Submariner Picked To Be New MCPON

Dukerulz at No Slack, Fast Attack (who has had some interesting posts lately) posted a link to a Navy Times article announcing that Fleet Master Chief (SS/SW) Rick West has been named the 12th master chief petty officer of the Navy. Excerpts:

A career submariner and 27-year Navy veteran, West was tapped by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead on Friday. Roughead was West’s former boss at Fleet Forces Command and Pacific Fleet before the admiral became CNO.
West served for 11 years as a command master chief and has seen duty onboard five submarines and one destroyer.
He will take over for retiring Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SW/FMF) Joe Campa on Dec. 12, when Campa departs on terminal leave. Campa shocked the fleet Nov. 3 when he announced he was leaving, saying he was concerned about losing his connection with the deck plates and becoming a lame-duck MCPON. At two years and five months, Campa will have served the shortest tour as MCPON in the 41-year history of the job...
...(Master Chief West served) tours aboard the ballistic missile submarine Ethan Allen from 1981-82; the boomer Thomas Edison from 1982-83; the fast-attack sub Sea Devil from 1984-86; worked for Commander, Naval Activity United Kingdom from 1986-89; served aboard the boomer Tecumseh from 1989-1992; worked for Commander, Submarine Forces Pacific Fleet from 1992-95; served aboard the fast-attack submarine Portsmouth from 1995 to 1997; worked for Commander, Submarine Squadron 11 from 1997 to 2000; worked for Commander, Submarine Forces Pacific Fleet from 2001 to 2004; served aboard the destroyer Preble from 2004 to 2005; worked for Commander, Pacific Fleet from 2005 to 2007 and became Fleet Forces command master chief on June 30, 2007.

Did anyone serve with Master Chief West who would like to share any sea stories about him? As expected, I'm very hopeful that the new MCPON will be able to use his influence to bring the best of the Submarine Force to the Fleet as a whole, while protecting Submariners from those new initiatives that won't work in the special world of undersea warriors.