 The end of an 18-year journey is finally here. There have been some days where I was absolutely ready to sign out and be done with the military. Then there are other days that would inspire me to stay. Now reaching this milestone, I'm glad that I stuck it out and I couldn't ask for a better job. My childhood was, you know, the typical urban, you know, single mom childhood. There weren't many hopes for my outcome and when my mother married my stepfather, he absolutely fulfilled every role that I think a young boy should have. My dad was a seabee in the Navy. He was the guy that kept me out of trouble, showed me the right path and he's absolutely the reason that I joined the Navy. There have been chiefs my whole career that have led me up to this point. My wife's grandfather is actually a Pearl Harbor survivor. He had joined the Navy shortly before the onset of World War II and was advanced to chief in four years. And I think he is honestly my biggest sense of pride with making chief. To the chiefs in my family, my grandfather Milton and my dad Richard, it fills me with a sense of pride to know that now I am part of a fraternity that they belong to years and years ago. However I know the journey from this point forward is probably going to be even harder and more trying, but I'm absolutely thrilled to be here today.