Vol. 28 No. 27
July 8, 2011
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NAS Sigonella community helps clean Acitrezza beach By Tracie Barnthouse NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
Over 100 Sailors from Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella came out to the beach at Acitrezza on June 29 to pick up trash and clean the coastline. The event was organized by CS1 Christopher Lizzio, after some coworkers approached him with the idea. Lizzio got in touch with NAS Sigonella’s Deputy Public Affairs Officer, Dott. Alberto Lunetta, and together, they invited the Sigonella commuity to volunteer. Lunetta and Lizzio met with the Mayor of Aci Castello, Filippo Drago and the director of the Acitrezza Nature Preserve, Emanuele Mollica. Lizzio is a resident of Acitrezza and his grandparents are from the province of Messina. “I felt it was important BEACH, continued on page 12
Photo by Lt. Rudy Mason Fleet and Industrial Supply Center (FISC) Sigonella officially changed its name to NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Sigonella effective July 1. The new name for NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Sigonella better emphasizes its role in the NAVSUP global logistics support enterprise.
FISC Sigonella changes name By Lt. Rudy Mason Sailors and dependents from NAS Sigonella help clean Acitrezza beach during an organized COMREL event on June 29.
Celebrating America’s birthday from sunny Sicily By MCSN Cameron Bramham NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
The Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella community came together to celebrate Independence Day July 1 and 2 at the Midtown Complex on NAS I with the Great American Celebration held at the Midtown entertainment complex. Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) hosted the events, which included aquatic games, the premiere of Cars 2, arts & crafts, a real life version of the hit video game “Angry Birds,” a free magic show by Danish illusionist Jorgen who is here supporting Operating Unified Protector, carnival rides, a youth fun zone in the gym featuring inflatables and a bouncy house, live performances by music groups Batuka, Charlie’s Angels and The Verve CELEBRATION, continued on page 12
Weather
toP StorieS
July 8 H: 91 uPdate L: 68 In this week’s Chaplain’s Corner, Father Ubalde talks about the sacrament of marriage and what the words brides and grooms say to each other really mean.
iNSide
July 9 H: 93 L: 67
July 10 H: 94 L: 68
PAGE 2
Military service members attending the White House Independence Day celebration represent the latest in a long line of heroes who have served the United States with honor and sacrificed much to protect the freedoms all Americans enjoy, President Barack Obama said here today. PAGE 3
Direct Line 2
Navy News 3
July 11 H: 97 L: 71
It’s again sconti time in Sicily. Sigonella shoppers will be happy to hear that the “sconti di fine stagione” (end-ofthe-season sales) began two weeks earlier in Sicily.
PAGE 6 Community Calendar 4
July 12 H: 98 L: 72
NAVSUP FLC Sigonella Corporate Communications
Fleet and Industrial Supply Center (FISC) Sigonella officially changed its name to NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Sigonella effective July 1. The new name for FISC Sigonella – as well as all the other seven FISC commands around the world – is being changed to better emphasize the FISC specific roles in the NAVSUP global logistics support enterprise. This change is part of the Naval Supply Systems Command overall; “One NAVSUP… One Enterprise” branding initiative to provide customers and stakeholders a clearer understanding of the capabilities of NAVSUP organizations. According to NAVSUP commander, Rear Adm. Mike Lyden, ‘One NAVSUP…One Enterprise’ connects NAVSUP global logistics support network construct where each activity executes its mission as a node of the network, vice an individual entity. FISC Sigonella’s next, higher echelon command, Commander Fleet and Industrial Supply Centers, is also changing its command moniker July 1, to July 13 H: 97 L: 68
NAS Sigonella celebrated America’s birthday in style. Check out pictures from the Great American celebration.
PAGE 8 MWR Corner 11
July 14 H: 92 L: 66
MWR is encouraging students to read this summer with a reading program. Check out all of the details and open up a great book this summer!
PAGE 11 Il Mercato 14
NAVSUP Global Logistics Support, as well. “FISCs emphasize the capabilities in the NAVSUP global logistics support business lines, helping customers easily navigate the products and services available within our organization,” said COMFISCS Rear Adm. Mark Heinrich. FISC Sigonella’s sites and detachments in Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia will also change names, each to be known as “NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Centers” to include our NAVSUP Logistics Center here in Sigonella. “Our names are changing but our mission remains to deliver the right operational logistics solutions to the Navy and our joint war fighters,” said Heinrich. “The COMFISCS team of military, civilian logistics professionals, contractors and foreign nationals located around the world will continue to supply the Navy’s ships, aircraft, shore commands and expeditionary forces with the essential items needed to execute their missions The new names for the all NAVSUP Echelon IV activities, formerly known as Fleet & Industrial Supply Centers, or FISCs, will be: FISC, continued on page 12
Traffic Numbers Jan. 11 June 11
Jan. 10 June 10
Accidents
152
134
Injuries
22
25
DUIs
5
4
Traffic Deaths
0
0
Please, don’t become a statistic!
pAge 2
July 8, 2011
Direct Line First of all, I would like to thank MWR, Security and all of the other Great Americans responsible for putting on the Great American Celebration of our country’s 235th birthday, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, over the weekend. Since 1776, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues. I hope everyone that was here during the long weekend took the opportunity to come out and enjoy the festivities. It was a great opportunity to celebrate such an important and significant moment in our country’s history; and what better way to do this by sharing the celebration with our host country friends and our coalition partners. As I have said in the past, our friends here in Sicily serve a vital role in the
NAS SigoNellA CommANdiNg offiCer, CApt. SCott Butler
daily operations of our Base, and the chance to share these events with them is really something special. I commend all of you on your warm welcome to all those that attended the events. As we move into the heat of the summer, it is important that you take care of yourself, your family and your shipmates. Be sure to enjoy times with friends and family and all that Sicily has to offer, but please be sure to take care of your body by ensuring that you remain hydrated at all times, especially during extended outdoor activities. Drink plenty of water and don’t overindulge when drinking alcohol and avoid high-risk summer activities when intoxicated. Take care of each other and have the courage to step in and prevent an unsafe activity in becoming another summer statistic. Please help me make this an enjoyable and safe summer
Motorcycle rider? Make sure you have proper paperwork Provided by NAS Sigonella Security
While it’s extremely important to wear the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while riding your motorcycle, it is also important to carry the required documents. We recently had a Sailor stopped by local authorities in Catania while driving his motorcycle. The stop was initiated because the license plate was not visible. The following tickets were issued: 102 euro – hidden license plate 80 euro – license plate placed in an improper way 39 euro – no registration
39 euro – no insurance policy 24 euro – no insurance coupon Total: 284 euro (approx. $409) The Sailor also had his motorcycle confiscated and turned over to a local towing company, which had to be paid an undisclosed amount to rethe cover motorcycle. The Sailor was also advised as per Italian law; he is not allowed to operate the motorcycle for 3 months. So please ensure you have all of the proper documentation with you. If you have any questions please contact MVRO at 6246171. Drive safe Sigonella!
season for everyone in the Sigonella community. If you have spent a summer in “Sunny Sicily,” then you know it can get hot – it’s already pretty warm and I’m sure it will only get hotter as we move through July and into August. If you are like me, the hotter it gets, the greater the temptation is to crank up the AC; however, this also means that the warmer it gets, the more electricity Sigonella uses…and you’d be shocked if you knew how much it all costs. I welcome any suggestions on how we can all lower our energy usage. I’m by no means an expert, but I’m reminded of something Dennis Miller once said, “I rant, therefore I am.” So, I’m going to rant a bit on ways that I’ve been told will lower our energy usage and make us a much more efficient base. Obviously, I can’t do this alone, so I need each and every person to be proactive to help
Public Affairs Officer Lt. Tim Page Deputy Public Affairs Officer Dott. Alberto Lunetta Editor Tracie Barnthouse Staff Writers/ Photographers MC1 Christopher Delano MC2 Gary Prill GM2 Kris Carmody MCSN Cameron Bramham MCSA Brian Glunt The Signature editorial office is located at: Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily PSC 812 Box 3020, FPO, AE 09627 Telephone: 095-86-5440: DSN 624-5440
This civilian enterprise (CE) 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. The appearance of advertising in this newspaper, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the DoD or Stampa Generale S.r.l., of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. A confirmed violation or rejection of this equal opportunity policy by an advertiser will result in the refusal to print advertising from that source until the violation is corrected.
best use of our precious resources requires constant and proactive attention. If we can each make it a point to focus on our energy habits, I have no doubt we can continue to reduce our usage and make Sigonella one of the most efficient bases in the world.
NASSIG WORSHIP SERVICES Chapel Offices: NAS I 095-56-3975, NAS II 095-86-9049 ROMAN CATHOLIC Sunday 0900 Catholic Mass (NAS I Chapel) 1200 Catholic Mass (NAS II Chapel) Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 1130 Catholic Mass (NAS II Chapel)
PROTESTANT Sunday 1045 Protestant Worship (NAS I)
JEWISH LAY SERVICES First Friday Shabbat Service (NAS I Chapel) 1800 sigshalom@yahoo.com
CHURCH OF CHRIST LAY SERVICE Sunday 1300 Bible Study (NAS I Chapel) 1330 Worship Service Call 624-5128 or 338-736-3061
OTHER SERVICES/ACTIVITIES POINTS OF CONTACT Muslim Prayer Room, open for daily prayers, NAS II Chapel, x9049. Latter-day Saints: Sunday 1300 Catania Chapel, shefchik@hotmail.com; 624-1393 Monday,Wednesday, Friday – 1900, NAS II Chapel, 346-840-7745 AA Meetings:
Reflection on sacrament of holy matrimony
Chaplain’s Corner Father Ulysses L. Ubalde Commanding Officer Capt. Scott Butler
keep our energy usage at a minimum and our water usage as low as possible. Keep the thermostat set no lower than 75F… close doors and windows in air conditioned spaces…turn off lights when not required (I’m still trying to figure out how to reduce the night-lighting at Marinai and on NAS I)…turn off computers and unnecessary equipment when not in use… The bottom line is that if you aren’t using something, please just turn it off. Basic stuff, right? But if we ALL take care to do it, the results in terms of financial savings and reduced stress on the environment, will be spectacular! I realize that the Sigonella community has already made large strides in lowering energy and water usage over the past few years; however, making the
The Signature is published weekly by Stampa Generale S.r.l., Sig. Bruno Brandi, Publisher, Naval Support Activity, Capodichino (Naples), Italy - Tel. 081-568-7884, Fax 081-568-7887. E-mail: stampagenerale@tin.it. 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, guard mail stop #68 or hand-delivered to our office no later than the close of business on the Friday proceeding the expected publication date. All articles submitted by non-staff members will be considered contributing writers. The Signature will not publish any anonymous articles. All advertisements in this publication are the property of Stampa Generale S.r.l. Any reproduction of advertisements in The Signature is unauthorized without the written consent of the publisher.
When a man and a woman gave each other for marriage they took a vow in these words: “I (Groom/Bride name), take you (name of the groom/bride) to be my wife/husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.” Or another form of vow: “I (Groom/Bride name), take you (name of the groom/bride) for my lawful wife/husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” What a noble words to say to each other. It is a vow of unselfish love and commitment. Are these words still relevant in our time? Of course it is. Marriage debate is so pervasive in our society. When you look at the marriages in our time, how many of them stayed together and true to their vows as
husband and wife? Did they marry each other because they are young, rich, healthy, and use each other while they can? What about when they become old, poor, and sick? Do they just separate each other because they are unusable? Is there any “love” or “commitment” or “faithfulness” involve when they said “yes” to each other? What about faith in God? Is God a part of their married life? What are the reasons why there are so many marriages breaks up? In all of these questions it reminds me of what the late Pope John Paul II taught regarding marriage when he addressed married couples in the cathedral of Taranto, Italy on October 28, 1989. The excerpted address was first appeared in L’Osservatore Romano, English language edition, December 11, 1989 and reprinted in the Soul Magazine in 1993. CHAPS, continued on page 12
CNE-CNA-C6F/CNREURAFSEA IG Hotline It’s everyone’s responsibility to report fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement in Navy activities to: Office of the Inspector General, Naples, Italy Leave a recorded message 24/7: DSN 626-2983, Comm: 081-568-2983 Speak to the Investigator: DSN 626-2964, Comm: 081-568-2964 Email: ighotline@eu.navy.mil Website: www.cnic.navy.mil/europe/index.htm You can choose to remain anonymous or confidential.