USS Abraham Lincoln Promotes Sailors

More than 150 Sailors assigned to Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) were frocked to Petty Officer 3rd Class, Petty Officer 2nd Class, and Petty Officer 1st Class during a frocking ceremony at Huntington Hall, June 16.

Frocking is a Navy tradition that dates back to the early 1800s. It’s a ceremony that authorizes newly advanced Sailors to wear the rank and assume the responsibilities of the pay grade for which they have been selected.

Sailors have the opportunity to take the in-rate advancement exam every six months; provided they receive a “promotable” evaluation or better. Along with evaluations, Sailors have access to in-rate study material called bibliographies. This material has everything Sailors need to know to do well on the exams, including general military knowledge.

“While we are in the yards, we aren’t as operational. We lack the equipment we need to learn our jobs effectively,” said Operations Specialist 2nd Class Kathryn Teague.

“Making E-6 puts me in a better position to help others,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 1st Class Lehi Juarez-Medina. “I not only gained the responsibility of a leader, but the opportunity to do a lot more for the benefit of my shipmates.”

While in a frocked status, Sailors will assume the responsibility of the rank they were promoted to but will have to wait until a later date to receive their new pay and benefits.

Lincoln is currently undergoing a refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.

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Press Release, June 18, 2014; Image: US Navy