{"id":15367,"date":"2023-06-15T14:40:54","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T14:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=15367"},"modified":"2023-06-16T06:48:51","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T06:48:51","slug":"navy-sailor-becomes-first-female-master-chief-petty-officer-in-gunners-mate-rating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=15367","title":{"rendered":"Navy Sailor Becomes First Female Master Chief Petty Officer in Gunner’s Mate Rating"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gunner\u2019s Mate is one of the five original ratings established in The Naval Armament Act of 1794 along with Boatswain\u2019s Mate, Quartermaster, Master-at-Arms, and Yeoman.<\/p>\n

During a brief speech, Harrison reflected on her achievement, answering a question that she commonly receives \u2013 \u201cHow did you do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing I always say is: not by myself,\u201d Harrison said. \u201cIt’s my sailors, my mentors, my friends… It\u2019s through the connections that we have with our shipmates.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Harrison\u2019s advancement was a historical achievement for the Gunner\u2019s Mate community, her milestone also signified a triumph for all enlisted Sailors as a sign of the progress that women have made in the military.<\/p>\n

Chief of Navy Reserve, Vice Adm. John Mustin presided at the event to recognize Harrison\u2019s accomplishments and administer the oath of enlistment in front of her family and friends, as well as visitors of the memorial.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a pretty significant accomplishment as an individual milestone, but also for the service; probably long overdue, but I couldn’t be more psyched to be here to share this moment with you,\u201d Mustin said during the ceremony. \u201cI am thrilled that every one of you has an opportunity to reflect on this moment because we’re going to be able to look back on this and say that we were there the moment it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

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By achieving the rank of E-9, Harrison joined a small fraction of leadership charged with bridging the gap between officers and enlisted personnel, while acting as supervisors and advocates for their Sailors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In keeping with ceremonial customs, Harrison also handed down her Senior Chief insignia to a Sailor who she believes is ready to take on greater responsibility at the next rank. Chief Gunner\u2019s Mate Kali Larraga accepted them with an embrace.<\/p>\n

As part of her speech, Harrison recognized Larraga\u2019s growth as a Sailor and leader. Elaborating more during an interview, Harrison described how Larraga\u2019s words helped her realize the weight of her achievement.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said, \u2018we’re looking for someone to show us it can be done\u2019… that was a big eye-opener for me,\u201d Harrison said. \u201cLooking up and seeing somebody who looks like you is a powerful thing. She made me see that, and she probably doesn\u2019t understand the enormity of it, but one day she will.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although Harrison\u2019s promotion marks a first for the service, unrestricted opportunities for women in the Navy were not always present.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Only since 1994 has the service allowed women to lawfully work in combat roles, despite the critical positions that women have held in the Navy since 1908 when the Navy Nurse Corps was first established by Congress.<\/p>\n

Over the years, the Navy has made strides toward the inclusion of women and throughout her time in service, Harrison has witnessed first-hand the cultural shift regarding women in the military.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when I walked in [to my first command], I was asked if I was the new admin,\u201d Harrison said. \u201cBut I don’t hear those questions anymore. I see it becoming more commonplace to have females work in weapons fields. And I think the only way that we continue to drive that as a Navy is to remove the barriers and remove the division.\u201d<\/p>\n

Committed to further removing barriers for Sailors, Harrison now works at the Chief of Naval Personnel headquarters, in Arlington, Virginia. In the Navy\u2019s Culture and Force Resilience Office, leading enlisted Sailors and advising a team of officers in matters that include diversity, equity, and inclusion policy updates and holistic support services for the fleet.<\/p>\n

Previously, Harrison delivered educational training to the fleet on the Navy\u2019s Warrior Toughness program, which emphasizes developing the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of Sailors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harrison has served in the Navy Reserve for 17 years, 14 of those years on active duty orders. During that time, she deployed to Iraq and Kuwait, completed a Bachelor\u2019s degree, a Master\u2019s degree and a Ph.D. in Education, while also raising her young sons, Logan and Trey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always wanted to show my children that it could be done, and I was the first of my siblings to even graduate,\u201d Harrison said.<\/p>\n

Harrison\u2019s accomplishments have demonstrated her drive, determination and commitment to the Navy and to her family. Her story should serve as inspiration to not only past and present Sailors, but also to anyone who hopes to someday serve in the armed forces.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne day, we’re going to not be a Navy of firsts,\u201d Harrison said. \u201cI look forward to that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harrison\u2019s accomplishment was mirrored by Gunner\u2019s Mate Senior Chief Jessica Saunders, who screened for Master Chief Petty Office by the Fiscal Year 2024 Active-Duty Navy E9 Screening Board in May.<\/p>\n

For more news from the Chief of Naval Personnel, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and YouTube<\/a>, or visit https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/cnp<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gunner\u2019s Mate is one of the five original ratings established in The Naval Armament Act of 1794 along with Boatswain\u2019s Mate, Quartermaster, Master-at-Arms, and Yeoman. During a brief speech, Harrison reflected on her achievement, answering a question that she commonly receives \u2013 \u201cHow did you do it?\u201d \u201cThe thing I always say is: not by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":15369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15367"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15367\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15370,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15367\/revisions\/15370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}