They perform a variety of jobs at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, and they come from a diverse range of backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common: “They have all demonstrated they have the potential to be Naval leaders,” according to Senior Chief Petty Officer Eric Schmidt.

Close to 100 chief petty officer selectees are currently undergoing the initiation process on the base, preparing for the biggest step in their enlisted careers.

“The responsibilities and expectations of CPOs are much greater than 1st class or E-6,” Schmidt said.

CPO selectees have to take a test and undergo an intense review by a board of master chiefs and officers before being chosen. The initiation process used to be a two and half month ordeal, now it’s pared down to six weeks.

“During the initiation season they go from a caterpillar to a butterfly,” Schmidt said. “Personally, it opened my eyes and made me see what I was capable of.”

Schmidt was mum about what the initiation actually entails, referring instead to the written “Chief Petty Officers Creed.”

The creed opens with, “During the course of this day you have been caused to humbly accept challenge and face adversity. . . Pointless as some of these challenges may have seemed, there were valid, time-honored reasons behind each pointed barb. . . . The goal was to instill in you that trust is inherent with the donning of the uniform of a chief.”

Schmidt said there is no job description that goes along with the rate of chief, but they are the people who identify what needs to be done and get it done.

“Everyone always asks the chief,” he said. “Chiefs have been running the Navy for a lot of years.”

The part of initiation that Schmidt was proud to talk about is their community service, such as local car washes and breakfasts for seniors.They have also worked on little league fields, and on Sept. 11 they held a flag retirement ceremony at the CPO club.

Schmidt said a typical initiation day starts with two hours of physical training, after which the selectees go to their regular jobs. They meet again to coordinate initiation activities, then undergo leadership training.

One test was to arrange and cater a CPO family picnic for 800 people. Schmidt said it taught them how to perform under pressure and with a deadline.

The selectees officially become chief petty officers at a pinning ceremony Sept. 16, in which they don their new khaki uniforms, and receive the “fouled anchor” pin, a symbol of their transition to giving orders instead of taking them. They will get to show off their new monotone colors at the Khaki Ball Sept. 20, held appropriately in the Chief Petty Officers Club on base.