In the last two days alone there have been 7 CPO Selectee's in and out of my house working on various things. Three were here until 10:30 last night and all 7 were here at 9 o'clock this morning. Their work is very secretive and they have a lot of projects to complete in a very small window, but I can say they seem to have become like a little family, even in the first week. They work very well together and after talking to my husband's sponsor and his wife, that is something that doesn't happen very often. One thing you have to understand is that our base is small. Think...Mayberry but with fewer people. Only 9 Sailors were selected for Chief here this year, so with such a small group going through, they need to have a good relationship.
Yesterday was a meet-and-greet picnic at the Chief's Mess. It was a bit....overwhelming to say the least. I was kind of thinking it would be a small affair, the Selectee's/Sponsors and their families. Instead it seemed that every Chief on the base came out to celebrate and be little social butterflies. At the end of the picnic the new wives (all 4 of us, watch out now!) all sat down for a CPO Spouses Symposium which was very informative. The older wives were extremely helpful and offered their words of encouragement and advice. The Command Master Chief's (or CMC for short) wife was just awesome to all of us, they went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed within the Mess. Even CMC himself was very warm and welcoming. I'll admit that when I first met my husband, I was terrified of the Chief's. Terrified. Chief's and Officer's. They just seemed like big balls of meanness. Even going to the picnic yesterday, I was on pins and needles thinking the Chief's might act better than the Selectee's, or that their wives would do that to us new gals, but thankfully I was wrong to worry. At the end of the symposium, CMC said that we are now a part of the family, and I walked away from it FEELING like I had gained a new family. How cliche right? Doesn't make it any less true.
I knew being a Chief was a big deal, but talking to these guys yesterday really opened my eyes at just how big of a deal it is. These guys eat, sleep, train, and work together. In kind of reminds me of shows/movies about fire fighters. How they have their firehouse and they all sit around shooting the bull, just a close-knit group of guys. Exchange 'firehouse' for 'Chief's Mess' and you've hit the nail right on the head. It's a special feeling and it makes me even more proud of Kendall and the other guys.
It's a stressful time and I'm doing my best to be supportive because I think it's what they need right now. I'm doing my best to make sure they're eating, maybe it's the Southern in me, or maybe it's because I know they are so busy they LITERALLY forget that they haven't eaten since 0600. Even if that's all I can do, I'll do it if it'll help these guys get through their Season. I feel like a den mother to a bunch of rambunctious little boys, but I enjoy it. I blame my mother. She's a social butterfly herself and I guess it rubbed off on me. My house stays a bit dirtier than usual these days. There are uniforms, sharpies, folders and laptops scattered all over my dining room table, my kitchen has some extra dishes in the sink and there are 7 cars parked in my yard. It's stressful, yes, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
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