58th yeAr, NO. 42
Serving the NAtO, Naples and Gaeta military community in italy
FridAy, NOvember 8, 2013
Nimitz Sailors Explore Italy
Capturing History: When Navy Ships Decommission From Naval History and Heritage Command Communication Outreach Division
sailors and Marines from the aircraft carrier Uss nimitz (CVn 68) take a guided tour of the Pompeii site during a scheduled port visit to naples, Italy. see page 4 for story and photos. (Photo by MCSN Derek A. Harkins)
Speak Out Against Sexual Assault By MC2 Dustin W. Sisco, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West, Detachment Hawaii
Little can deter the power of military-grade teamwork. However, a consistent affront arises and inexorably destroys the solidarity and camaraderie so many Sailors work hard to build. The problem is sexual harassment and sexual assault. Since July 25, Navy.mil and Marines.mil began publishing the results of Special and General Courts-Martial, including sexual assault cases in an effort to increase the transparency of the department's criminal proceedings. "Sailors need to be made aware that Sailors take care of Sailors," said U.S. Pacific Fleet Master Chief Marco Ramirez. "We count
FRIDAY High 70 / Low 59 Partly Cloudy
SATURDAY
on each other to save our ship, our shipmates, and ourselves. Sailors who hurt other Sailors violate our Core Values and there is no room in the U.S. Navy for those Sailors." A recent technological development that Sailors can take advantage of to mitigate a potentially risky situation is to download and use a free smartphone application called "Circle of 6." This app, which was initially developed for college students to provide an extra line of defense from violence, sexual assault and otherwise potential unsafe or uncomfortable situations, allows users to quickly send a distress text message to six people assigned to their "circle of six" - a group of six friends who can be trusted during an emergency. (Photo illustration by MC3 Sean Furey)
see Sexual Assault Page 7
Each year, U.S. Navy vessels are decommissioned from active service. Though decommissioning of naval ships is a common occurrence for the Navy, it leaves a lingering question for many former crewmembers, naval history buffs and people who are interested in the ships, "What happens now?" Since the U.S. Navy's inception in 1775, more than 15,000 ships have served and with those ships come even more Sailors. With each decommissioning, it is Naval History and Heritage Command's (NHHC) mission to collect and protect the artifacts and records that detail the history of the vessel. Unfortunately, that means plank owners and former crew members may not receive their own piece of history. Mark Evans, NHHC historian and former Sailor, sympathizes with Sailors who contact NHHC in the hopes of obtaining a memento from a decommissioned ship on which they served. "A lot of Sailors feel justifiably eligible after serving all of that time haze grey and underway," he said "Plank owners especially. Some of the most commonly asked for artifacts from decommissioned vessels are things such as ship's quarterdeck bells, plaques, national or jack flags and photographs." Though it is understandable that many past Sailors wish to have something in their personal collection to help them remember their time onboard their ships, rights to obtaining such artifacts are a common misconception. So, when ships decommission, such as the USS Ford (FFG 54) which decommissioned Oct. 31 or USS Thach (FFG 43) which decommissioned Nov. 1, their plank owners, those Sailors who were part of the first crew and commission the ships, may not get their "plank." see Capturing History Page 10
W hat ’ s I nsIde
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Weekly Crime Report SUNDAY High 64 / Low 57 Rain
Review what happened between Oct. 30 and Nov.5. Page 5
Saving Energy Means Saving Money at NSA Naples Page 5
Stay Fit All Year Starting with the Holidays Page 7
Tiger Sharks Hold Their Own at Home Page 13