Submarine Learning Center's acting command master Chief retires
Groton — In a ceremony at Historic Ship Nautilus on Friday, Electronics Technician Master Chief Joseph Hundley, Submarine Learning Center's acting command master chief, said farewell to shipmates, family, and friends, concluding a 26 year career in the U.S. Navy.
For Hundley, military service, in particular the Navy, is a family tradition. "My grandfather was in the Navy during WWII as a cook. And as a small town boy from North Carolina, the only way for me to get to college was through the military.
"I chose submarines for the enlistment bonus," he recalled, "but after getting to my first boat, I had no doubt I'd made the right choice. The leadership was fantastic (one CO was the Stockdale Award winner (RADM ret. Frank Drennan) and one Chief of the Boat, COB, was Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, MCPON, (Rick West). Talk about great examples.
"My initial plan was 'eight years and out.'" Pausing for effect, Hundley smiled adding, "Here we are, 26 years later."
In the course of those years, there have been challenges and opportunities often simultaneously. For Hundley, serving as Chief of the Boat, USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723), was both, with a large portion of great memories and good times.
"We were homeported in Guam whose slogan is 'Where America's Day Begins' and I often thought to myself, 'where you're the last one to know anything.' Contacting ANYONE was challenging due to the time difference, which meant you really had to think out of the box to get things done.
"But, perhaps for many of those reasons, it was nevertheless a rewarding assignment because I watched so many young men become phenomenal sailors who went from being good at their trade to truly great primarily because of the operational tempo and mission set."
As the SLC's Acting Command Master Chief since June 2015, Hundley did more than just watch the next generation of submarine sailors develop, receiving a Meritorious Service Medal from Capt. Andrew Jarrett, commanding officer, Submarine Learning Center, for his role in helping shape that development.
As the guest speaker, Capt. David A. Roberts, Chief of Staff, Undersea Warfare Development Center and former SLC Commanding Officer, explained, the award did not mention the sacrifices great and small Hundley and his family made in the course of his career but did note,
"Supervising and mentoring six subordinate Command Master Chiefs and a headquarters Staff Master Chief, he brought years of experience and wisdom to bear in solving a myriad of challenges that arose at Submarine Learning Center's schoolhouses and detachments, including Distributive Block Learning, Ready Relevant Learning, and various personnel and material challenges.
It went on to add "(His) thoughtful and level-headed approach guided the staff with clarity and his back to basic approach for identifying and solving issues at the Submarine Learning Center was exactly the right style to making staff-work smoother and more efficient."
Hundley's retirement was celebrated by an invited audience that included current and former shipmates, retirees, Department of Navy civilians, friends, and family members.
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