Rick D. West (born 1963) is a retired

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

sailor who served as the 12th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy.

Early life and education

West was born in 1963 in

Rising Fawn, Georgia Rising Fawn is a small unincorporated community in the southern part of Dade County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also the location of Cloudland Canyon State Park. Ris ...

, 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 Metropo ...

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 armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...

training at Orlando, Florida, 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 located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London i ...

. 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 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 au ...

Staff.

Leadership assignments

West was then assigned as

Chief of the Boat The chief of the boat (COB) is an enlisted sailor on board a U.S. Navy submarine who serves as the senior enlisted advisor to both the Commanding Officer (CO) and Executive Officer (XO). Overview The COB assists with matters regarding the ...

on board the

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

-based Fast Attack Submarine , completing two Western Pacific deployments. The crew earned two Battle Efficiency "E" awards. He then served as command master chief 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 an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

. 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 ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

and qualified as

Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist The surface warfare insignia is a military badge of the United States Navy which is issued to U.S. Navy personnel who are trained and qualified to perform duties aboard United States surface warships. There are presently four classes of the surf ...

. 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 Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (COMUSFF/COMFLTFORCOM) is the title of the United States Navy officer who serves as the commanding officer of the United States Fleet Forces Command. The U.S. Fleet Forces Command was originally established ...

, prior to his selection as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (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 S ...

from outgoing MCPON

Joe R. Campa Joe R. Campa Jr. is a retired United States Navy sailor who served as the 11th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. Early life and education Campa was born in Lynwood, California and grew up in Southern California. Campa is a distinguished h ...

. 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)