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Continued from page 4Walker Leadership Library.Students and staff will use the library for research, relaxation, and consideration of naval heritage.According to Command Master Chief Ralph Rao, Director of SEA, MCPON Walker epitomizes everything that our academy represents; he is naval heritage in the flesh.”Without his leadership and tenacity, the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy might not exist today.“I had to jump up in the middle of a lot of desks and do a lot of cussing to get that one through, Walker said. A lot of the senior officers opposed it because they were afraid that with that kind of training, senior enlisted could take officer billets. Not even the CNO was completely sold on the idea. But I finally got it approved.”Walker was also responsible for many quality initiatives. He was an avid proponent of off-duty education and carried the banner for traditional Navy customs, standards, and traditions, which began to decline during the late 1970s. After his retirement in 1979, he became president of the Non-Commissioned Officers Association and to this day he continues working for agencies that support the Navy and Navy programs.In 1990, a hall at the Operations Specialist “A” School at Fleet Combat Training Center, Atlantic, Dam Neck, Va., was also dedicated to Walker. The library will also remind Sailors about his contributions to the Navy, but at a much higher level.This high profile educational institution has approximately 320 Navy senior and master chief petty officers, along with numerous sister service senior enlisted students yearly.In addition, it facilitates the Command Master Chief/Chief of the Boat Course and the Navy Senior Enlisted Non-Resident Course. Each of which will benefit from the heritage and tradition represented by this library.“As I look back on my life...throughout my career I was lucky to have great peers, subordinates, and superiors,” Walker said. “All of the master chiefs in my past I can only thank God for, and also for all the Sailors in my life. I would not be here today receiving this accolade, which I don’t know if I deserve, without them.”
Newspaper Details
Newport Navalog
Newport, Rhode Island, US
Fri, Aug 20, 2004
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Martin W.
USA 27 Jun 2023
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