Rick D. West (born 1963) is a retired

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

sailor who served as the 12th

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy The master chief petty officer of the Navy (MCPON ) is a unique Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned rank and position of office of the United States Navy, which is designated as a special U.S. uniformed services pay grades, paygrade a ...

Early life and education

West was born in 1963 in

Rising Fawn, Georgia Rising Fawn is an unincorporated community in the southern part of Dade County, Georgia, United States. It is the location of Cloudland Canyon State Park. History Rising Fawn was named after the child of a Cherokee Indian chieftain. The cus ...

, and graduated from Northwest Georgia High School in

Trenton, Georgia Trenton () is a city and the only incorporated municipality in Dade County, Georgia, United States—and as such, it serves as the county seat. The population was 2,195 at the 2020 census. Trenton is part of the Chattanooga, Tennessee–GA Me ...

, in 1981.

Naval career

After graduating from high school, West enlisted in the

. He received recruit training and

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

training at

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, followed by Enlisted Submarine School at

Naval Submarine Base New London Naval Submarine Base New London is the primary United States Navy East Coast submarine base, also known as the "Home of the Submarine Force." It is located in Groton, Connecticut directly across the Thames River from its namesake city of New L ...

Groton, Connecticut Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...

. His first duty assignment was on board , where he completed Submarine Qualifications. Other assignments include , , Commander Naval Activities United Kingdom, (Blue), and Tactical Readiness Evaluation team on

COMSUBPAC The Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC) is the principal advisor to the Commander, United States Pacific Fleet ( COMPACFLT) for submarine matters. The Pacific Submarine Force (SUBPAC) includes attack, ballistic missile and ...

Staff.

Leadership assignments

West was then assigned as

Chief of the Boat The chief of the boat (COB) is an enlisted sailor onboard a United States Navy submarine who serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the commanding officer. Overview The chief of the boat holds the rank of senior chief petty officer (E-8) o ...

on board the

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

–based Fast Attack Submarine , completing two Western Pacific deployments. The crew earned two Battle Efficiency "E" awards. He then served as

command master chief Command master chief petty officer (CMDCM) is an enlisted rating in the United States Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, as well as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. In the U.S. Navy, the command master chief petty officer is the senior enlisted ...

at Commander, Submarine Squadron Eleven. Upon completion of his tour, he was selected as force master chief and attended the Senior Enlisted Academy in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. West served as force master chief, Submarine Force, United States Pacific Fleet (

) from January 2001 to January 2004. West was then assigned to homeported in San Diego, where he completed a deployment to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

and qualified as Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist. He was selected during his tour on the USS ''Preble'' to serve as

United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

, fleet master chief, from February 2005 to June 2007. Since 2007, West had served as the 14th fleet master chief for Commander, United States Fleet Forces Command, prior to his selection as

(MCPON) beginning December 12, 2008. On December 12, 2008, West accepted the passing of the ceremonial

cutlass A cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard. It was a common naval weapon during the early Age of ...

from outgoing MCPON Joe R. Campa. On September 28, 2012, he stepped down as MCPON and retired from the navy after a three-decade career.

Awards and decorations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Rick 1963 births Living people Master Chief Petty Officers of the United States Navy People from Dade County, Georgia Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)