Navy Promotion - Frocking Ceremony | LCS MCM San Diego | NOSC San Diego, CA
Navy Pinning Ceremony, San Diego, CA | Reserve Unit
Its not every day both of my jobs intertwine! I am a reservist here in Southern California stationed at Naval Operational Support Center San Diego, CA. I have many collateral duties and one being documenting our unit in photo form.
What is a Frocking Ceremony?
Essentially, a ceremony for making rank!
History.
There are various instances in Navy Regulations, at least as early as 1802, of personnel assuming the uniform of the next higher rank, not necessarily with higher pay, when appointed by proper authority to assume the duties and responsibilities of that rank prior to actual promotion. These appointments were sometimes temporary as when it was necessary rapidly to swell the ranks during war time, especially in the Civil War. Other instances concerned a commander's need to fill an unforeseen vacancy for which there was no one of equal rank. In this case, a junior who was qualified for promotion would assume the uniform and duties pending approval by the Navy Department.
The practice that we currently refer to as “frocking” has been in common usage in one form or another throughout the Navy's history. There does not seem to be a definite point however at which the practice was first established. The original use of the term "frocking" to describe the current policy is also unclear, but probably is of recent vintage as it does not appear in earlier documents (18th-19th century). The 1974 version is the earliest Bureau of Naval Personnel Manual to contain the policy itself and refer to it as "frocking."
If you want award ceremony photo’s like this, let me know right here!
If you want award ceremony photo’s like this, let me know right here!