What’s Inside...
Public Affairs Officer
Greg Kuntz Editor -in-Chief
MWR hosts Travel Fair...
See Page 4
In the Name of Friendshp...
See Page 5
Military Saves Year Round...
See Page 8
The NAFAtsugi Spolight
MC1(SW/AW) Barry Riley
Skywriter Staff MC2 Kegan Kay MC3 Ryan G. Greene Host Nation Relations Masako Takakura Sumie Maruyama Ikumi Tanaka Webmaster Noriko Yamazaki Contributors
MWR Marketing Fleet and Family Support Center Commissary Public Affairs Navy Exchange Public Affairs NAF Atsugi Tenant Commands
We want to spotlight people who are doing good things for NAF Atsugi, if you have someone you’d like to recommend or to submit a photo, please e-mail: at-pao@fe.navy.mil
Or click the links below!
Click the images to watch the videos! ON THE COVER:
A documentary that follows two NAF Atsugi Intercultural Relations Course instructors, and their week-long journey to help more than 30 students (each new to the area) get acquainted with Japan in the course of a week.
Japan is a country with a rich history and culture. Join Personnel Specialist 3rd Class Vivian Blakely as she highlights her favorite moments and experiences from her time here in Japan.
2
Team USA faces off against Team Rising Sun during the Third Annual Tomodatchi Bowl held at Naval Air Facility Atsugi’s Reid Field. The event featured flag, rough touch and tackle football match ups between Japanese and American teams, and offered a chance for the two nations to strengthen their relations on the third anniversary of Operation Tomodachi. Photo by MC2 Kegan E. Kay
Tuition Assistance Program Funds Awaiting Sailor Use
Photo by MC3 Nicholas A. Groesch
Story by Susan D. Henson CPPD Public Affairs Office
The Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) is asking Sailors to submit their Navy Tuition Assistance (TA) requests - and now would be good -said the director of Navy Voluntary Education (VOLED) March 3. According to Ernest D’Antonio, CPPD’s VOLED program director, the expenditure rate for TA funding is currently below normal levels, which means there’s more funding available than usual at this time of the year. “We use historical ‘burn rates’ as a guide for allocating TA funding throughout the year,” he said. “We plan really well for routine years. After furloughs and a government shutdown, Fiscal Year 2014 (FY-14) hasn’t been a routine year,” he said. Lt. Cmdr. Mark Wadsworth, director of CPPD Support Site Saufley Field in Pensacola, Fla., leads the team that monitors CPPD’s Navy TA spending. He said FY-14 TA execution is currently trailing FY-13’s execution rate by just over $6 million year-to-date. “We think a variety of things influenced our being below the TA
budget right now,” said Wadsorth. “Our execution rate dropped in October with the government shutdown and that’s carried through the year. The usage rate steadily increased in November and December. But then it dropped back down in January, probably due to uncertainty with the federal budget. Although we have funding now, the usage rate hasn’t increased significantly since then. Sailors need to understand that their education benefits reset each year, and unused amounts don’t carry over.” D’Antonio said, “We want Sailors to continue to pursue their education and submit their TA requests - we work hard to allocate every TA dollar available to give Sailors the most opportunities to use their TA funding allotment for each fiscal year.” He said more than 25,000 Sailors have used TA benefits so far this fiscal year and emphasized that a Sailor’s command is an important part of TA authorizations because they’re the first step in the process after a Sailor submits a request. “It’s each command’s responsibility to ensure their Sailors are aware of and meet all relevant TA policies, 3
are comfortable with their Sailors’ ability to complete a requested course, and process each Sailor’s TA request promptly,” said D’Antonio. “A command approver can review a Sailor’s request and deny it if all Navy requirements aren’t met, if the Sailor’s performance isn’t up to standards, or if the command’s mission might not permit the Sailor to complete the course. Ultimately, it’s the commanding officer’s decision,” said D’Antonio. D’Antonio also recommended each command approver continually review the Sailor’s education progress. “Our biggest reason for disapproval of TA requests is they aren’t received from the Sailor’s command approver prior to the course start date, as required by DOD instruction. Often when we review a TA request, a Sailor may be missing some of the TA prerequisites such as a current education counseling by a Navy College Office (NCO) or Virtual Education Center (VEC) counselor, or an individual education plan or degree plan on file, or missing a grade from a past course,” he said. VOLED professionals work with Sailors to get the requirements in on time, but if the Sailor’s account is incomplete or not updated before the course start date, they are unable to fund the TA request, D’Antonio said. According to CPPD Commanding Officer Capt. John Newcomer, Navy leaders are committed to providing Sailors with voluntary education opportunities. For more news from Center for Personal and Professional Development, visit www.navy.mil/ local/voledpao/.
NAF ATSUGI MWR HOSTS ANNUAL
T R AV E L F A I R
MWR hosted their 2014 Travel Fair on Sat., March 8 at the Atsugi Convention Center. The fair inlcuded multiple vendors from around Japan, washi and origami workshops, prizes, bouncy castle, music by Ku’u Moku Band and Hula dance performances. Vendors included representatives from Kanagawa Prefecture, Hakone, Chiba Prefecture, Fujisawa, Yokohama Cruise, Enoshima Aquarium, Carnival Japan, Rihga Royal Hotels, Delta Airlines, Hakuba, Kanazawa Zoological Gardens, Ishikawa, Airport Limousine Bus, Tobu Railway Group, Miki tours and NAF Atsugi’s International Association for Cultural Exchange Travel.
4
In theIn name of friendship exchange,and Department of Defense scho ol fo otball players from around Kanto areaschool convergedfootball on Naval Air players Facility the name and of cultural friendship cultural exchange, Department of the Defense (NAF) Atsugi’s Reid Memorial Stadium, March 9, to face off against Team Rising Sun in the Third Annual Tomodachi Bowl. from around the Kanto area converged on Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi’s Reid Memorial Stadium, In the name of friendship and cultural exchange, Department of Defense The first U.S. versus Japan game, called the Camelia Bowl, was held in 2010 at Kawasaki stadium. The event was postponed the following year schoEast ol fo Japan otball players from around Kanto area Naval the Tomodachi Bowl in commemoration of the go od will and friendship due to the Great earthquake, MarchTeam 11the , 2011. InRising 2012, theconverged event was renamed March 9, to face off against Sunface inonoff the Third Annual Tomodachi Bowl. Air Facility Atsugi’ s Reid Memorial Stadium, 9, to against fostered during the joint(NAF) disaster relief efforts between the twoMarch nations. The event has been held at military bases in Japan since, with the 2012 and 2013games at The Team first U.S.Sunversus Japan game, called the Camelia Bowl, was held in 2010 at Kawasaki stadium. in the Third Annual Tomodachi Bowl. Commander , FleetRising Activities Yokosuka and Yokota Air Force Base respectively. The first U.S. versus game, called Camelia Bowl , was Katsuyoshi Takashima. “We get to work together and deepen the friend“The name Tomodachi Bowl symbolizes thisJapan special event, ” said the Ayase City Vice Mayor The event was postponed the following year due to the Great East Japan earthquake, March 11, held 2010 at Kawasaki event postponed the following ship and work forinthe prosperity of bothstadium. nations.The Having to was chance to do something together is great.” 2011. In 2012, was renamed the Tomodachi Bowl inflag commemoration thebetween good Japanese will and year due thethe Great East Japan earthquake, 11surrounding , 2011. In 2012,communities, the The event, which drewtonearly 2,0event 00 patrons from the baseMarch and its featured and rough touch fo otballof games event was renamed the in commemoration of the go od and American youth teams, fo odduring bo Tomodachi oths, bounce houses, a live DJ andrelief other entertainment provided by the s Morale Welfare The and Recreation. friendship fostered theBowl joint disaster efforts between thebase’ two nations. event has been The main attraction however,was a hard-hitting gridiron match-up between Team USA, which is an all-star team of Department of Defense high scho ol players, held military bases in Japan since, with the 2012 and 2013 games at Commander, Fleet Activities and Teamat Rising Sun, comprised of Japanese college freshman players. “We have a go od relationship already, and we promote that kind of relationship by this kind of special event,” said Chigasaki Mayor Hobuaki Hattori. “Cultural Yokosuka and Yokota Air Force Base respectively.
5
“The name Tomodachi Bowl symbolizes this special event,” said Ayase City Vice Mayor Katsuyoshi Takashima. “We get to work together and deepen the friendship and work for the prosperity of both nations. Having the chance to do something together is great.” The event, which drew nearly 2,000 patrons from the base and its surrounding communities, featured flag and rough touch football games between Japanese and American youth teams, food booths, bounce houses, a live DJ and other entertainment provided by the base’s Morale Welfare and Recreation. Japanese Vice Prime Minister Taro Aso even made an appearance at the game. The main attraction however, was a hard-hitting gridiron match-up between Team USA, which is an all-star team of Department of Defense high school players, and Team Rising Sun, comprised of Japanese college freshman players. “We have a good relationship already, and we promote that kind of relationship by this kind of special event,” said Chigasaki Mayor Hobuaki Hattori. “Cultural exchanges like this help us in times of emergencies. There are bad times and good times, and having these types of events regularly helps us to work together and support each other as friends.” American football came to Japan in 1934 with the arrival of Paul Rusch, a teacher and missionary from Kentucky, who came to help rebuild after the 1923 earthquake. Along with fellow Americans, they created the first football teams at the Waseda, Meiji, and Rikkyo universities in Tokyo. In November of 1934, the first game between the all-stars players of the three Japanese universities and the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club team of Americans and British living in Japan was played. As the big game drew to a close, Team USA emerged with a 68-13 victory over Team Rising Sun. Both teams shook hands and even shared a few chest bumps with the opposing team members. The day’s festivities concluded with an award ceremony, trophy presentation, a group photo opportunity and closing remarks from NAF Atsugi Commanding Officer Capt. Steven Wieman “This is such a wonderful site for me to see, two teams playing hard on the field and at the end, there’s friendship,” said Wieman. “Thank you to all the players who played, it was my honor to host such an event.” 6
7
Savings Extend Past Week-long Event time to look over their finances and their purpose for saving. To set up a budget, you need to know what your income is per month and then mark down all your outgoing expenses such as bills, groceries, entertainment and savings. “Every month go back to your previous budget and compare it to what you actually spent,” said NAF Atsugi’s Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) Assistant Manager Lauren Francis. “Did you really stick to that budget? Maybe next month you need to modify it a bit or you just need to be more considerate of the budget and stick to it.” The third tool for saving money is to managing debt. Credit cards and student loans can have a high interest that can continue to grow, costing you more using a personal loan to pay off some of those with high interest. “If your interest rate is somewhere between 15 percent or higher and you can take a loan out, even if it’s at 10 percent interest, you are still saving 5 percent which can be huge savings,” said Breuer. Francis recommends a snowball approach in paying off loans or credit cards. Start by paying off the loan or credit card with the highest interest first and then continue with the next highest until all the debts are paid off. Fleet and Family Support Center offers financial management workshops throughout the year or for a more one-on-one approach, a financial counselor is available, and an appointment can be made by calling 264-3372. NAF Atsugi’s Community Bank and NFCU have customer service representatives available to help you in reaching your financial goals. Militarysaves.org is another resource. Here you can sign up to receive more information about saving money, take the saver pledge offered during Military Saves Week, receive e-mails with tips, goal saving strategies and links for youth and adults to develop good saving habits. “The ways to save are out there,” said Breuer. “You just have to look at your own situation and start identifying those things.”
Story by MC2 Kegan E. Kay NAF Atsugi Public Affairs Office
If you were around the food court, Liberty Lounge or Halsey Gym between Feb. 25 and March 2 you may have seen Military Saves Week representatives out and about spreading their messages. Military Saves Week is used as a component of America Saves in partnership with the Department of Defense’s financial readiness campaign to motivate, support and encourage military families to save money, reduce debt and build wealth, according to Militarysaves.org. Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi’s Community Bank Banking Service Center Manager Alex Breuer said though the week-long initiative is over, money saving is a life-long discipline. “In a nutshell, it is a combined effort between all the necessary parties here on base to just get the word out to people to save money,” said Breuer. “It’s never about selling our products and services. It’s an event where everybody gets together and just says ‘hey, you just got to save money and here are the tools for doing it.’” Breuer said that people should be aware of different factors such as planning for kids going to college, retirement and emergencies when setting savings goals. “One of my absolute favorite things for people to do is to have an automatic transfer go from their checking into their savings,” said Breuer. “Nothing is going to happen unless they open up a savings account and put the money in there.” Breuer used the example of a person having $2,000 going into their account every month and then transferring $500 to their savings that after two to three months people typically find that they have worked out how to manage all their bills and budgeting with just $1500. “You’ve grown accustomed to $1,500 and at the end of a year you’ll have $6,000 in savings,” said Breuer. Once a savings account has been established it’s time to work on budgeting and savings goals. Every person has a different financial situation, and should take the 8
Fleet and Family Support Center Calendar 14
MARCH 17 AOB: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. (129) Breastfeeding Support Class: 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. (216)
24 AOB: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. (129) Baby and Toddler Massage: 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. (220)
18 ICR: 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.(129) NPS Playgroup: 9:30 - 11 a.m. (220) Welcome Coffee: 10 - 11 a.m. (Navy Lodge) Space A Workshop: 9 - 11 a.m. (Air Terminal)
19
25
20 ICR: 8:30 - 9 a.m. (129) Washi Craft Class: 9:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m. (129) Baby and Toddler Massage: 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. (220) Dad 101: The Basics: 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. (216)
ICR: 8:30 - 9 a.m. (129) NPS Playgroup: 9:30 - 11 a.m. (220) Sponsorship Class 9 - 11 a.m. (216) PCS Move Workshop: 1 - 2:30 p.m. (216)
ICR: 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.(129) NPS Playgroup: 9:30 - 11 a.m. (220) Early Pregnancy Class: 2 - 4:30 p.m. (Conf. Room)
ICR: 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. (129) Stress Management: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. (Conf. Room) Prepared Childbirth Class: 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. (216)
26 ICR: 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.(129) NPS Playgroup: 9:30 - 11 a.m. (220)
27 ICR: 8:30 - 9 a.m. (129) Washi Craft Class: 9:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m. (129) Volunteer Orientation: 1 - 3 p.m. (TBD) Insurance Needs: 1 - 2 p.m. (129)
21 ICR: 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. (129) Communication Skills: 2 - 3 p.m. (216) Newborn Care Class: 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (216)
28 ICR: 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. (129) SAPR POC Training: 8 a.m. to noon (Conf. Room) SAPR DCC Training: 1 -3 p.m. (Conf. Room) Conflict Management: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. (216)
31 AOB: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. (129) RA Training: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. (Conf. Room)
Photo by MC1 (SW/AW) Barry A. Riley
NAF Atsugi First Class Petty Officers’ Mess members serve breakfast to advancement exam takers at the base’s Far East Cafe’, March 6. 9
NAF Atsugi
Morale, Welfare, & Recreation
Ranger & Halsey Hours: Sunday & Saturday: 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday - Friday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Liberty Center Hours: Sunday & Thursday: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Friday - Saturday: 11 a.m. - Midnight
St. Patrick’s Day Dinner
Join us for a special dinner featuring green pea soup, mixed green salad, Irish soda bread & dinner rolls, Irish Chicken & Dumpling with cabbage and carrots and Irish apple shortbread. No reservation required! We will Mon., March 17 • 5-8 p.m. at Atsugi Golf Course also be taking orders from the a la carte menu.
St. Patrick’s Day Special Mon., March 17 • Atsugi Lanes
Find the Leprechauns Gold at the end of the lane! Rent a lane for $10 per hour (shoes included)! If you get a strike when the front pin is gold, you’ll win a free game!
Be on the lookout for the new “E4 & below Blue Jacket Liberty Seal”. Special Discounts at various MWR facilities, free trips and much more! Be sure to “like” NAF Atsugi Liberty here!
E4 & Below
Recreation Volunteer Opportunities MWR Division is looking for
motivated and outgoing individuals to volunteer in upcoming community events. Open to SOFA sponsored and active duty personnel. Must be 18 years old or older. If you, or someone you know is interested, please email kris.atsuginaf@ gmail.com for more information!
10
NAF Atsugi Navy Exchange Main & Home Store Hours: Sunday & Holidays: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Minimart Store Hours: Sunday & holidays: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday - Saturday: 6 a.m. - 10 p.m.
NEX Customer Survey Shows High Satisfaction Among Customers Story by Kristine M. Sturkie
each NEX within a district were averaged out to calculate each district’s score. District scores in the continental United States remained the same at 88 while overseas districts remained the same at 85. Individual NEX district scores for 2013 were as follows: Mid-South increased one point to 90; Northern increased two points to 88; Southeast rose one point to 88; Northwest remained the same at 87; Guam rose two points to 85; Western remained the same at 89; Tidewater and Japan decreased one point to 87; Hawaii decreased two points to 85; Europe decreased one point to 84. More importantly, virtually all stores now score in the 80s on the CSI survey. “The survey told us that three-fourths of our customers recommend shopping the NEX to other authorized customers,” said Bianchi. “This figure is reflected in a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 66, which compares very favorably to an average score of 33 for the top 29 U.S. retailers. I am thrilled that our customers realize the benefits of shopping the NEX and are telling other people to take advantage of it as well.” In 2014, merchandise, including assortment and store in-stock rates, will be a top priority for NEXs while continuing to build on identified survey strength areas of associates, pricing and sales flyers. NEXCOM began surveying its customers in 1998. Nearly 13,500 NEX customers around the world were asked to participate in this year’s survey. For more news from Navy Exchange Service Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/nexcom/.
NEXCOM Public Affairs
The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) released the results of its 2013 NEX Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) survey March 6. The survey results, which show how customers rate the NEX in a number of different areas including customer service, pricing, problem resolution and customer experience, remained at a very high level of 85, based on a 100 point scale. “A score of 85 keeps the satisfaction level of the NEX on the same plane as some of America’s most customer focused retailers, such as Nordstrom and Kohl’s,” said Robert J. Bianchi, Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s scores are steady or slightly improved for all areas of the survey. Plus, high scores are now the norm across the organization, proving that our focus on premier customer service is working.” In 2013, NEXs focused increased attention on sales flyers, merchandise and pricing as these have the highest impact on overall customer satisfaction. These three areas either showed improvement or remained steady in this year’s survey - merchandise remained at 82 while both sales flyers and pricing increased one point each to 85. Areas that continue to show a positive trend include satisfaction, NEX shopping, NEX connection, military loyalty, NEX loyalty, likeliness to recommend to other authorized patrons and engagement. Each NEX reports to a district which is overseen by a NEXCOM District Vice President. Scores for 11