Calling all Chief selectee wives!!! Chief's wives too, of course!!!

[paysensmom]

Hey everyone,
I would like to say hi to all of you and say we are almost there!! I know we have all been going through a difficult time right now. My husband missed our first vacation ever and it was to Disney So, I went alone with my 3 and 5 year old. It was not bad. We had a great time, we just missed daddy
I look forward to meeting some of you going through the same thing I am. It gets tough on some days as you well know!!
Heather

 

[Clancycat]

Heather, Congrats to your dh! That's too bad that he had to miss the Disney trip.

My dh went Chief's initiation 4 yrs ago. He was a reservist at the time (since retired), so he was doing his day job and then would have to travel 1.5 hrs at night & on weekends to do the initation "stuff". It was a rough time but so worth it. It was the height of my dh's Navy career and we were all so proud of him.

We still joke about the time I was so pissed when he had to leave at a really important time and as he walked to the car I asked him "Want to know how to spell divorce? C-H-I-E-F!!!".

Congrats to anyone whose dh is is a Chief selectee. Hang in there, it will be over soon!

 

[paysensmom]

hey!
I could not stop laughing at how you spell divorce!!! Too funny! My husband was telling me how the other selectees wives were all so mad at them! He leaves the house for PT in the morning at 5:00 and does not get home until after 8 PM!! I can see why they are so upset. I get that way at times. Mostly because we only have ONE vehicle and I am stuck home and cannot even get to the market! Other than that part, I am not upset with the situation!!

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Amen! My DH is reserves as well and has being doing all his work on the nights and weekends as well as his day job, sometimes not until 11pm. We've had dinner together twice since the beginning of July! I think this is harder on me than when he was recalled and away from home. Now he's home but completely unavailable. It looks like the Navy has exploded in my house with all the new uniforms and everything.

I can't wait until the pinning on Friday! BTW, does anyone else have a khaki ball to go to on Saturday? What is the appropriate dress attire?

 

[LIFERBABE]

My Best Friend is a selectee also

I am so proud of her, but I do miss her, Im sure her family misses her more!. I am going to her ceremony on Sep 22nd and then we are all taking a couples trip to Vegas for Columbus Day Weekend!!

So not a wife, but I do empathize with you!! We talked almost everyday, now it's like once every 2 weeks, just to check in.

 

[kctwinmommy]

Congrats to all of your Chiefs! My brother retired last year as a Chief. It was absolutely amazing the ceremony they did for him. I mean, here's a guy who went in at 17 simply cuz he had nothing else going on at the time. He hated school, barely got through it, and my parents said either military, some trade school, or get a job and pay rent. When he went in, he was gonna do 4 and out. Well.... 20 years later, he retired as a Chief!!! He came to love the job, I think as much as he could, and found things that he was good at. Now he's retired, living with his wife, on a horse farm in N.C. She trains horses for shows, drawing a blank on the name!

Anyway, good luck to those just getting there, and those already there. I'm sure it's tough! My DH, who's in the Reserves, just made Master Sgt. this spring which is the equivilant in the Air Force! It just doesn't sound as cool! LOL!

 

[jckdisneybound]

Congratulations you guys it so well deserved and yes it's a whole lot of work. DH and I have been together 13 years and he made Chief at yr 5, his 12 year mark. He just retired in June after doing his 20 years and 14 days :lol, and retired as a Master Chief. I can't tell how amazing it is the pin on those anchors. I was lucky, he was deployed on a 6 monther when he was selected, I was able to fly over to Italy to pin on his anchors it was AWESOME and I didn't have to deal with the initiation stuff . I know it's hard now, but he is choosing to go through with it, that choice is what is making him a chief vice just and E7. It's an important albeit annoying time right now, but when you see him in the dress whites or blues for the first time *rowr* it will be so worth it. Oh and when the first pay check comes also. Of course my DH was ALWAYS the last increment so he had to wait a year the first two times (E7 & E8 and 15 months for E9).

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Sorry for the threadjack, PM me if necessary..

Can anyone tell my anything about the ceremony? I will be pinning his anchors on, but there is no rehearsal or anything and I have no idea what to expect. I'm really nervous!

 

[kctwinmommy]

Sorry for the threadjack, PM me if necessary..

Can anyone tell my anything about the ceremony? I will be pinning his anchors on, but there is no rehearsal or anything and I have no idea what to expect. I'm really nervous!

I don't think it was all that bad... my mom and dad did it for my brother. He made it before he got married. And they were extremely honored and proud to get to do it. I wasn't there, but they said it was amazing. And they put out a spread for these guys!! I think there were maybe 8-10 guys, pretty small group.

I missed that, but like I said, I was there for his retirement, and the fuss over 1 guys retirement, wow! There had to have been like 30 people there for the ceremony. It wasn't so much the amount of "friends" he had, he's a low key kinda guy, more of a grunt, so he really wasn't into all the ceremonial stuff. But, all the things they do, it was amazing. It was, now that I think about it, 1 of the 3 times I've seen my mother cry, when he handed her an American Flag. They do this whole ceremony, with like 6-7 guys, reading this entire history about the battles that the American flag has "seen." And then they include his duty stations as well. At the end, he handed the flag to my mom, and she was crying. Of course, like we all said, it's better to get it FROM him, instead of from his coffin like so many moms do!

Sorry to ramble OT... I wish you luck with the pinning, and I wouldn't stress too much, I'm sure they'll walk you through it.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

I went to a retirement ceremony two weeks ago, it was beautiful! I cried through most of it and I barely new the man. I'm afraid I will be crying throughout the pinning as well.

 

[jckdisneybound]

Sorry for the threadjack, PM me if necessary..

Can anyone tell my anything about the ceremony? I will be pinning his anchors on, but there is no rehearsal or anything and I have no idea what to expect. I'm really nervous!

No need to be nervous, you'll be sitting most the time, while they will up front standing w/ their sponsors. Basically once it's time to pin them, they will call you up, everyone pins on the anchors (some people have two people do it, one for each side). Take a picture and your done. Sit back down for the remainder of the ceremony. After you will go through the line shake everyones hands congratulate them and meet up w/ your sailor after. It's a very nice ceremony, lost of history. But your part albeit is a big thing (the actual anchors) it's a small part of the ceremony. HTH

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

No need to be nervous, you'll be sitting most the time, while they will up front standing w/ their sponsors. Basically once it's time to pin them, they will call you up, everyone pins on the anchors (some people have two people do it, one for each side). Take a picture and your done. Sit back down for the remainder of the ceremony. After you will go through the line shake everyones hands congratulate them and meet up w/ your sailor after. It's a very nice ceremony, lost of history. But your part albeit is a big thing (the actual anchors) it's a small part of the ceremony. HTH

Thank you! I am uncomfortable with public speaking and getting in front of a crowd, so this makes me feel better. Did I read it right, does everyone who is doing the pinning come up at the same time to pin or is everyone called up individually to pin (ie. all eyes are on me!)

I can do this, I keep telling myself. I can't embarrass my sailor by fainting on this important day!

 

[jckdisneybound]

Every pinning that I've ever been to has had the selectees stand in a line facing forward, the people who are pinning them stand in front to pin them. It's not a one on one thing, it would take FOREVER! I've been to 4 of them. 1 Sub community, 1 Shipyard and 2 prototype.

 

[paysensmom]

Good to know I am not the only one just sleeping with my sailor at night!! HA! He leaves before we wake up and gets home and goes straight to bed!! There have been a few nights he stayed up, but it was because he was researching some stuff! They finished their hat boxes today and they look great! I had to pick up some last minute supplies for the guys on Friday.
I am also a little nervous about what to wear. I am going to wear a knee lenght dress, nothing real fancy, but not too casual either.
Our 5 year old son is going to pin on one side and I will help our 3 year old daughter do the other. I am going to video tape the whole thing and get someone to video and take pictures while we pin him!
I cant wait, it is going to be so great!
Our khaki ball is saturday night as well. I am going to wear a cocktail dress to that. It is not as formal as the Navy ball, so I wouldnt wear a floor length, but a nice cocktail dress is perfect. I think!!!

 

[jckdisneybound]

but a nice cocktail dress is perfect. I think!!!

That would be perfect.

I had 1 day to get all his supplies PLUS his Khaki's and the name tapes when he was selected. The augment team was meeting the boat in the med, and leaving the next day. Needless to say I paid out the you know what (definitely not a budget thing, as his name tapes for his poopie suites were $5 a peice) and was freaking out!!!!

 

[Sleepy]

I was not able to pin the anchors on my husband. He was pinned on the ship while it was in the NY Harbor 2 days after 9/11. Personally I thought it was the tackiest and most disrespectful thing to hold initiation rites while the rest of America grieved. I just don't look at the whole Chief selectee process the same way the rest of the Navy does. Forgive me for thinking there were more important things to do that day on the USS George Washington other than shoving limburger cheese down someones pants. Not much HONOR with that group of Chiefs.

Anyway, enjoy the ceremony. It is always better after the process is done and things go back to normal. When it comes to the clothing list.......ask many Chiefs what they think is necessary to purchase. We were just told to buy EVERYTHING on the list but the dinner dress. We have many things my husband NEVER wore. We surely could have used the money.

 

[slruud]

Forgive an army guys ignorance, but what rank, E-rating is Chief Petty Officer? I recall the CPO Club at White Sands Missle Range, some 30+ years ago was also known as the 7-8-9 Club, so maybe I've answered my own question.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Thank you everyone! I feel better about this weekend, sounds like they won't be pinning individually. Which is great, I was thinking that would take forever.

I had planned to wear a cocktail dress to the khaki ball and I'm glad to hear that will be fine.

Good luck everyone and congratulations!

slruud- In the Navy, E-7 is Chief Petty Officer, E-8 is Senior Chief Petty Officer and E-9 is Master Chief Petty Officer. You had it right!

 

[casndan]

I think you confused a lot of people, I think a lot of Army wives were talking about Cheif, which is a Warrant Officer in the Army...It would be so much easier if rank was the same across the services! Congratulations! I'm sure you'll do great!

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Sorry about that, I edited to say In the Navy, those are the Chief ranks..