Senior NCOs attend Navy heritage week

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Two Air Force master sergeants assigned to the 66th Air Base Group recently got a crash course in Navy culture by joining 148 chief petty officer-selects onboard the U.S.S. Constitution for five days of Navy heritage.

Master sergeants Brian Brantley and John Fisher attended Chief Petty Officer Heritage Week Aug. 19 through 23 that studies the Navy's history while aboard the world's oldest commissioned warship.

"It's the Navy's version of professional military education, very similar to the Air Force NCO Academy for technical sergeants," said Brantley, a 66th Medical Squadron Diagnostic and Therapeutic flight chief. "The CPO course is six weeks long, but they spend one week at the U.S.S. Constitution focusing on Navy heritage."

The Air Force master sergeant's involvement was the result of chief master sergeants from Hanscom visiting Navy senior enlisted personnel at the U.S.S. Constitution to coordinate joint professional military education opportunities. The Navy offered the Air Force two slots to "Heritage Week," a military education program that grooms chief petty officers, or E-7 selects.

"An opportunity to have these two senior NCOs attend this training is incredibly valuable since Heritage Week is exclusive for Navy chief petty officers," said Chief Master Sgt. Mitchell K. Balutski, Hanscom Air Force Base senior enlisted advisor. "Having them attend this program is unprecedented."

The two attendees spent the week learning time-honored maritime traditions such as 18th century boarding drills, War of 1812-era gun drills using a 24-pound naval long gun, as well as line and sail handling.

The Airmen were split up alongside Sailors to form gun teams; in total about 13 teams with 11 or 12 sailors per team.

"We had the opportunity to live and sleep on the U.S.S. Constitution for five days and learn a lot about Navy customs and courtesies," said Master Sgt. John Fisher, 66th Air Base Group Executive Services superintendent. "There are not many Airmen who have had that opportunity."

In addition to learning about the history of the Navy, Brantley and Fisher spent time with Sailors volunteering in the community, completing a three-mile formation run and spending their nights in mentoring sessions with senior chief petty officers.

"A tradition in the Navy when Sailors are selected for chief petty officer is to create a charge book," said Fisher. "In this book, you ask those that have influenced you to provide words of wisdom to reflect back when facing difficult decisions."

Brantley likened the charge book to a re-focusing tool for chief petty officers.

"The charge book is something senior NCOs can go back to and determine if they are staying true to the chief's creed, the sailor's creed and remaining true to their sailors and their fellow chief petty officers."

Balutski thinks the opportunity to participate in this Navy tradition was priceless.

"There is great opportunity for future Airmen to show their Navy counterparts how we do things in the United States Air Force," he said. "For those Airmen who are proud of their Air Force, this brings a greater responsibility to be that representative in ABUs (Airman Battle Uniform) who will be that Air Force impression to hundreds of Navy senior enlisted members."

Another component to Heritage Week was getting involved in the local community by volunteering at the New England Center for Homeless Veterans and the Soldier's Home in Chelsea, Mass.

"We spent time volunteering at a homeless veteran's organization," said Fisher. "I think any time you have that opportunity it's humbling."

Other traditions of Heritage Week include Sailors singing Anchors Aweigh and reciting the Navy Creed, something the two Airmen were unfamiliar with. The group did this at Paul Revere's home, Faneuil Hall and through the streets of Boston.

"To hear that many voices in unison echoing off the narrow city streets in Boston was amazing," said Brantley. "The military pride felt by everyone involved throughout the week was in abundance."

"They really stepped up and addressed their fear of the unknown," said Balutski. "They had very little background regarding Navy procedures or heritage and had no one to give them any advice beforehand."

Another Navy custom the Airmen were unfamiliar with was crew members participating in "field day."

"You would think that a field day would be fun, but field day consisted of us cleaning the ship," Brantley joked. "We polished the brass and swabbed the deck on the Constitution."

During Heritage Week, the Airmen and Sailors also manned the cannons and fired two volleys while in Boston Harbor during a turn-around, as well as a 21-gun salute outside Fort Independence and a 17-gun salute outside the former naval shipyard that actually birthed Old Ironsides.

"When I was selected to attend Heritage Week, I wondered what I would get from the experience," said Brantley. "But what I learned, and this was written by many of my mentors in my charge book, was the impression I left on the sailors I came in contact with."

The senior NCOs, who have been invited back to serve as mentors next year, left feeling greater pride in their service but also in serving in the military.

"The experience absolutely confirms the pride I feel in wearing the uniform," said Fisher. "I think Sergeant Brantley and I changed their perception of the Air Force and met some lifelong friends."

Hanscom's senior enlisted advisor believes that the military team is stronger as a result of this experience for both services.

"This program is valuable in every regard as the future may bring more opportunities to partner together with our sister services in both peacetime and hostile engagements," said Balutski. "Knowing how to act and react alongside our Defense Department partners adds to the professionalism of the entire team."