- Robert Walker (USN)
Infobox Military Person
name= Robert J. Walker
lived=
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=
caption= 3rd Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy|nickname=
allegiance=USN
serviceyears= 1948-1979
rank=Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
commands= Master Chief Petty Officer of the Force, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic FleetMaster Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
unit=
battles=
awards=Navy Commendation Medal Navy Achievement Medal
laterwork=President, Non-Commissioned Officers Association
portrayedby=Robert J. Walker, known as Bob Walker, (born
2 February 1929 ), was the thirdMaster Chief Petty Officer of the Navy . He was born inBaldwin, New York and attended grammar and high school inOxford, New York .Enlisting in the
U.S. Navy 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 inBoston, 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 Pacfic in support of theKorean War . In October 1955, Walker reported toNorfolk, Virginia , as instructor at Radarman "A" School. In June 1956, after just eight years of active service, he was promoted toChief 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 inDavisville, Rhode Island , the Guardian was a convertedWorld War II liberty ship being used forradar surveillance. During this tour, Walker was advanced to the newly-created rank ofSenior 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 on16 November 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) atNewport, 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 theNavy 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 theNavy 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
26 September 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 .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 Harbor who was separating sailors for being overweight even though he himself wasobese ) 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 thesubmarine 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 tomicrofiche 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.Walker retired
28 September 1979 , immediately after the swearing in of his successor,Thomas S. Crow . 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. In addition to the Navy Achievement and Navy Commendation Medal, Master Chief Walker holds seven other awards, including theNavy Occupation Service Medal , theKorean Presidential Unit Citation and theGood Conduct Medal .External links
* [http://www.quarterdeck.org/WindsOfChange/046-62.MCPON%20Robert%20Walker.htm Extensive bio at quarterdeck.org]
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