage to this day. It is critical that we maintain that heritage as our conscience and the soul of our service.

Thank you chiefs. Through your leadership of our Sailors, you’re keeping that heritage alive. But we must continue to press forward. Look at your Sailors today and you’ll know how you stand as a chief and the impact you have on your command. It is through this lens that we can only truly see how successful we are as a Mess.

My first assigned Chief Petty Officer was OSC Michael P. McCaffery, USN, and I met him on April 4th, 1977.