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Robert Walker (USN)
Encyclopedia
Robert J. Walker, known as Bob Walker, (born February 2, 1929) was the third Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
. He was born in Baldwin, New York
and attended grammar and high school in Oxford, New York
.
in 1948, Master Chief Walker received his recruit training at the Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois, where he was cited as company honorman. He then attended Radarman
"A" School in Boston, Massachusetts and was assigned to the destroyer USS McKean (DD-784)
. Having advanced to Radarman First Class
, Walker then served two year tours aboard the destroyer escorts USS William Seiverling (DE-441)
and USS Erben (DD-631)
. While aboard the Erben, he deployed to the Western Pacific
in support of the Korean War
. In October 1955, Walker reported to Norfolk, Virginia
, as instructor at Radarman "A" School. In June 1956, after just eight years of active service, he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer
, which was at the time the highest enlisted rank in the Navy.
Following advanced schooling in Radarman "B" School at Treasure Island and San Diego, Walker was assigned to USS Guardian (AGR-1). Homeported in Davisville, Rhode Island
, the Guardian was a converted World War II liberty ship
being used for radar
surveillance. During this tour, Walker was advanced to the newly-created rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer
in 1961 and at the relatively young age of 34, reached the pinnacle of the enlisted ranks and was promoted to Master Chief on November 16, 1963.
Walker began his second tour of shore duty in 1964 as Director of Training, Radarman “A” School, Great Lakes, Illinois. Three years later, he reported aboard the destroyer USS Harlan R. Dickson (DD-708)
at Newport, Rhode Island
, where he was assigned various command duties including senior enlisted advisor and leading chief for combat systems training at the Fleet Combat Direction Systems Training Center, Dam Neck, Virginia. For his outstanding performance, he was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal.
In July 1972, Master Chief Walker reported aboard the aircraft carrier
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
. He acted as leading chief of the Kennedy’s Operations Department and later, as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Command. For his excellent performance in this capacity, he was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal. In October 1972, the Radarman rating was changed to Operations Specialist and RDCM Walker automatically converted to OSCM at that time. In November 1974, Master Chief Walker was selected to serve as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Force, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet
.
On September 26, 1975, Master Chief Walker was sworn in as the third Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
. Walker was a much more conservative, traditional MCPON than his predecessor, John Whittet
.
who was separating sailors for being overweight even though he himself was obese) and saw to their quick removal. He was instrumental in creating the Navy's Senior Enlisted Academy
, from which virtually all subsequent MCPONs were graduates. He also brought about the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist
program, to add the same professionalism and thorough platform knowledge within the surface community that had been present for decades in the submarine
community.
He fought for increases in sea pay, improvements in off-duty education opportunities, consolidation of the three-form system of enlisted evaluation reports into a uniform format, and a return to the traditional "crackerjacks" phased out by ADM Zumwalt. Personnel records were moved to microfiche vice paper to streamline archival, storage and retrieval. They have since been completely computerized. Many of these changes would not take effect until after Walker's MCPON tour ended, but he was the driving force behind their implementation.
. He remains active following his retirement, serving as President of the Non-Commissioned Officers Association. In 1990, Robert J. Walker Hall, the home of Operations Specialist "A" School at Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic, Dam Neck, Virginia was named for him.
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy is a unique non-commissioned rank in the United States Navy, which has a paygrade of E-9. The holder of this rank and post is the most senior enlisted member of the U.S...
. He was born in Baldwin, New York
Baldwin, New York
Baldwin is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Baldwin, Chemung County, New York *Baldwin, Nassau County, New York...
and attended grammar and high school in Oxford, New York
Oxford, New York
Oxford is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The town contains a village named Oxford. Oxford is an interior town in the south-central part of the county, southwest of the City of Norwich. At the 2000 census the town population was 3,992...
.
Career
Enlisting in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in 1948, Master Chief Walker received his recruit training at the Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois, where he was cited as company honorman. He then attended Radarman
Radarman
Radarman was a rating in the U.S. Navy during, and after, World War II. The following ratings existed during the war for male or female enlisted personnel training, or with training, in the operation and maintenance of radar sets:- Levels of Rating :...
"A" School in Boston, Massachusetts and was assigned to the destroyer USS McKean (DD-784)
USS McKean (DD-784)
USS McKean was a of the United States Navy built by the Todd Pacific Ship Building Company in Seattle, Washington State.-1940s:...
. Having advanced to Radarman First Class
Petty Officer First Class
Good conductvariation,12 years or moreof good conductPetty officerfirst classinsigniaU.S. Navy &U.S. Coast GuardPetty officer, first class is the sixth enlisted rank in the U.S. Navy and U.S...
, Walker then served two year tours aboard the destroyer escorts USS William Seiverling (DE-441)
USS William Seiverling (DE-441)
USS William Seiverling was a acquired by the United States Navy during World War II. The primary purpose of the destroyer escort was to escort and protect ships in convoy, in addition to other tasks as assigned, such as patrol or radar picket...
and USS Erben (DD-631)
USS Erben (DD-631)
USS Erben , a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Rear Admiral Henry Erben .Erben was launched 21 March 1943 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. C. B. G. Gaillard, daughter of Rear Admiral Erben; and commissioned 28 May 1943, Commander J. H...
. While aboard the Erben, he deployed to the Western Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
in support of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. In October 1955, Walker reported to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, as instructor at Radarman "A" School. In June 1956, after just eight years of active service, he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer
Chief Petty Officer
A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
, which was at the time the highest enlisted rank in the Navy.
Following advanced schooling in Radarman "B" School at Treasure Island and San Diego, Walker was assigned to USS Guardian (AGR-1). Homeported in Davisville, Rhode Island
Davisville, Rhode Island
Davisville, Rhode Island was the former home of the U.S. Navy SeaBees. It was located at Quonset Point on Narragansett Bay, an area now included in the town of North Kingstown. The Navy acquired the property in 1939 and built Naval Air Station Quonset Point...
, the Guardian was a converted World War II liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
being used for radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
surveillance. During this tour, Walker was advanced to the newly-created rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer
Senior Chief Petty Officer
U.S. Coast GuardSenior ChiefPetty Officercollar deviceU.S. Coast GuardSenior ChiefPetty OfficerinsigniaGood conductvariationSenior ChiefPetty OfficerinsigniaSenior ChiefPetty Officercollar device...
in 1961 and at the relatively young age of 34, reached the pinnacle of the enlisted ranks and was promoted to Master Chief on November 16, 1963.
Walker began his second tour of shore duty in 1964 as Director of Training, Radarman “A” School, Great Lakes, Illinois. Three years later, he reported aboard the destroyer USS Harlan R. Dickson (DD-708)
USS Harlan R. Dickson (DD-708)
USS Harlan R. Dickson , an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, was named for Lieutenant Commander Harlan Rockey Dickson.The Harlan R. Dickson was launched 17 December 1944 by the Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N. J.; sponsored by Mrs. Mildred Mae Studler, mother; and commissioned at New...
at Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, where he was assigned various command duties including senior enlisted advisor and leading chief for combat systems training at the Fleet Combat Direction Systems Training Center, Dam Neck, Virginia. For his outstanding performance, he was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal.
In July 1972, Master Chief Walker reported aboard the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
USS John F. Kennedy is a John F. Kennedy class aircraft carrier, the last conventionally powered carrier built for the United States Navy. The ship is named after the 35th President of the United States, John F...
. He acted as leading chief of the Kennedy’s Operations Department and later, as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Command. For his excellent performance in this capacity, he was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal. In October 1972, the Radarman rating was changed to Operations Specialist and RDCM Walker automatically converted to OSCM at that time. In November 1974, Master Chief Walker was selected to serve as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Force, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
.
On September 26, 1975, Master Chief Walker was sworn in as the third Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy is a unique non-commissioned rank in the United States Navy, which has a paygrade of E-9. The holder of this rank and post is the most senior enlisted member of the U.S...
. Walker was a much more conservative, traditional MCPON than his predecessor, John Whittet
John Whittet
Master Chief Petty Officer John D. Whittet was the second Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy.-Career:Whittet enlisted in the United States Navy on March 24, 1943, and upon completion of recruit training, was assigned to the Aviation Machinist’s Mate School in Great Lakes, Illinois...
.
Advocacy
During his term, Walker often ruffled feathers by identifying directors of Navy programs who weren't serving the best interests of the Navy (such as a director of the Board of Corrections of Naval Records, and a commander in Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
who was separating sailors for being overweight even though he himself was obese) and saw to their quick removal. He was instrumental in creating the Navy's Senior Enlisted Academy
U.S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy
The U.S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy provides education and training for senior and master chief petty officers. Most of the students are active-duty Navy personnel...
, from which virtually all subsequent MCPONs were graduates. He also brought about the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist
Surface Warfare Badge
The Surface Warfare Insignia is a military badge of the United States Navy which is issued to those Naval personnel who are trained and qualified to perform duties aboard United States surface warships. The Surface Warfare Pin was first proposed in 1972 and, by 1980, several classes of the Surface...
program, to add the same professionalism and thorough platform knowledge within the surface community that had been present for decades in the submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
community.
He fought for increases in sea pay, improvements in off-duty education opportunities, consolidation of the three-form system of enlisted evaluation reports into a uniform format, and a return to the traditional "crackerjacks" phased out by ADM Zumwalt. Personnel records were moved to microfiche vice paper to streamline archival, storage and retrieval. They have since been completely computerized. Many of these changes would not take effect until after Walker's MCPON tour ended, but he was the driving force behind their implementation.
Retirement
Walker retired September 28, 1979, immediately after the swearing in of his successor, Thomas S. CrowThomas S. Crow
Thomas Sherman Crow , fourth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy was born in 1934, in McArthur, Ohio, and graduated from McArthur High School in 1952. He died at his home in San Diego, California on November 30, 2008...
. He remains active following his retirement, serving as President of the Non-Commissioned Officers Association. In 1990, Robert J. Walker Hall, the home of Operations Specialist "A" School at Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic, Dam Neck, Virginia was named for him.
Military Awards and Decorations
| Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal | |
| Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal | |
| Navy Good Conduct Medal (7 awards) | |
| Navy Occupation Service Medal Navy Occupation Service Medal The Navy Occupation Service Medal is a decoration of the United States Navy which was issued to Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel who participated in the European and Asian occupation forces following the close of the World War II. The decoration was also bestowed to personnel who... |
|
| China Service Medal China Service Medal The China Service Medal was a military medal awarded to U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel. The medal was instituted on August 23, 1940 and featured a yellow ribbon with narrow red edge stripes... |
|
| National Defense Service Medal National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower... (2 awards) |
|
| Korean Service Medal Korean Service Medal The Korean Service Medal is an award of the United States military and was created in November 1950 by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary United States medal for participation in the Korean War and is awarded to any U.S. service member, who... (4 awards) |
|
| United Nations Korea Medal | |
| Presidential Unit Citation (Korea) Presidential Unit Citation (Korea) The Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation is issued by the government of South Korea to both Korean military and foreign units. The last major issuance of the decoration was during the Korean War when the decoration was bestowed to several U.S., U.K., and Commonwealth military units... |
|
- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Identification BadgeMaster Chief Petty Officer of the Navy BadgeThe Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Badge is an identification badge of the United States Navy which is presented to the Master Chief of the Navy upon assuming office. The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Badge is the highest in a series of Chief Petty Officer Identification Badges...
- Service StripesService stripeA service stripe, commonly called a hash mark, is a decoration of the United States military which is presented to enlisted members of the U.S. military to denote length of service. The United States Army awards each stripe for three years service, while the United States Navy, United States...
(7 awards)