The Signature | May 15, 2020

May 15, 2020

Vol. 37 No. 7

ACHIEVEMENTS DURING LOCKDOWN pages 6 & 7

DOD AIMS TO MAKE MOVES EASIER SICILY TO SUBSIDIZE POST-COVID HOLIDAYS

The Signature

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Direct Line

ETCS William Marshall, OPS Departmental Leading Chief Petty Officer

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hank you team Sigonella for uniting in shared sacrifice to stand against COVID-19 despite the challenges of social distancing, minimal manning, and mandatory masks. As the acting NASSIG CMC for the past two months it has been truly inspirational to see people unite and take care of each other. I want to express my gratitude to not only Americans, but all nationalities whom call NAS Sigonella home and went the extra mile in helping all of us get through this trying time. For example, some people freely made and distributed facemasks using their own materials, others helped fill the gap in childcare, while others used social media to provide ways to help cope with stress and boredom across the community.

I don’t mean to leave anyone out, but the truth is there were more planned and random acts of kindness than I can list here. Just know they are all vitally important, as you never truly know the depth that your actions, kind words, and patience have.

Throughout the pandemic, as I have digested information from a vast array of websites, social media, NAVADMINs, and other directives; I noticed a trend in key words such as resiliency, self-care, and mindfulness. Many sources emphasized the importance of seeking help at the beginning signs of anxiety, depression, and anger to minimize the stress of our current world situation.

Don’t underestimate the damaging effects that stress can have on your health. Even something as simple as not getting enough sleep can inhibit our immune systems and make you more receptive

to illness. Stress effects how we interact with those around us and if not properly managed can escalate into violence against others to include those whom we love most. It is imperative that we all continue to find ways to de-stress and demonstrate the strength to seek help.

Always feel free to reach out to the Fleet and Family Support Center or the Sigonella Religious Ministries Chaplains or CREDO for in person support. I would also like to mention other Facebook pages worth following include MWR Sigonella, U.S. Naval Hospital Sigonella, USO Sigonella, Navy Region Europe Africa Central, CREDO Sigonella, and Fleet and Family Support Center Sigonella. On these pages you will find exercise routines, stress abatement, communication and coping skills, as well as recipes for healthy eating and ones for comfort foods. Some of the organizations on base continue to provide virtual classes, competitions, webinars, and ESPORTS Tournaments.

For some of us right now, as the days become warmer and restrictions loosen around the world, we will struggle the most.

I caution, this is not the time to let our guard down. We have seen the resurgence of the COVID-19 virus in many states and countries as they eased up on the restrictions.

We have been fortunate onboard NAS Sigonella in that we have had no positive COVID-19 cases.

A positive case of COVID-19 now, could extend the time we remain with implemented restrictions. I implore you continue to follow the rules, understand that the threat of the virus remains, even as

restrictions are lifted.

The coming months will be dynamic as the lockdown restrictions ease so continue to keep tabs on Athoc announcements, all hands emails, your ombudsman network, and the NAS Sigonella Facebook page.

The Chain of Command has nothing but your health and welfare in mind as we work to define what Sigonella will look like post pandemic. We will take it slow and deliberate as we open the base services and ease restrictions. You should expect approximately a one week delay from the release of an Italian decree until base leadership release our guidance. This will give them time to evaluate the effects out in town while providing valuable information in determining our path forward.

Continue to look out for each other and share the resources that have helped you cope with the added stress. We are stronger together!

March 6, 2020

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Interactive Customer Evaluation Comments Regarding NEX Prices:

We have received multiple comments regarding a difference in prices between the DeCA commissary, NEX main store, and the NEX mini mart on NAS II.

Response:

To address any concerns on discrepancies between the commissary and NEX pricing please understand that the NEX and commissary are two different organizations with differing laws, goals, and profit structures. For example the commissary has operated as an organization to save service members money on groceries since 1867. The NEX operates to give back to organizations on a for-profit basis to give back to organizations such as MWR and on-base support activities.

With respect to concern about differing prices between the main NEX and the mini-mart we agree that there should not be a significant price difference between the two NEX locations. The point of sale system is one unit for both the Main store and Mini Mart. There are certain items, which may be getting deleted from stock or close to expiry, which may be individually marked down but you should not see varying overpriced items across the two stores. Please feel free to reach out directly to the NEX Manager Teresa Goley at Teresa.goley@nexweb.org with the specific items of concern and she will address it as soon as possible.

Comments Radio:

Regarding

AFN

We have received multiple ICE comments regarding the music offering and requests for an additional AFN stations.

Response:

The music you hear on AFN “The Eagle” is selected by experienced

programmers at the AFN Broadcast Center in California. They study industry trends, music chart positions and other data to select the most popular songs on American radio stations from coast to coast.

Although we only have one station on the airwaves here in Sigonella, AFN has migrated all additional selection to online streaming as part of the overall effort to streamline Department of Defense spending. We highly encourage you to download and use the AFN Europe app which offers the AFN 360 internet radio service. This internet radio service has a variety of stations including an all-country music station and an all-talk radio station.

The AFN 360 service is available for free on desktop computers and mobile devices by searching for “AFN Europe” on the web or in your app store.

Comments Regarding The Galley:

We have received multiple comments regarding the Galley’s menu.

Response:

In response to a submitted comment regarding a discrepancy between the galley’s advertised menu and what was actually served, our Food Service Officer (FSO) has addressed your concern by conducting training with our galley staff to meet your expectation in the future.

Please be mindful that there are times we must adjust the menu due to unforeseen circumstances. For example, we must allow flexibility to provide and permit substitutions for out-of-stock food items, allow timely use of perishable foods, and adjust to incorporate once per month special meal events. If any instance occurs where we need to adjust what was already advertised via the weekly menu, our menu board will reflect those changes.

"ICE" cont’d on Page 11

THE SIGNATURE

U.S. NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA

Commanding Officer Capt. Kevin Pickard Executive Officer Cmdr. Patrick J. Moran Command Master Chief CMDCM Nancy Estrada EDITORIAL

Public Affairs Officer Lt. Karl Schonberg karl.schonberg@eu.navy.mil

Public Affairs Leading Petty Officer MC1 Kegan Kay kegan.kay@eu.navy.mil Community Relations Officer Dott. Alberto Lunetta alberto.lunetta.it@eu.navy.mil PAO Staff Writers \ Photographers MC2 Joshua Coté joshua.m.cote@eu.navy.mil MCSA Triniti Lersch triniti.lersch@navy.mil CONTACT US

Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily thesig@eu.navy.mil DSN 624-5440; 095-86-5440 PSC 812 Box 7, FPO, AE 09627-0001

This newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the military services overseas.

Contents of The Signature are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense (DoD), or the U.S. Navy.

Editorial submissions are welcomed from all Naval Air Station Sigonella departments, divisions and tenant commands. Editorial submissions should be sent to the Public Affairs Office via thesig@eu.navy.mil. All articles submitted by non-staff members will be considered contributing writers.

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Name: ABH2 Tommy Raynes, III Command: NAS Sigonella Department: Emergency Management

By MC1 Kegan E. Kay, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

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viation Boatswain’s Mate [Handler] 2nd Class Tommy Raynes is always ready to respond to any possible emergency working as the leading petty officer (LPO) for the Naval Air Station Sigonella’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

The EOC is the control center for emergency management operations and provides organizing, training, and equipping of military and civilian personnel to prepare and respond to natural, accidental or civil threats to the Navy installation or surrounding community.

The desire to help people is nothing new for Raynes, as he originally went to college studying nursing, but ultimately decided he wanted to take his life in a different direction.

Influenced by his time in the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, Raynes explored his options for joining the military and joined the Navy in March of 2013.

Raynes, onboard NAS Sigonella for two years, works outside of his rate as part of a general billet assignment, and emphasizes that he has learned a lot while working in the EOC. “We are the hub for anything that goes on,” said Raynes. “We have to set a plan for any emergencies that arise and coordinate everything.

There is never a set schedule because you never know what might happen.”

As the LPO, his responsibilities include the support of the daily operations of the EOC as well as leading the installation’s Situation Unit for any emergency, including the ongoing COVID-19 response and recovery.

“These responsibilities alone have proven his tenacity to accomplish operational demands is above reproach,” remarked Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate [Equipment] Tinisha Franklin, emergency management departmental leading chief petty officer. “He is an extremely

flexible leader who positively motivates his peers and subordinates to meet our commands mission.”

Raynes maintains an open mind to his leadership style and attributes his continued success to advice he was given years ago, “being a leader is always a little give and take” and to “never forget where you come from.”

In addition to his duties as the LPO, Raynes is also the Installation’s CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or High-Yield Explosive) program manager responsible for all fittests for personnel, including tenant commands. Raynes also works as an on-call emergency dispatcher, providing additional hours to help fulfill staffing shortfalls.

“He is always ready to support and provide assistance,” added Franklin. “There is never any task too challenging for him. Raynes is an outstanding Sailor who truly emulates honor, courage, and commitment.”

March 6, 2020

DOD Aims to Make Moves Easier With New Contract for Household Goods

Story by C. Todd Lopez , DOD News Photos by MCSA Triniti Lersch, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs Office he U.S. Transportation Command awarded the contract lets industry know what the demand is for household goods to American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group Inc. on movement, and that allows for investment.

April 30. The first move under the new contract won’t take “They can hire and invest in very highly trained employees place until February, Transcom’s director of acquisition said to come into service member homes to handle pack out or at a news conference today. delivery,” he said.

“The contract is an important component of improving As far as accountability is concerned, he said, the service members’ experiences during the relocation process, department has more than 300 personal property offices and fundamentally restructures DOD’s relationship with at installations and another 42 shipping offices around the the household goods industry in order to improve access to, world that will have formally-appointed contracting officers and management of, quality capacity to meet peak demand and quality assurance evaluators. and enable the department to fix the accountability and “We’re going to be working off of a centralized quality responsibility lacking in today’s program,” Ken Brennan assurance surveillance plan to ensure we have accurate, said. rigorous oversight over the contract,” Marsh said.

The New Jersey-based business was chosen for the contract For families who have issues with their move, he said, because the proposal the company submitted provided the there will be new avenues to rectify problems. best service for the best value for service members, Defense “I would say most of the issues that we have in our current Department civilians and their families, Brennan said, adding program revolve around communication,” he said. “We’re that the carrier group beat out six other competing proposals. going to be able to bring tools to the table that we simply Rick Marsh, the director of the defense personal property can’t deliver today under the current program, to be able program at Transcom, said the new contract will bring great to put families in touch with representatives from industry benefit to service members and their families. faster — to make the claims process much cleaner, much Right now, he said, there’s no single contractor the DOD simpler, and for them to be, to have it settled and to be made uses to move household goods. As a result, he said, no portion whole ... much faster than they are today.” of the industry is motivated to spend money to enhance the Currently, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many service they provide to service members and their families. service members are unable to relocate as they might have “There is no rationale to invest in quality suppliers and expected during the summer months, while others will be invest in your network,” Marsh said. “You can’t forecast the allowed to move if granted an exception, Marsh said. For work that you’re going to perform. Our current model leads those who are allowed to move under such an exception, to using day laborers and other folks that maybe aren’t as efforts will be made to protect both families and movers well-trained as moving professionals should be.”

"Household Goods" cont’d on Page 10 By centralizing the work in one company, he said, DOD

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Lockdown Achievements The Signature

Running Through Lockdown T

here is always someone out there setting a high bar when it comes to fitness. In many cases people fail to meet their goal, or sneak a few cheat days. That is not the case for Air Traffic Controller 2nd Class Benjamin Colley, from

Fredericksburg, Va. From April 30, 2019 to April 30, 2020 Colley drove to the Naval Air Station Sigonella track and ran a minimum of one mile everyday. With this year being a leap year his goal was extended to 366 days of running without taking a single day off.

With everything going on these days and gyms being closed it can be easy to make excuses to not stay in shape.

“I was tired of being lazy and taking days off,” said Colley. “I figured if I set a challenge for myself I would have to stay committed to it.”

For Colley there was no daily goal on the amount of miles he would run, it was more about bettering himself and sticking to the goal.

“My off days I would run for a mile I would train of course, I think the most I ran at one time was about 16 miles,” said Colley. “It ranged from one mile to 16 miles throughout the year. I didn’t do it for saying I got to get this many miles today, I kind of just did it to work harder everyday.”

As if running at least a mile everyday was not difficult enough,

Colley decided to adjust the final 10 days of his physical challenge.

“For the last 10 days of my challenge I decided to run 10 miles a day,” said Colley. “One of the 10 days I ran a half marathon, so I ran 103 miles in 10 days.”

Towards the second half of his challenge Colley subscribed to actual running programs, minus their rest days of course.

“Once I started training more it started to take more of a toll on my body,” said Colley. “Actual running programs they have in the program “rest day”, but I can’t have a rest day.

I feel like that affected me a little, but it really didn’t bother me too much.”

Italy and most of the world being in lockdown due to the COVID-19 virus, can make staying on top of your fitness goals a little more difficult.

“The lockdown did not help my goal,” said Colley. “Running ten miles on a track is way worse than running out on a trail somewhere. Before the lockdown I was able to run the trail around the airfield a lot. That is like five or six miles a loop, it would have been much easier running there.”

at dispatch, contacted the Italian Emergency Services to get a medical response to the caller’s location.

For Frett this call hit close to home since his own son had experienced a similar situation around the same age as Coy. “I was thinking of my son when this call started, but after things escalated I was only thinking preemptively of what step comes next.”

Frett stayed on the line and helped Duclion through two cycles of CPR to get Coy breathing again.

“He kept me engaged and calm,” stated Duclion. “I am super thankful for the dispatcher staying on the phone with me until the ambulance arrived.

I could not imagine being alone worrying and waiting.”

Coy was taken to Garibaldi hospital in Catania and the medical team was able to remove the popcorn kernel.

After a few days at the hospital to monitor Coy and ensure his lungs and

breathing were healthy he was released and returned home May 4.

“He is back to normal and acts like nothing ever happened,” added Duclion.

“I am proud of the team that assisted in a positive outcome for the family and would like to assure you, your Emergency Management Emergency Dispatchers are ‘Always There, Always Ready,” said Dispatch Center Supervisor, Jamie Strotman.

Always There, Always Ready A

parent’s worst nightmare is something happening to their child and for one NAS Sigonella parent, that nightmare came true.

Two and half year old Coy was eating popcorn when he choked on a kernel but was still breathing.

Knowing something was still wrong, his mom, Cullen Duclion, called the off-base 911 number.

Emergency dispatcher Cody Frett answered the call.

The emergency dispatch center is part of Emergency Management department here at NAS Sigonella and is staffed 24/7 with a professional team of emergency telecommunications dedicated to serving the community.

“In under two minutes from the start of the call, the situation had changed drastically from an obstructed airway to an unconscious child,” recalled Frett.

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate [Handler] 2nd Class Neal Rodgers, Frett’s partner

March 6, 2020

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Lockdown Unlocks Childhood Dreams B uilder 1st Class Zachary Crouse didn’t let the lockdown keep him from reliving his childhood while also providing his kids with more playroom inside their house.

“We moved here in December from Port Hueneme, Calif,” explained Crouse. “When I saw the bedroom ceilings here I realized I could build up to have more playroom for the kids.”

By creating a multi-level fort inside the room for his kids play on, building up is exactly what he did.

The impressive design took the Seabee one weekend to build.

The biggest challenge came with gathering the materials for the fort.

“I got the materials from Bricoman,” said Crouse. “It took a long time to get into the store with social distancing rules in place.”

Crouse also explained that he had to follow his wife’s own COVID-19

precautions after the trip.

“My wife made sure I changed clothes and sanitized everything, including myself, before coming into the house.”

The fort provides lots of playing room and action for his two eldest children with a rock climbing wall, communication tube between the levels, and even a area to watch TV under the canopy.

The fort is just one of many projects Crouse has been working on “I built a potting station and a raised box garden for my with the leftover material,” added Crouse. “Currently, I am working on a coin rack for a friend.”

For anyone interested in their own fort and looking for some help, Crouse has you covered. “ I would be more than happy to help someone build their own fort,” stated Crouse. “I enjoy doing it for fun rather then money.”

Keeping the Mission Running During Lockdown

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espite lockdown restrictions there are some services that are vital and must keep running.

One such service is the NAS Sigonella Fire Department.

“We’ve done our best to do our job and adhere to the Italian decree with our mask wearing and our social distancing,” remarked Fire Chief Kenneth Taylor.

Working within the constraints of social distancing and other COVID-19 restrictions, the Fire Department has adapted their trainings and operating procedures.

“We’ve done our hose testing which is a requirement of the national fire protection association,” explained Taylor. “We’ve also formulated our own standing operating procedures

for the pandemic. We looked at what was required now in relation to this pandemic as well as any future pandemics that may occur and how we can mitigate this.”

Training and drills are an important part of maintaining mission readiness for the fire department.

May 13, the Fire Department ran a barrier engagement drill along side the Italian Air Force Fire Department.

If an aircraft has an emergency, the group in charge of the incident is based on the ownership of the aircraft (Navy, NATO, Italian, etc...).

Drilling together allows for both Fire Departments to learn each other’s procedures in handling a barrier engagement so that both may be able to work together to mitigate the emergency.

Despite the challenges, the Fire Department has worked continuously answering emergency calls and the increase in smoke detectors going off with more people spending more time at home and cooking due to the lockdown.

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Catania Outdoor Markets Reopen

By Dr. Alberto Lunetta, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

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fter two months of closure due to COVID-19, the popular Catania outdoor markets reopened their stands and doors for business, marking Catania as the first city in Sicily to reopen.

On May 8th, the Catania Fish Market (Pescheria) and local city markets opened back up.

Vendors must abide by a series of strict social distancing rules. Customers are required to wear face masks and gloves as well as undergo temperature scans upon entry. Local police have been tasked to enforce these safety rules and there is only one entry and one exit.

Catania’s big outdoor market, called “La Fiera” or “’A

Fera ‘o Luni” is located on the piazza Carlo Alberto square, opened on May 13, with 132 food vendors. Access to this market requires everyone to follow the same safety rules as the fish market. Currently, the market offers all kinds of clothes at a very convenient price and even food (fish, meat and vegetables), with the other vendors expected to open next week.

The local police have been using an occupancy control app to count how many customers would be going in and out of all these markets to prevent them from becoming too crowded.

Catania’s Metro stations also reopened with special precautions put in place to protect passengers.

Public Masses to Resume in Italy May 18

Story by the Catholic News Agency

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ioceses in Italy will resume public Masses beginning Monday, May 18, under conditions issued Thursday by the head of Italy’s bishops and by government officials.

The protocol for Mass and other liturgical celebrations states that churches must limit the number of people present – ensuring a onemeter (three feet) distance – and congregants must wear face masks.

The church must also be cleaned and disinfected between celebrations.

For the distribution of the Eucharist, priests and other ministers of Holy Communion are asked to wear gloves and masks covering both the nose and mouth and to avoid contact with communicants’ hands.

The Diocese of Rome suspended public Masses March 8 due to the coronavirus outbreak. Several dioceses in hard-hit northern Italy, including Milan and Venice, had suspended public liturgies as early as the last week of February.

All public religious celebrations, including baptisms, funerals, and weddings, were prohibited during the Italian government’s lockdown, which went into effect March 9.

Beginning May 4, funerals were allowed again. Public baptisms and weddings may resume in Italy starting May 18.

The protocol issued May 7 lays out the general directions for complying with health measures, such as the indication of a maximum capacity in a church based on maintaining at least one-meter distance between people.

Access to the church must be regulated to control the number present, it says, and the number of Masses can be increased to ensure social distancing.

The church should be cleaned and disinfected after every celebration and the use of worship aids such as hymnals is discouraged.

Church doors should be propped open before and after Mass to aid traffic flow and hand sanitizer must be available at entrances.

Among other suggestions, the Sign of Peace should be omitted, and holy water fonts kept empty, the protocol states.

The protocol was signed by Italian bishops’ conference president Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, Prime Minister and President of the Council

Giuseppe Conte, and the Minister of the Interior Luciana Lamorgese.

A note says the protocol was prepared by the Italian bishops’ conference and examined and approved by the government’s Technical-Scientific Committee for COVID-19.

April 26 Italy’s bishops had criticized Conte for failing to lift the ban on public Masses.

In a statement, the bishops’ conference denounced Conte’s decree on “phase 2” of Italy’s coronavirus restrictions, which it said, “arbitrarily excludes the possibility of celebrating Mass with the people.”

The prime minister’s office responded later the same night indicating that a protocol would be studied to allow “the faithful to participate in liturgical celebrations as soon as possible in conditions of maximum security.”

The Italian bishops issued a statement May 7 stating that the protocol for restarting public Masses “concludes a path that has seen collaboration between the Italian Episcopal Conference, the Prime Minister, the Minister of the Interior.”

March 6, 2020

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The Regional government of Sicily plans to recover from the economic fallout of the coronavirus lockdown by offering to partially pay accommodation for potential summer visitors.

Sicilian authorities allocated €75million of regional government money to restart the island’s tourism industry. Photo by Globalpsa.com

Sicily to subsidize post-Covid holidays as Italy considers reopening to tourists

Story from TP24.it

icily’s regional government is offering to subsidize S holidays on the island for both domestic and international visitors in an effort to kickstart tourism

after the coronavirus pandemic. News of the scheme came days before a statement from the Italian government that it expects borders to be open to tourists this summer.

A financial pot of €75m of regional government money has been set aside to boost tourism following huge financial losses after the lockdown came into effect across Italy on 10 March. Current plans include subsidizing visitors’ accommodation costs, offering one night of a three-night trip for free, or two nights of a sixday trip, as well as vouchers for cultural and heritage activities. The plans were detailed in an interview with Sicily’s tourism director, Manlio Messina, on Italian news show Mattino Cinque. There have been reports that the funding may also be used towards paying for up to half of the cost of flights, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Once the lockdown restrictions have been successfully eased further (without a rise in coronavirus cases), more information on how to take advantage of the offers will be posted on the Sicilian tourist board website.

Meanwhile, quashing what he called “fake news” reports that Italy may be closed to holidaymakers for the rest of 2020, Dario Franceschini, Italy’s culture and

tourism minister, told newspaper Il Messaggero: “I have never talked or ever thought of closing Italian borders to tourists for 2020. I am working towards the complete opposite, and proposed yesterday at a meeting of EU tourism minsters as uniform approach to managing infection risks. We are also starting bilateral talks with other countries that send a lot of tourists to Italy.”

Tourism revenue fell by 95% in Italy in March, according to banking group UBS, and the national tourism agency is forecasting a €20bn drop in tourist spending for this year compared with last.

This week Italy entered phase two of its lockdown, including the reopening of parks, and restaurants for takeaway meals. Some shops, museums and cultural venues are due to reopen on 18 May, and there is much discussion about managing social distancing on beaches and creating space for more outdoor tables at restaurants.

Although he ruled out closing the border, Franceschini added a note of realism: “I imagine, unfortunately, that international tourism will drop sharply this summer – both incoming and outgoing. So we are making a strong investment in domestic tourism, because this will be a summer of holidays in Italy … You have to adopt the right balance between safeguarding health and restarting economic and social life. It must be done with the utmost care. We’re moving one step at a time.”

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"Household Goods" cont’d from Page 5

from COVID-19.

“In an effort to protect the force and deliver a safe moving experience to DOD families, DOD has directed a series of health protection measures for personnel moving during the stop-movement period,” he said.

DOD has directed that industry personnel adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s health protection protocols, Marsh said. That includes wearing face coverings, minimizing crew sizes, cleaning frequently-touched surfaces and practicing good hand hygiene while conducting moves in family housing.

Additionally, Marsh said, moving crews will need to verify the health of their teams upon arriving at military families’ homes.

“When a moving crew arrives at the curb for a pack out or

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delivery, moving companies will present written verification that members of the crew have been screened for illness and will be properly equipped to adhere to these protocols,” Marsh said.

If a family does have concerns about the health of the team that arrives to move their household goods, Marsh said, they are also empowered to ask those movers to not come into their home.

“If families aren’t comfortable, they should stop work and reschedule their move,” he said. “A DOD representative will contact every DOD member during every move, in-person or virtually, to ensure protocols are being followed. And if something’s not right, local transportation offices and the personnel’s chain of command will get involved to make it right.”

2020 Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA) Utility Expenses Survey

ll service members who currently reside in off-base housing, or have for at least 6 months and are in private leases under the OHA program are invited to take part in the current survey.

Maximum participation in this survey is essential as the utility allowance will be updated based on the results and determine what we are paid here in Sigonella.

Survey is available now until May 31st at: http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/ohaSurvey.cfm?ID=may-util&fbclid=IwAR3o6xgSVZHHSMpdpjNinG6LP r0u_6MrBfws15Fu_2WTXDT2t5lwCzEpev4 Every year the Allowances Branch of Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) conducts a survey to find out how much Service members spent in the previous year for utilities (for example: electricity, heating oil, drinking water, trash disposal and sewer fees). The data from this survey is used to determine the Utility Allowance, which is part of your overseas housing allowance.

March 6, 2020 "ICE" cont’d from Page 3

If at any time you are not satisfied with your experience at the galley, you are encouraged to talk to any of our galley staff during your meal visits. We have a great staff of local nationals, a Leading Culinary Specialist and an FSO who are more than willing to address your concerns on the spot as they occur. In addition, you are also welcome to utilize the Food Service Officer’s suggestion box located at the head of the serving line to voice any positive or negative comments, suggestions or concerns.

This ensures a quicker response than through the ICE system.

Comments Regarding The Food Court Bushes.

Yesterday I was with my son and he was walking outside the food court area where there are potted plants near the tables outside. He walked too close to the bushes and was fortunately only lightly scratched by the large “thorns” that these bushes have. These bushes have overgrown the pots they are in and need to be trimmed up. I would hate to see a kid get their eye scratched. Thanks!

Response:

We received multiple comments regarding the overgrown thorny bushes in front of the commissary/food as posing a hazard to children. Thank you for your feedback and you will see the bushes have been removed.

Comment Signature.

Regarding

The

It has been a while since the Signature has be digitized but most of the time my experience has been broken links plus who wants to look at a computer screen any more than we have too. I wish you would bring back the paper format. It is also better for the eyes!

Response:

Thank you for your suggestion. I fully understand your desire for a paper

format. Shifting to a digital paper has provided NAS Sigonella a number of benefits which were not well advertised.

First we have greatly reduced our environmental impact around base. Due to contractual advertising agreements, we had to accept thousands of paper copies weekly even though our readership was in the hundreds. Over the course of time, these extra papers lined the sidewalk in the wind, became carpets for pet cages, and place an unnecessary waste system.

As you know, trash is a problem here in Sicily, so switching to digital has enabled the Public Affairs Office to fulfill the NAS Sigonella’s commanding officer focus area of “resource management” as good stewards of the environment.

Additionally switching to digital and cutting out the publisher middle man not only allowed us to update the format to a more modern look but greatly enhanced our ability to deliver timely and relevant news to you. The publishing process takes about two days of going back and forth between the publisher and the editor to correct layout mistakes then a day for delivery, so by the time some news may get to you it’s already well past expiry. By switching to digital, if a story happens on Friday, we can get it in the paper on Friday because there is no more back and forth, print and delivery time required.

Switching to digital has also allowed us to simplify our online presence thus delivering a better online experience.

We have worked hard to try and make our online content more engaging and more seamless with the Signature content, so you get an up-to-date and more engaging flow of information on base happenings.

This has greatly expanded our readership base as we get a lot of retirees asking about the latest copy.

We understand there may be some people who prefer the feel of paper

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between their fingertips. If you are one of those people, we post the paper in PDF format on our website at: https://www. cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnreurafcent/ installations/nas_sigonella/news/The_ Signature.html. We do this so that way we know the paper, ink and resources aren’t being wasted since relatively smaller numbers will be printed. We try our best to get it uploaded on the Friday of publication, but sometimes there are difficulties in updating the website, so usually the latest upload is on Mondays.

I hope this helps you to understand the value in shifting to digital only. If you have any questions or want to talk about it further, please call the Public Affairs Officer, Lt. Karl Schonberg at 6246986.

Bravo Zulu

BZ to Subway

BZ to Stefy, who works at Subway on NAS1 and is so friendly, efficient, and hard-working. Even when there is a long line and she is clearly in the midst of a busy shift, she always has a big smile and a kind word for every customer. Stefy is a real example of excellent customer service.

BZ to Security

Petty Officers Gomez and Bonner of security by the front gate on NAS 1 were so kind and professional when I got a flat tire on base! So glad they were around to help and get me back on the road.

Thanks for all that your department and all the MAs do to keep us safe every day!

BZ to Hospital Mail Room

Amanda working the mailroom at the hospital is absolutely awesome! I was really stressing about an important package and she check every available resource and thoroughly explained some of the more complicated systems and interruptions only a seasoned mail clerk would know.