Story by Lt. Devin Arneson, Southern Partnership Station 2018 Public Affairs
Ask the Chief is a common utterance heard in the United States Navy. Why, you might ask Chief Petty Officers are the backbone of the fleet.
About a month ago, Equipment Operator First Class Dennis Hill, from Clinton, Tenn., found out he would be referred to as Chief Select. He recently deployed in support of Southern Partnership Station s (SPS) water-well drilling exploration project. He began wearing the rate of Chief Petty Officer on Sept. 15, 2018.
Chief Equipment Operator Hill demonstrates the hallmarks of what it means to be a Chief.
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Utilitiesman 2nd Class Patrick Cannon (left) and Equipment Operator Chief Dennis Hill (right), assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, discuss plumbing fixture options in Riohacha, Colombia, Sept. 27, 2018, during water-well drilling exploration operations as part of Southern Partnership Station 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kalie Frantz)
I am very honored. It s a humbling experience making it to this point, said Hill. A sacrifice of a lot of people, not just me, but my family, my wife, all the things the troops have done to make things successful. There s a lot of hard work and people believe in you.
Chief Hill joined the Navy following high school in August of 1999, and throughout his career, he has constructed nearly 40 water wells. The expertise Chief Hill was able to bring to this project is remarkable, according to his team of Seabees.
To me, experience is a better resource than fundamentals, said Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Hunter Patterson. You can go to school and learn as much as you can about drilling a well, but without experience, you won t be successful.
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Seabees, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, lower the well pump in Riohacha, Colombia, Sept. 20, 2018, during water-well drilling exploration operations as part of Southern Partnership Station 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kalie Frantz)
Aside from being the subject matter expert, a Chief Petty Officer takes on a more significant role. The Chief is the leader. The Chief knows the answer. The Chief is the mentor to those of the most junior rank to the most senior rank.
I feel honored when the Sailors come to me with a question they could have asked someone else, said Hill. They know that I will provide them the right answer or be able to find it.
A lot of Sailors may say they stayed in the Navy because of the people they ve served with. Chief Hill indicated that the people have kept him in the Navy so long.
It s the people, Hill added. Yeah, I love being a Seabee. I love the job, but the troops, they re why I stayed.
Throughout the water-well construction project, Chief Hill has been an inspiration to his team and has truly lead the team to success. He has not only been an integral piece to Southern Partnership Station, but has made a lasting impact on his Sailor s lives.
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Seabees, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, discuss plumbing assembly requirements in Riohacha, Colombia, Sept. 21, 2018, during water-well drilling exploration operations as part of Southern Partnership Station 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kalie Frantz)
Chief Hill, to me, he s kind of like a dad the way he holds us to a standard. The way he leads us, he instills in us sort of a we have to win type of standard, said Patterson. He is molding us into becoming leaders and in being the best we can be. Chief Hill is the best leader I ve ever worked with.
No matter where Chief Hill is, he provides leadership, guidance and expertise. Location or situation doesn t dictate when a Chief is a leader. It s a 24 hours a day, seven days a week lifestyle. He s a leader in their homeport of Gulfport, Miss. He s a leader all the way down in Riohacha, Colombia conducting humanitarian relief efforts.
Seabees are great at humanitarian relief. It s kind of where we fit in, off the grid type of missions. It s been an experience for the guys, embarkation on two different ships, convoy across the country, and the well-site set up, said Hill. We took the rig from Gulfport, came to Colombia, drilled a well, and now we are taking it home with us. It s pretty much the whole package put into one. It s been a great experience.
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Equipment Operator 1st Class Dennis Hill, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133, explains drill operations to Colombia Cabo Primero Luis Alejandro Sandoval Rodriguez, 90th Engineer and Special Operations Battalion, Riohacha, Colombia, Sept. 6, 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kalie Frantz)
Seabees, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, traveled from Gulfport, Miss. to Riohacha, Colombia to construct a water well in the region of La Guajira. The goal of this project was to find a useable natural water resource for the local indigenous Wayuu community, who have been living in a drought for nearly a decade.
The team has changed lives for generations of people, Hill added. Now they have water in their backyard. It s amazing the generational change they supported, the impact is phenomenal.
SPS supported Colombian development efforts in the region of La Guajira. Held on an annual basis by U.S. Southern Command and executed by U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet, Southern Partnership Station is a U.S. Navy deployment focused on subject matter expert exchanges with partner nation militaries and security forces in the Caribbean, Central and South America.
For more news about Southern Partnership Station 2018, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/SouthernPartnershipStation2018, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SouthernPartnershipStation/, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NavySPS/, or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/southernpartnershipstation/.