Direct Line: Capt. Kevin Pickard, NAS Sigonella Commanding Officer

It’s extremely hard to believe that summer is now over and the new school year is upon us. My family and I have now been on board for five months….time really does fly. We can finally say that we have settled in, and are very happy to call Sigonella our new home.

As many of you know, I was stationed at Sigonella nearly 20 years ago with the Black Stallions of Helicopter Combat Support Squadron FOUR. Back then, especially after 9/11, this base earned its nickname as the “Hub of the Med.” I can honestly say that it feels like Sigonella hasn’t missed a beat. Our tempo of operations continues to increase as our importance to U.S. strategic interests in the region grows. In fact, we are more dynamic than ever before and are now recognized as a critical, joint operational platform. In addition to U.S. Navy forces, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Army operational units now call Sigonella home and conduct critical operations from our base to locations throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. As it has throughout its history, NAS Sigonella continues to provide world-class support to all of our exceptional operational tenant commands and especially to the deployed rotational forces that utilize our installation. It has been truly eye-watering to see how well this base and our tenants support these missions. Thank you for the work you do every day.

It has also been a pleasure getting to know Sicily again. We’ve been fortunate to get out and about quite a bit, but something does have me very worried. As anyone who has attended command INDOC can tell you, traffic safety is one of my top concerns. We talk about traffic safety a lot around here, but it seems the message is not getting through. My experience of the last few months has made me extremely concerned that we are going to lose a service member or family member to a needless traffic accident.

I don’t need to tell anyone here that driving in Sicily is different and inherently more dangerous than driving back in the States. The driving experience here can be both exhilarating and frightening. But the challenging road conditions, poor condition of some of the “island beaters” that are handed down amongst service members, and the general risk associated with our younger service member population only heighten the hazards.

Since the beginning of April, we have had too many traffic accidents on and off base. Two weekends ago, we had a major traffic accident on the roads between Marinai and NAS I involving a car with a service member and his family and a service member-driven motorcycle. The motorcycle drifted into head-on traffic on a curve and the motorcycle rider hit the front windshield with his head before being flipped over the car. The head-on collision was extremely violent and was almost certainly caused by excessive speed and distraction…and it happened on a road we drive almost every day. Frankly, it was a miracle that no one was killed. We are extremely fortunate that we are not preparing for a funeral this week.

I see excessive speeding, reckless passing, talking and texting, and generally unsafe driving practices every day as I drive within the triangle. I know I am not alone in this observation. Not following posted speed limits or reckless driving is reason for me to revoke your driving privileges. Your safety is my number one concern here on Sig, but I need your help. I will not hesitate to suspend or revoke those privileges if you cannot abide by the rules, so please slow down and pay attention. No amount of speeding is worth risking your life or the lives of others.

Ok, let’s look after each other and keep it safe out there. Thanks for your time, and I look forward to seeing you around Sig!