A Welcome to the Chiefs’ Mess

HORNELL, N.Y. (Sept. 16, 2026) - Chief petty officers, assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group Pittsburgh, gathered to welcome the newest chief petty officers to the command in a pinning ceremony, Hornell, New York, September 16, 2026.
The chief pinning ceremony is an annual tradition that is the culmination of a six-week initiation program in which a petty officer first class transitions to a chief petty officer. During this training, they are subject to rigorous physical training and real-life leadership scenarios.
To become a chief petty officer, advancement is no longer based just on test scores and evaluations. When eligible first class petty officers take their advancement exam, they take the exam to reach a high enough score to be eligible for a board. Their record is then anonymously reviewed and ranked by a committee made up of master chief petty officers and officers. Only the highest-ranked candidates are selected to fill the available chief petty officer vacancies.
This year at NTAG Pittsburgh, five first class petty officers were selected to promote to chief petty officer. Though selected in the same year, Chief Electronics Technician Patrick Johnson, Chief Navy Counselor Zachary DeSantis, Chief Navy Counselor Robert Rode, Chief Navy Counselor Aaron Zimmer, and Chief Navy Counselor Chantell Wilson’s careers were all different.
Rode was selected to become a chief petty officer 24 years after taking the oath of enlistment, and 17 years of active service. Over his career, he served tours aboard the Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship USS Guadalcanal (LPH 7), Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 2, Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 11, Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 4, Navy Recruiting District Raleigh, Navy Talent Acquisition Group Rocky Mountain, Navy Talent Acquisition Group Carolina, and now Navy Talent Acquisition Group Pittsburgh.
Rode says he could not have gotten to where he is today without the support from his shipmates.
“It brings feelings of humility, honor, service over self, and the feeling of being connected to the heritage of past and present chiefs who came before me and built the foundation of leadership that the Mess stands on,” Rode said.
The goal of Chief Petty Officer Initiation is to instill the guiding principles of competency, character, and connections into minds of each selectee. Success isn’t defined by individual accomplishments, but on their ability to lead Sailors, uphold standards, strengthen their command's climate, and contribute immediately to warfighting readiness.
This mindset isn’t instilled in a Sailor within a set number of years, but by each person’s individual experiences and accomplishments.
During his nine-year career, DeSantis served aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), Navy Talent Acquisition Group Jacksonville, and now NTAG Pittsburgh. During a deployment while stationed aboard Gonzalez, he experienced a challenging time in which his child spent time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and his best friend passed away within a short time. It was his shipmates and his chief that helped him get through it, he says. As a chief petty officer, he says he intends to be steadfast in his support for the Sailors in his care.
“It still feels very surreal to be a Chief,” said DeSantis. “My plan is to move with intensity when it comes to taking care of my people and this gives me even more incentive every day to be a positive example for my Sailors.”
Like DeSantis, Johnson credits his Navy experience with shaping the leader he has become, but his perspective comes after two decades in uniform.
After 20 years, Johnson plans to continue his career past this twentieth year, despite being eligible for retirement. He has spent tours on the Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA-4), Assault Craft Unit 4, Naval Beach Unit 7, Naval Submarine Support Facility New London, Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Mobile (LCS-26), Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Kingsville (LCS-36), and now NTAG Pittsburgh. While an individual augmentee, he spent time assigned to The Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan in 2007 and Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa in 2009.
“As a Chief, I am still the same man,” said Johnson. “I will still lead the same and dedicate myself to the success of the Sailors I am charged with. Now, I get to ensure that they are properly taken care of as the technicians, administrators, and engineers that they are in uniform, and the men and women and families that they are when they’re out of uniform.”
Many new chiefs’ experiences are varied. Wilson, who currently serves out of Reserve Talent Acquisition Group Northeast, has spent 16 years in active duty, four years in the reserves and currently acts as the prior-service recruiter in NTAG Pittsburgh’s area of operation.
During that time, she has served aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Navy Operational Support Center Fort Dix, Navy Recruiting District Philadelphia, Navy Reserve Recruiting Command, Washington, D.C., and now Reserve Talent Acquisition Group Northeast.
She says that one of her greatest challenges that she experienced during her career was staying motivated after being passed over for chief multiple times as a first class petty officer. Despite her record of leadership, and mission accomplishment, consistently delivering results, earning the trust of her Sailors, and taking on responsibilities beyond her pay grade, she felt overlooked, she says.
“Rather than allowing those setbacks to discourage me, I used them as motivation to work harder and grow as a leader,” said Wilson. “It also gave me the perspective to mentor and encourage others who may face similar professional challenges in their careers.”
With the perspective each have gained through their experiences, and the molding by NTAG Pittsburgh’s Chiefs’ Mess, they will utilize their past experiences and newfound connections to mentor the Sailors they are charged with leading, so they can carry on the values instilled in them by those who have gone before them.
NTAG Pittsburgh, part of Navy Recruiting Command, recruits the next generation of Navy Sailors throughout areas of Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, and Maryland.

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