The June 24 issue of The Signature

Vol. 28 No. 25

JuNe 24, 2011

Check us out online!

facebook.com/nassigonella

youtube.com/sigonellavids

cnic.navy.mil/sigonella

‘Tent City’ goes up at NAS Sigonella

By Tracie Barnthouse NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

Faced with barracks at 170 percent capacity and no sign of Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR ending anytime soon, Navy Region Europe and European Command (EUCOM) leadership recognized that berthing challenges at Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella needed to be resolved -- and quickly. At EUCOM’s direction, and with Italian government approval, USAFE (3rd Air Force) deployed their Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources (BEAR) kits to NAS Sigonella along with 57 personnel and they, alongside 27 Seabees from NMCB-74 stationed out of Rota, Spain and NAS Sigonella Seabees and Public Works (PW) personnel have been feverishly working to get “tent city” off the ground. The first inhabitants are set to move in within a couple of days.

After a decision was made that something needed to be done about TENT, continued on page 12

The view of the field behind the Autoport on NAS II on June 1.

The view of the land behind the Autoport on NAS II as of June 17.

65 tents (50 livable and 15 shower/shave and bathroom) had been set up.

AIMD Sigonella teaches AIRspeed to USS Bataan Team members of AIMD Sigonella recently joined sailors on the USS Bataan to teach the fundamentals of the Navy AIRspeed program.

AIRspeed is the name given to the NAVY’s program that combines elements from the three management techniques of Lean, Six Sigma, and Theory of Constraints. Practiced by industry leaders such as Apple and GE, these management methods are designed to eliminate waste and improve efficiency while fostering an environment of continual process improvement.

There are four progressive tiers of AIRspeed certifications: white, yellow, green, and black belts- the latter being the most knowledgeable and difficult to attain. On the USS Bataan, the class being taught was for the yellow belt. For some, these concepts were new, yet for others, this class was taken to further their understanding of an already familiar program. AT1 (AW) Craig, who helped implement AIRspeed on the USS Kitty Hawk as well as participate in events at FRC Mayport has experienced first hand the effectiveness the program offers.

Craig stated, “The AIRspeed program has the ability to eliminate a lot of waste while helping to visualize space constraints.”

June 27 H: 81 L: 63

June 29 H: 87 L: 63

By AE3 Kenny Jason Nantz AIMD Sigonella

Photo by MC3 Erin L. Boyce

Sailors from AIMD Sigonella aboard USS Bataan teach the fundamentals of AIRspeed to Sailors aboard the Bataan.

Weather

toP StorieS

June 24 H: 92 uPdate L: 67 If you are a parent of a child enrolled in Sigonella schools and are PCSing this summer, check out the article in the school corner that addresses PCS concerns and how to help your child adapt.

iNSide

June 25 H: 89 L: 65

June 26 H: 83 L: 63

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West released a message to the hospital corpsman in celebration of their birthday in his message to the Fleet June 17.

PAGE 2

PAGE 3

Direct Line 2

Navy News 3

Andrea Bocelli will perform on Friday, July 1 at the Greek Theatre of Siracusa his only European performance in 2011: the concert, “Flames of Solidarity.” An event which is organized by Fiamme di Solidarietà, the Italian Guardia di Finanza’s Committee dedicated to humanitarian projects.

PAGE 6 Community Calendar 4

June 28 H: 83 L: 64

If you haven’t been to Malta, what are you waiting for? Just a hop, skip, and jump over the Med and you’re transported to a country with deep history and culture.

PAGE 8 MWR Corner 11

June 30 H: 88 L: 66

Come out to Movies in the Park tomorrow, June 25. The movie playing will be “Tangled” and there will be refreshments for sale. Bring your lawn chair, blanket, and enjoy a movie under the stars!

PAGE 11 Il Mercato 14

Certified yellow belt sailors are eligible to participate in AIRspeed events. In an AIRspeed event, an area is identified that is in need of improvement. A team is then assembled and tasked to break down the issue, identifying areas of concern and what is needed to rectify problems. While this sounds easy, it most often consists of weeks of gathering information and breaking down processes to their simplest steps. The event is most effective when team members know even the smallest aspects of that which they are investigating. Next, all steps are categorized and a value is placed determining its validity. Any step in the AIMD, 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

JuNe 24, 2011

Direct Line Have you hugged a Seabee today? I’m not saying that the Seabees that are engaged across the spectrum of base support and construction operations would actually welcome any hugs, but I wanted to devote this edition of Direct Line to letting the greater Sigonella Community know about some of the amazing – truly groundbreaking – work being done by Seabees at our installations. We’ll call it a verbal hug.

I think that, by now, most of you are aware of the huge increase in the number of personnel being supported by NASSIG. We continue to ensure the operational readiness of more than 1100 additional personnel from 8 different nations in support of the ongoing operations in Libya.

What you may not have known is that all of our additional guests have been staying in our existing buildings, to the point where our Navy Gateway Inns & Suites (NGIS), remarkably managed by Mr. Eric Birmingham,

NAS SigoNellA CommANdiNg offiCer, CApt. SCott Butler

have been operating at nearly 170% capacity. Our friends are sleeping in overcrowded rooms on cots…and the summer heat is now here to stay.

To mitigate this, NASSIG Seabees have been working closely with Seabees deployed from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion SEVENTY-FOUR (NMCB-74) to construct a tent city on NAS II. Tracie has a great article about this effort in this week’s Signature, but in the very near term, this camp will be able to house more than 500 personnel, greatly enhancing NASSIG’s ability to support the deployed coalition forces. The tent city represents the first time this equipment has ever been deployed within Italy and its construction was quite an achievement. The efforts of these great Sailors serve to exemplify the Seabee motto, “We Build. We Fight.”

But Seabees are involved in far more than this single project, of course. For example, I hope

Sigonella School Corner Are you PCSing this summer?

Article from Office of the Education Ombudsman

www.waparentslearn.org

Tips to Make Your Child’s Transition Smoother Are you going to be moving this summer? Now is the time to start planning! In order to reduce the stress that can accompany a Permanent Change of Station (PCS), it’s important not to wait until the last minute before preparing for your move. Often military families are so preoccupied with the logistic of PCS-ing, that the academic PCS of your child gets overlooked.

Here are a few quick tips to help your child have a smooth move from their current school to his or her new school.

1. As soon as you receive orders, notify your child’s school in writing.

Provide the date of your child’s last day. It is never too early to do this!

2. Create a School PCS folder for each child. In the folder, place all of the items collected that represent your child’s academic standing at the time of your move — report cards, standardized test results, special education documentation, etc. Be sure to include the following: copy of birth certificate, shot record, copy of Social Security card.

DO NOT PACK THIS FOLDER! 3. Research the area where you are moving. You should investigate the schools BEFORE you choose someCommanding Officer Capt. Scott Butler 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

where to live! You can find valuable information and data about schools on www.greatschools.org.

4. Contact the local School Liaison Officer at your current duty station.

He or she will be able to connect you to the School Liaison Officer at your new duty station. Together they will be able to assist you in gathering the information you need to make important educational decisions for your family.

5. If you have a child with special needs, meet with your Special Education Teacher. Ask that they contact the new school personally. Keep copies of IEPs, notes, etc. in your child’s School PCS folder.

6. Network! One thing military families are often eager to do is share what they have learned. In addition to talking to neighbors and friends, look for information on-line. Many schools and military support organizations post information on websites and social networking sites like Facebook.

Take a look around you just might find what you need.

7. Talk to your child about his or her social and emotional stresses. Plan a good-bye party or allow your child to have a closure at your current duty station. Ask other important adults in your child’s life to lend a hand — teachers, club leaders, and counselors can all play an important role in this process.

PCS, continued on page 12 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.

that some of you may have already noticed some of the base beautification projects our Seabees have taken on. They’ve already spent countless hours painting areas around MidTown on NAS I, and they’re really just getting started. It’s amazing to me what a fresh coat of paint can do on some of our buildings and I’m sure you’ll agree their work is already having some great results. I really think that they are setting an example for all of us: if something is broke; try to fix it….if it’s dirty; clean it up…if it’s in the wrong place; put it back where it belongs. We can all get more involved and I know that the Base will look even better.

The Seabees are, literally, working everywhere: fixing water leaks; repairing air conditioning units; cleaning out pipes under the school’s track&field; assisting with repairs in every building all over the installations. Under the direction of the newly-arrived Public Works Of-

ficer, LCDR Bill Breckenridge, and his Deputy, Mr. John Rovero, I have every faith that this great work will continue to the benefit of all here in Sigonella.

So go ahead, give ‘em a hug!

I’d also like to take a moment to officially welcome aboard my Executive Officer, CDR Eric “Voz” Vosler, whose family is arriving this week from Bremerton, WA. Voz brings with him a wealth of operational helicopter experience in the both the UH-1 Huey and the SH60B Seahawk. He has served the Navy in duty stations all over the world, but this is the first time he and his family have been stationed in Sicily. In his most recent job as Operations Officer aboard USS JOHN C. STENNIS, he directed activities across the spectrum of deployed naval operations, which should

make his job working with the folks here seem easy. I can’t tell you how happy I am, personally, to welcome Voz, Michelle, Hannah, Rachel, Katie and Andrew to the Sigonella family – and I encourage you to welcome them aboard, too.

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 1800 Shabbat Service (NAS I Chapel) 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 AA Meetings: Monday,Wednesday, Friday – 1900, NAS II Chapel, 346-840-7745

Victory against all odds

By Mikaela Palmer After a long season of blood, sweat and tears, the Sigonella Lady Jaguar Softball team defeated the Incirlik Hodjas from Turkey, bringing home the long awaited title of the Division III Softball Championship. In the last inning of the final game with Incirlik ahead by five runs throughout the intense battle, Sigonella pulled through in the top of the 6th inning, bringing in seven runs, soaring past the Hodjas.

With one more “at bat” for Incirlik, the Sigonella girls were determined not to let IncirThe 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.

lik score any runs, this time around.

The Jaguars waited on their toes as

Courtney Albert pitched the first strike, which was an infield hit, that Sigonella scrambled to get. When the second batter stepped up to the plate, the Lady Jaguars were ready to play anything that came their way. The batter had a record of clearing the fences,

but to everyone’s surprise, she smacked the ball straight at Sigonella’s third baseman Alexis Palmer. Palmer snagged the ball just before it hit the ground, getting the batter out, and then; with a blink of an eye, hurled the ball to the first baseman Tenia Strobridge, making a double play and sending the runner back to the dug out.

Everyone was all smiles and tears running into the infield to congratulate Palmer and Strobridge for the double play. After tasting some of the victory and regaining their composure each player returned to their positions determined to get the last out.

Courtney Albert pitched another hit-worthy ball, which was popped up by the batter into foul territory. Tenia Strobridge hustled to the fly ball, while SOFTBALL, 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.

June 24, 2011

on

the

Go

with

paGe 11

Mwr

Midtown Movie theaterS Schedule & deScriptionS

SOUL SURFER- Anna Sophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Kevin Sorbo, Lorraine Nicholson

Sunday, June 25 2:00pm Hoodwinked Too: Hood v. Evil PG PREMIER E 4:30pm Water for Elephants PG-13 7:30pm Fast Five PG-13

Tuesday, June 28 5:00pm 8:00pm

Soul Surfer PG Green Lantern PG-13 PREMIERE

Wednesday, June 29 5:00pm 8:00pm

X-Men: First Class PG-13 Your Highness R LAST SHOWING

Thursday, June 30 5:00pm 8:00pm

Kung Fu Panda 2 PG Green Lantern PG-13

Friday, July 1 5:00pm 8:00pm

Arthur PG-13 X-Men: First Class PG-13

Bethany was born to surf. A natural talent who took to the waves at a young age, she was leading an idyllic, sun-drenched, surfer girl's life on the Kauai Coast, competing in national competitions with her best friend Alana, when everything changed in a heartbeat. On Halloween morning, Bethany was on a typical ocean outing when a 14-foot tiger shark came out of nowhere and seemed to shatter all her dreams. In the moving aftermath of this headline-making story, Bethany fights to recover and grapples with the future. Strengthened by the love of her parents, Tom and Cheri, she refuses to give in or give up, and begins a bold return to the water. Still, the questions keep hammering her: Why did this happen? Why did she have to lose everything? Will she ever feel the joy and power of riding the waves again? And if she can't be a surfer, then who is she? The devastating 2004 tsunami in the Pacific Ocean unexpectedly gives Bethany a new perspective. Traveling to Phuket, Thailand with her youth-group leader Sara Hill, she witnesses life beyond her own shoreline and discovers her greater purpose--she can make a difference in the lives of others. Filled with a new sense of hope and direction, she returns home with a renewed resolve to conquer her own limitations and set an encouraging example for people facing adversity. At the National Championships, Bethany bravely faces off with her fiercest rival, Malia Birch, and takes her astonishing one-armed surfing technique to the limit. But as the horn blows, and the suspenseful competition kicks off, Bethany is no longer thinking about the challenges of her body.

Now, her surfing, her biggest dreams and her life have become about pushing her own physical limits to touch the souls of others. (106 min.)

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS- Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz, Paul Schneider, Jim Norton

Jacob Jankowski is about to take his final exams in veterinary medicine at Cornell when his parents are killed in a car accident. He drops out and joins Benzini Brothers, a second-rate traveling circus trying to survive during the Depression. (121 min.)

GREEN LANTERN – Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps.

A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan. Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris, if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax... he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all (105 min.)

Movie schedule is subject to change.

Please call to confirm. Movie Hotline: 624-4248

The sunny Mediterranean city of Valencia in Spain is world-renowned for its tasty and succulent oranges. And just thirty miles away is Buñol, another town just as famous for its produce. But its notoriety comes from the locals' habit of wearing the produce as well as tasting it: every year, Buñol hosts La Tomatina, the world's largest vegetable fight. Situated only 30 kilometers inland from the Mediterranean Sea, and well-connected by motorway and rail to Madrid and Valencia, this charming town erupts into a fiery blaze of tomato-hurling on the last Wednesday of every August.

The "batalla" (battle) takes place during a week-long celebration filled with on-going festivities and with even greater anticipation for the monstrous tomato battle that serves as the culmination of the week's events.

Without question the biggest tomato fight in the world, La Tomatina started with a good laugh. During the forties, in Buñol's main town square, a number of friends started a tomato fight for unknown reasons. It's unclear whether the initial volley was aimed at city officials or simply pedestrians unlucky enough to be in the line of fire. Soon

enough, however, with their rowdy hooliganism drawing passers-by into the fray, everyone was having a great time. They had so much fun, in fact, that from that day forward, the fiesta has been celebrated annually and has grown ever bigger each year.

In an effort to draw more tourism (and therefore more targets) into the small town of Buñol, La Tomatina has blossomed into a full-blown fiesta that coincides with the festival for the town's patron saint. For a week leading up to the epic battle, the 20,000-strong town of Buñol, is filled with parades, fireworks, food and street parties. The night before La Tomatina, the narrow streets beneath the town's imposing Medieval bell tower are filled with tomatoes, in a much more palatable form than they will be the next day! Cauldrons of delectable paella cooking, simmered traditionally over wood-burning fires line the Concurso des Paellas, near the Plaza del Pueblo, site of the imminent skirmishes. Wine and food flow around the small town until the wee hours, in a fabulous Dickens-like foreshadowing. After all, who can do battle thirsty and on an empty stomach?