Airman joins rare company in earning coveted Navy chief rating

A United States airman at Joint Base San Antonio joined rare company recently when he was adorned with the khaki cover and fouled anchors awarded to the Navy’s newest chief petty officers.

Air Force Master Sgt. Atif Siddiqui officially entered the chief’s mess upon completion of a six-week program that puts CPO hopefuls through all manner of mental and physical trials.

Siddiqui, a member of the 326th Training Squadron, 37th Training Wing, was nominated to participate in the course by a fellow airman who had similarly earned the unique achievement, according to a service release.

Nomination by a fellow chief petty officer is one of numerous approvals needed prior to beginning the program, according to the Navy.

Due to the significant time investment, noncommissioned officers like Siddiqui must also get permission from their parent chain of command prior to embarking in the course, according to service guidelines. A sign-off by the corresponding fleet or force master chief must also be attained.

For Siddiqui, who helps mold the Air Force’s military training instructors, the Navy’s demanding rite of passage proved to be one anchored by unity and lessons “that learning and accountability never stop,” he said in the release.

“The camaraderie was rooted in accountability and trust,” Siddiqui said. “[The chiefs] leaned on each other, held each other accountable and built each other up. That example showed me how senior NCOs should always strive to support one another.”

Late nights and daily rigors also yielded no dearth of humbling moments, he added.

“It reminded me to practice the same resilience I teach my trainees and to focus on listening to the message, not just the tone,” he said.

While the tradition of the Navy’s chief’s mess goes back centuries, induction into the coveted Goat Locker from other services is a more modern concept.

Former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West noted that a surge of cross-service participation in chief season occurred during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Requests from other service [staff NCOs] began to increase dramatically during the Gulf War when Navy individual augmentees began serving with Army [and] Marine Corps units in Iraq and Afghanistan,” West previously commented in a USNI blog. “Soldiers and Marines suddenly had a front-row seat to observe firsthand the effectiveness of the Navy’s CPO mess. Many wanted to better understand the CPO brand of leadership by participating in initiation.”

As personnel from other services did then, Siddiqui came away from the opportunity noting that “leadership isn’t tied to one uniform.”

“We are one team, one fight,” he said.

“I plan to remain part of the chief’s mess for the rest of my career, if they’ll allow me,” he added. “It’s a sacred process that I’ll carry with me, and I hope to give back as much as I received.”