SECNAV:
Red White and Boom!:
Shiver Me Timbers:
Announces new Maternity Leave Policy
Fourth of July Celebration
Check out John Paul Jones boat winners!
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N A S SIG O N E L L A
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July 10, 2015
Vol. 32 No. 27
E-4 steps into CO’s shoes for day (and a half)
NAS Sigonella's Commanding Officer Capt. Christopher Dennis, center, discusses Interactive Customer Evaluation (ICE) criteria with Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Ernest Kyeremeh, the CO for the Day, right, and Lt. Paul Newell, public affairs officer, on matters of improving the base community, July 1. CO for the Day program was created to bring awareness and insight of a typical day in the life of the base commander. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ramon Go/Released) BY MC2 Ramon Go NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily – Many enlisted service members won’t experience what goes on behind the closed doors of the officer community, let alone converse with the commanding officer about current base events, or what criteria must be weighted before a decision is made. For some, that’s just fine. For Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Ernest Kyeremeh, the opportunity to spend July 1 and 2 with Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella’s Commanding Officer, Capt. Christopher Dennis, was the eyeopening experience it is designed to be; even if Kyeremeh felt a bit uneasy at first. “I was nervous and excited at the
same time,” said Kyeremeh who was told about being selected as CO for the day two weeks prior. “The first meeting I attended was the tenant commander’s meeting, where I got to see and listen in on how they plan and work together.” In the fall of 2013, the program started with the selection of the Sig’ Citizen logo contest top three winners one E-5 Sailor, a local Italian employee, and a military spouse - who shadowed the installation’s executive triad to get intimately acquainted with the decisions and obligations necessary to safeguard the installation’s mission and those within the community supporting it. “There were some things I couldn’t understand because it’s outside of my knowledge and expertise, but skipper
prepared me beforehand and didn’t leave me out of anything that was going on,” said Kyeremeh, a dental technician at USNH Sigonella. “I felt very involved, he made me feel I was in charge, and wanted me to do things as he would.” The CO for the Day program was extended to a day and half so Kyeremeh could get a larger sampling of Dennis’ general duties, spending much of his time congratulating local employees who have dedicated themselves to serving NAS Sigonella 5, 10, 30, even 40 years. He also sat down with NAS Sigonella awardees of the quarter [SSOQ, SOQ, JSOQ, and Bluejacket] for a brown bag luncheon. Later on, the pair presented awards at the NEX associate quarterly awards ceremony. But it was not all about glad-
handing and happy snaps. Kyeremeh sat in on the CO’s Suggestion roundtable attended by other base leaders as they discussed comments made by the public and the best way to respond to each and every inquiry with Dennis who explained the process all throughout. “CO for the day is designed to give our service members the chance to ask why and how decisions are made and how requests are approved or disapproved by discussing my thought processes and going through the paperwork,” said Dennis. “Whatever the outcome, I try to give a broad understanding of the typical things a CO has to deal with. It’s a pleasure to try and meet the expectations of our community and a joy to share the experiences of the job I love with others.” Sharing experiences and stories can often lead to a learning opportunity for both senior and junior service members, where the junior can bring in new, fresh insights while the senior provides wisdom and knowledge from their experiences. “I’ve learned many things from the short period of time with the skipper and one thing that stood out the most is that he has clear goals and most importantly he takes measures to reach those goals,” said Kyeremeh. “You can tell how passionate he is about energy conservation and he takes the lead on it by setting the example. When we went for a 5.5-mile run at the end of the first day and a 4-mile run on the morning of the second day, he would stop to pick up trash and throw it in the bins. That got me started thinking on how I can be an advocate in my work center about energy conservation and how I can make it better.” If the two runs are any indication of the way the corpsman kept up with Dennis during the rest of the 36 hours
"CO" continued on Page 3
Morale Welfare & Recreation Sigonella adds BOOM to Fourth of July By MC2 Ramon Go NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily – Morale Welfare & Recreation’s (MWR) Red White and Boom commemorated their annual Fourth of July celebration Saturday with many all-day activities for the Sigonella community and friends at the NAS 1 Midtown Complex. The festivities helped signify the importance of the revolutionary, world-changing document signed by 52 members of the Continental Congress in 1776 as the newly-formed United States of America declared its independence from the British Empire. “My 7-year-old son, Aidan, and I participated in the Color Run for a family fun event,” said Chief Logistics Specialist Dwayne Shultz. “It was my son’s first race and we had a lot of fun. We ran the whole time and got colored up.” Shultz added how grateful he and his family are to enjoy what MWR has provided for the community to bring everyone together. Families also participated in events such as the John Paul Jones cardboard boat race where Stacey Bowes and his son, Ian, competed in the adult and child category bringing home the fastest ship award with two gift cards. “For the past few years, Ian has wanted to compete in the boat race and so we did,” said Bowes. “We wrapped our boat with three layers of duct tape and about nine hours of preparation and finished the race in a minute and 18 seconds. We had a lot of fun and plan to use the same boat for next year.” The fun-packed activities started off with a red, white and blue color run, pool party, Nerf battle:
Morale, Welfare & Recreation (MWR) showcase a thirty-minute fireworks display during the Red White and Boom event at NAS 1 Midtown Complex, July 4. MWR hosted events throughout the weekend to bring a little Americana to Sicily. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ramon Go/Released)
Aliens vs. Marines, the cardboard boat race, corn hole tournament, food eating contest, lip sync battle, a live performance from local rock band Hyp-notik, and ended with a 30-minute firework show.
“I am a proud American and each year the celebration gets better and better,” said Ed Lucio. “The Fourth of July means a lot to me, my family and the rest of the Americans living in the U.S. and overseas.”