Sailors Give Back: Seabees aid in restoration
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Holiday Party:
Sig's Next Star:
The photos are here!!
Could it be you?
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N A S SIG O N E L L A
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December 16, 2016
Vol. 33 No. 47
NAS Sigonella Kicks Off the Holidays James Bond Style By PO2 Michelle sabangan NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily – NAS Sigonella kicked off the holidays with a James Bond themed party Dec. 9, complete with giant dice on the dance floor and larger-than-life playing cards hanging from the ceiling. Guests snacked on Sicilian appetizers and socialized while waiting for the main meal of ham, roast beef, risotto, creamy pasta and a cake decorated with the many faces of Bond. Games followed the meal, including a scavenger hunt where guests searched for hidden Bond silhouettes, a best dressed villain contest, a limbo contest and a running raffle. There was also an intense game of musical chairs that ended with a race to catch Sigonella’s Command Master Chief, Mike Kaszubowski. “The limbo was my favorite,” said Seaman Norma Chilapa. “It was hilarious. If it weren’t for my heels, I would have participated.” After a freestyle dance-off that included appearances of both “the worm” and some breakdancing, Kaszubowski convinced both NAS Sigonella Commanding Officer Capt. Brent Trickel, and Executive Officer Cmdr. Charles McKinney, to bust NAS Sigonella kicked off the holidays with a James Bond themed party Dec. 9, complete with giant dice on the dance floor some moves on the dance floor. Be- and larger-than-life playing cards hanging from the ceiling. Games followed the meal, including a scavenger hunt where fore opening up the dance floor, Mc- guests searched for hidden Bond silhouettes, a best dressed villain contest, a limbo contest and a running raffle. (U.S. Navy photo by Kinney wowed the crowd with his Petty Officer 2nd Class Michelle Sabangan/ Released) dance to Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” and Trickel followed with a few moves of his own. Petty Officer First Class Michael Patacsil, who Grant expressed his appreciation to the entire Holiday Party Committee Chairman Chief Petty helped with planning said, “It turned out well with NASSIG community noting, “I want to thank everyOfficer Nathan Grant remarked, “When you see the the help of a lot of volunteers. The different commit- one who contributed. If it was just me and my leads smiles on everyone’s faces and the bosses enjoying tees involved and people in charge of the event did and the committee trying to figure it out, it wouldn’t themselves and dancing, I consider that a success.” a good job.” have happened.”
"Give 'Em Mail!" A Day at the Fleet Mail Center Sigonella
By sn berenise morales Fleet Mail Center Sigonella
NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily – The typical morning of a Postal Clerk at the Fleet Mail Center (FMC) begins at 7:30 a.m. by prepping the outgoing mail to be distributed to the 54 commands disbursed throughout the base and deployed units within the 5th and 6th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR). By 8:00 a.m. the FMC is in full swing. The mail truck arrives for the morning mail pick-up, and command mail orderlies line up to collect the command mail that
The holidays are a busy time at the Fleet Mail Center Sigonella with Sailors working hard to ensure you receive your holiday packages on time. (Photo courtesy of FMC)
arrived the day before. The mail truck run to the Catania Airport is completed six days per week. The truck is dispatched from Sigonella with the outgoing mail and returns to Sigonella with mail addressed to Sigonella customers and mobile units in the 6th Fleet. Delivery times can vary widely as the mail truck is dependent upon the airline carrier arrival time, Italian customs and/or the volume of mail being received. Once the truck arrives at the FMC, it is an all hands evolution as the volume of mail can vary between 50lbs to 50,000lbs of mail per delivery. Each piece of mail is scanned, consolidated and uploaded electronically into a website called Automated Military Postal System (AMPS). Deployed units and base and tenant command mail is separated to its specified receptacle. Deployed units’ mail is then processed further by forwarding it, via memo, through the Sigonella Air Terminal, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) truck or commercial flight. For base and tenant command mail, each individual piece is scanned and recorded on a DD Form 3883 to display the quantity of mail each command has received that day. Once these tasks have been completed, all efforts are placed on Directory and Dispatch. When the FMC receives returned mail, it is sent to the Directory section. Directory is a room dedicated to misrouted mail. Postal Clerks research whether or not an individual still resides in Sigonella or if they have transferred to another location. If the customer has transferred and left a forwarding address, it will be redirected to the new address. If there is not a forwarding address, then the mail will be labeled “Return to Sender.” Once the mail has been processed through Directory, it is directed to dispatch. Dispatch is an area where all mail in the FMC is processed for delivery. It is here that all mail is scanned through the X-ray machine for any dangerous or forbidden material as declared by either USPS, MPS or Italian customs, such as: explosives, tobacco or alcohol. Finally, once the mail has cleared dispatch, the mail is consolidated into bags (called “nesting”) and is equipped with an Enhanced Distribution Label (EDL) for tracking purposes and set aside to be sent out the next day. The holidays are a busy time at the FMC with Sailors working hard to ensure you receive your holiday packages on time.