Skywriter – March 2023

March 2023

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATING

Naval Air Facility Atsugi

NAFA Emergency Preparedness

Reliant Gale

FFSC

EvacuationAtsugiSeminar

Front: RP1 Kassandra Castañeda poses for a photo in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd onboard NAF Atsugi. (U.S. Navy

CMDCM CORNER

With Command Master Chief Weba Roberts

Women's History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as "Women's History Week." Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as "Women's History Week." In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women's History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as "Women's History Month."

Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women's History Month. Since 1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as "Women's History Month." These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields.

So with that, there are an unlimited number of women who have been an influence to all, from our mothers to prominent, historic members in the public eye. While speaking in terms of the armed forces, I would like to say that I am a proud female member of the United States Navy and that our contributions to our country are plentiful in nature and know no boundaries.

I would like to join my sisters in arms in saying happy Women's History Month to all!

March 2, 1859

March 3, 1915

March 10, 2001

On This Day...

March 20, 2003

USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk. The 31st destroyer of the Arleigh Burke class is the fourth U.S. Navy warship to be named after a British citizen

Launch of Saginaw at Mare Island, first Navy ship built on West Coast of U.S.

The Office of Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) is established by Congress with Adm. William S. Benson named the first CNO.

Operation Iraqi Freedom begins with preemptive airstrikes on Saddam Hussein’s presidential palace

NAF Atsugi Ekiden Race

Naval Air Facility Atsugi Sailors and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) participate in the Ekiden Relay Race Tournament, March 2nd.

U.S. Navy photos by MC2 Henry Liu

The Ekiden race is an event held as a completion while also focusing on building camaraderie between the two partnering nations.

Reliant Gale 2023

U.S. Navy photos by MC2 Rafael Avelar

Reliant Gale is an exercise designed to test and evaluate an installation’s level of emergency preparedness, personnel accountability, and evacuation and recovery operations during a natural disaster.

Firefighters from NAF Atsugi Fire & Emergency Services participated in a confined space rescue drill onboard the installation during exercise Reliant Gale 2023.

U.S. Navy photos by MC2 Henry Liu

For Appointments: 264-3959 or 0467-63-3311

"Here

(NAFA SARC – Shacquanda Clark)

CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

Welcome to the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Naval Air Facility Atsugi's installation chapel, the most distinctly Japanese-style building on the installation. Please take a moment to review some of the programs and services the Command Religious Program (CRP) has to offer for Sailors and the community.

Worship services are held in the Chapel, Bldg. 79, on the corner of Sherman Ave. and Oriskany St. Our Administrative offices are located in NAFA HQ, Bldg. 949's first deck, accross from the Atsugi Fleet and Family Support Center. Our Office hours are Monday - Friday 0730-1630

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

• Praise & Worship Teams

• Youth & Children's Programs

• Various Charity Support

• Operation Feed the Homeless

• Operation Taste of Home

• Operation Care Package

RELIGIOUS MINISTRY TEAM

COMMAND CHAPLAIN

LCDR J. D. Rozendaal (Evangelical)

RELIGIOUS PROGRAM SPECIALISTS

RP1 (FMF/IW/SW/AW) K. L. Castañeda

ABH3 (AW) Gordan Stijak

CREDO WORKSHOPS/ TRAINING

• Marriage Enrichment

• Relationship Enhancement

• Personal Growth

• Resiliency

• Suicide Prevention

• Suicide Intervention

• Personality Assessment

• Self-Awareness Asssessment

Need to talk..?

Our Chaplain, Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan Rozendaal, has an open door policy. Please feel free to stop by any time. You can also schedule an appointment by calling 264-3202, or by speaking with a chapel staff member. if you have emergent needs after hours, please call the Duty Chaplain at 080-5026-6358 for assistance.

March is Women's HIstory Month

...and during this month we honor the contributions of women serving in the military and DOD civilian forces, celebrating the richness and diversity of their achievements now and all throughout the year.

The role of a Religious Program Specialist (RP) is about bringing Sailors together and helping to support their mental health through faith, whether they’re religious or not. From suicide prevention, to relationship advice, to self-esteem issues, we will make sure our fellow Sailors always have someone to talk to and find a solution to their problems.

Religious Program Specialists are more than a facilitator of religious services. To Sailors, they are the listening ear, helping hand and friendly face they may need to get through tough times.

From Judaism and Hinduism, to Christianity and Islam, RPs ensure that every Sailor has proper access to the resources needed to follow their faith. This includes duties like preparing devotional materials, organizing faith-based events, maintaining religious records and serving as a source of personal security for Navy Chaplains.

Religious Program Specialist 1st Class Kassandra Lee Castañeda - San Antonio, Tx.

Evacuation Preparedness Seminar Held at NAF Atsugi

NAVAL AIR FACILITY, Japan

- Hosted by the Atsugi Enlisted Spouses Association (AESA) and lead by Atsugi Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC), a Evacuation Preparedness Seminar was held onboard Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, Mar. 15.

Through the collaborative efforts of AESA, FFSC, Emergency Management, American Red Cross, Camp Zama Veterinary Treatment Facility and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) personnel, the seminar was designed to help community members prepare action plans and safety protocols in the event of an emergency.

The event began with opening remarks from the NAF Atsugi Commanding Officer, Capt. Manning Montagnet, who discussed at length the reasoning behind the importance of holding such an event while also emphasizing keeping thecommunities' health and safety a top priority.

The two-and-a-half hour event attracted over 100 service members, civilian employees, contractors and family members.

Items discussed ranged from the evacuation process to the explanation of Noncombatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) packets and notification systems to

emergency kits, personal baggage and pet care and transportation. Door prizes, snacks and beverages were also provided.

"Speaking to many of those in attendance, the feeling was that they were very grateful that we came together to offer a wealth of information and seemed relieved to leave with answers to many questions," said President of the Atsugi Enlisted Spouses Association (AESA), Elise Fisher. "Many people took home materials and writing notes for themselves. Everyone was very attentive and engaged throughout the seminar, and this also included the kids."

Lauren R. Robbins, Red Cross Regional Program Specialist agreed with Fishers' assessment. "I could not be more impressed with the attendance at the Emergency Evacuation Seminar," said Robbins. "Our community members showed up with great attention and enthusiasm. I could tell that

U.S. Navy photos by Gregory Mitchell

Story by Greg Mitchell

the audience was engaged, and they asked wonderful questions that benefited NAFA as a whole. I sincerely hope that they felt like they learned more about how our base handles emergencies and will join us in the future for more events."

Arguably the highlight of the seminar was Fleet and Family Support Center Work & Family Life Programs Supervisor Jim Reynolds demonstration of a sample emergency kit, as well as personal baggage and an explanation of why each intricate part is important to have.

"In the end, I think it is extremely important to know that self-sufficiency is the goal," said Reynolds. "The keys to preparedness are getting a good accounting of your family, which includes Page 2 and Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System (NFAAS) are up-todate; having a good method for communication); training family members to do their part in an emergency, and also practicing your plan without the help of your sponsor."

For those in attendance, once the seminar was completed, they

departed with a sense of renewed awareness.

"Overall. the seminar was great and was also a good opportunity for our NAFA family to have access to an abundance of much needed information," said Naval Aircrewman Senior Chief Jesse Roberts of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC12) Golden Falcons. "I think it brought clarification to paperwork issues that may come up and I also like that fact that mass warning information systems were thoroughly explained. I even had the opportunity to talk with NEO coordinators, while making sure that my family, to include my pets have been taken care of. Lastly, the ombudsman group in this community is very pro-active, so I am very confident that this information will be passed on to those who weren't in attendance."

NAF Atsugi Commissioning Ceremony

Ensign German Dunlop, is pinned by his family members during his commissioning ceremony at Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, March 8, 2023

The Final Word

WITH NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI COMMANDING OFFICER CAPT. J. M. MONTAGNET

NAFA Community,

I would like to begin by making the first announcement of the upcoming NAF Atsugi Spring Festival! This year's will take place on Saturday, April 22, 2023!

So for everyone who was here last year, the Spring Festival was called 'Wings of Spring'. It was a great event, but it was a little bit smaller due to the higher health and safety measures in place last spring. Accordingly, last year was not an open base event.

But this year is different! We are very happy to say that thanks to the continued improvement internationally from the effects of the pandemic, we will not be tied to those restrictions this year. And this year, Spring-Fest 2023 will be held as a totally open base event, with food, festivities, static displays, and entertainment for everyone! We recommend that everyone save the date and please continue to monitor our command Facebook page, as further details will be provided in the near future!

Now, I need to shift gears a bit and take a moment to bring to everyone's attention that there has been a recent uptick in traffic accidents, both on base and off the installation. These accidents are predominately minor in nature and mostly identify as fender-benders. Thankfully, no one (to date) has been seriously hurt this year. But, these accidents cost--they cost us time and money, and they're usually associated with headaches with insurance. So, please, please remain cognizant of your surroundings and pay close attention when driving here in Japan.

The roads here are smaller than back home, and there are plenty of bicycles and scooters, and pedestrians ranging from small children to elderly folks moving about. There are also many blind spots when driving in reverse, and getting in and out of parking lots seems to be getting a lot of us. So, please be on a constant lookout for people and objects that may impede your ability to get to your next destination!

Lastly, I would like to end by mentioning that the month of March has been celebrated as "Women's History Month". During Women's History Month, this is our opportunity to celebrate the countless number of women who have fought tirelessly and courageously for equality, justice and opportunity throughout our nation's history. This month also allows us to reaffirm our commitment to advancing rights and opportunities for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world. I believe this statement also holds true within the ranks of our armed forces on a daily basis.

always REady.