Box Meals: Who is eligible?
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Edinburgh:
Emergency Kit:
Historic and natural gem
Are you ready?
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N A S SIG O N E L L A
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November 4, 2016
Vol. 33 No. 42
Fleet Master Chief Raymond D. Kemp Visits NAS Sigonella By Nicole Ybarra NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily – U.S. Naval Forces Europe/U.S. Naval Forces Africa Fleet Master Chief Raymond D. Kemp visited Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella and held an All Hands Call with Sailors at the NAS 2 hangar, Nov. 1. During the two-day visit, Kemp met with Sailors from Commander Task Force 67 (CTF-67), Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment (AIMD) and Patrol Squadron (VP) 45. Kemp had breakfast in the chiefs’ mess and toured facilities at NAS 1 before hosting an all hands call with E-6 and below Sailors at NAS 2. During the all hands call, Kemp encouraged Sailors to ask themselves three questions at the end of each day: Did I take care of my family? Did I take care of my Shipmates? And did I take care of myself? “Seek after useful knowledge so that you can be a better man, a better woman, and a better Sailor,” stated Kemp. Kemp fielded many questions from the audience, and at the top of many Sailors’ minds was the recent announcement of the Navy Occupational Specialty Ratings Modernization Plan. Kemp advised that the plan’s implementation would take place in six phases. Phase 1: Redefine career fields Phase 2: Review, revise and align business processes Phase 3: Update policies and instructions Phase 4: Identify and effect IT solutions Phase 5: Update uniform insignias to reflect transformation Phase 6: Continue to update policies and integrate Sailor 2025 initiatives During the question and answer session Kemp was asked which command was his favorite tour. While he enjoyed his tour on the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) he encouraged the Sailors to make each command their “best command.” “You should run this race with the expectation
U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Fleet Master Chief Raymond D. Kemp Sr. speaks with Sailors aboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella during an all-hands call, Nov. 1. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ramon Go/Released)
of victory. But you can’t just expect to win, you have to work for it,” said Kemp. A Sailor from U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Sigonella asked about another issue that is on the community’s mind here. If possible plans to down downgrade the USNH facility to an outpatient clinic move forward, what will the impact to dependents and spouses be. Kemp advised that there were no near-term plans to decrease services at USNH Sigonella. In closing, Kemp reiterated remarks from Adm. Michelle Howard, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF), reminding Sailors to “Be vigilant, be resilient and maintain enduring relationships.” Naval Air Station Sigonella: "The Hub of the
Med," is a U.S. Navy installation and an Italian Air Force base in Sicily, Italy. Just as a ship performs lines of operation that provide a capability, Navy Region EURAFSWA bases perform the same eight lines of operation to provide capability to the fleet, joint and allied forces. These eight lines of operation are: air operations, port operations, safety, security, housing, MWR, Fleet and Fleet and Family Services and what is called the core: the fuels, water and power that keep the bases running. Through our lines of operation, our installations are force multipliers that maximize combat capability of operational units. For more news from Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia, visit www.navy. mil/local/cnre/.
Humanitarian Assistance for the Local Community By LCDR Edward Erwin Religious Ministries Department
NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily – In the last year, Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella has collected and distributed 30,364 pounds of food and clothing for the needy throughout Sicily. The Chapel has functioned as a distribution center for charitable donations, collaborating with local charities and churches on and off base to benefit those hit the hardest by economic downturns. The Chapel receives gifts daily from service members and families who want to share their blessings with the disadvantaged. The Chapel has relied on the invaluable help of COMREL Director Dr. Alberto Lunetta, the Thrift Store, and the Fleet and Family Support Center, along with a united team effort from other NASSIG departments and tenant commands. The food drive began a year ago as an Eagle Scout project for Micah Dye with the local Boy Scout Troop that meets at the NAS 1 Chapel. Soon the Chapel supported the charitable effort for the refugees and the less fortunate with the crucial assistance of Giuseppee Collesano, a missionary to Sicily. Once the holiday food drive was completed and successful, the Chapel continued the efforts with a massive outpouring of generosity from the base. The Chapel has supplied donations during numerous COMRELs to
Volunteers from Sigonella and Taormina work together to help fight poverty and hunger in the community. Recently the Chapel facilitated a COMREL with Associazione per il Volontariato nelle Unita’Locali Socio-Sanitare. (Photo courtesy of Religious Ministries Department)
Piedimonte Etneo, Catania, Petrosmi, and many other missions. One charitable organization that the Religious Ministries Department has partnered with on a monthly basis is AVULSS in Taormina. AVULSS (Associazione per il Volontariato nelle Unita’Locali Socio-Sanitare) is a nationwide organization, meaning “voluntary association in the unity of local social-sanitary areas.”
The Taormina AVULSS group was founded by retired school teacher, Mr. Cosma Belardo, and this organization of 57 members, consisting of teachers, policemen, lawyers, social workers, and homemakers, provide charitable assistance to the sick and the elderly at the Taormina hospital and nursing home, along with special help to struggling immigrants. During a recent COMREL to
Taormina, volunteers loaded thousands of pounds into vans, trucks, and cars at the NAS 1 Chapel. The humanitarian assistance was then offloaded near Porta di Messina in Taormina with the help of AVULSS volunteers. At the completion of the project, volunteers from Sigonella and Taormina enjoyed a time of fellowship and refreshments. The teambuilding and friendships fostered during the COMRELs are one of the most unforgettable secondary benefits from this outreach to the community. “Local hotels, restaurants, and shops donate regularly to our cause and since February of this year a group of friends from Sigonella has come at least once a month to bring food and clothes, and they are our main donors,” said Ann England of Taormina. “We hope to continue our voluntary partnership for years to come because unfortunately our presence is necessary!” Chaplain Myers who helped lead the most recent COMREL to Taormina commented: “This COMREL would not have been possible without the generous and tremendous giving spirit of the NASSIG community and Chapel-- thank you!” For more information on humanitarian assistance or ways in which you can contribute to help the community, you may contact the Chapel at 6243975.