64th year, No. 31
Serving the NATO, Naples and Gaeta Military Community in Italy Russell Egnor Navy Media Awards – 2016 Best Newspaper in the Navy
Friday, August 23, 2019
U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Chief of Staff Commemorates the 75th Anniversary of Operation Dragoon By Mass Communication Specialist Third Class Drew Verbis U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/ U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs
U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Chief of Staff Rear Adm. Matthew A. Zirkle delivered remarks during a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of Operation Dragoon at the Rhone American Cemetery, August 16, 2019. Operation Dragoon, known as the “Forgotten Invasion,” was the code name used for the Allied offensive in Southern France on August 15, 1944. A total of 450,000 Sailors and Soldiers participated and removed German forces, immediately liberating Marseille and Toulon. Casualties included 3,000 American and 10,000 French service members. Allied forces who participated in the raid in-
Adm. James G. Foggo III
U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa chief of staff, Rear Adm. Matthew A. Zirkle, delivered remarks during a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of Operation Dragoon at the U.S. ceremony at Rhone American Cemetery on August 16, 2019. U.S. service members are in France to participate in events commemorating the 75th anniversary of Operation Dragoon, the liberation of southern France by Allied forces during World War II. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Drew Verbis
cluded the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa, and Madagascar. “As we look out across the
beautiful and serene landscape here at the Rhone American Cemetery, we see 1,152 monuments to courage, loyalty, honor, and
duty who fought valiantly during this most important operation,” Zirkle said. OPERATION DRAGOON
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USS Mount Whitney Visits Palermo By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Scott Barnes
The U.S. 6th Fleet (C6F) command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) made a scheduled port visit in Palermo, Italy, August 19, 2019, during a designated staff embarkation. During the visit, Sailors will get a chance to go on Morale, Welfare, and Recreation tours and enjoy liberty in Palermo. The Blue Ridge class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) gets underway from Gaeta, Italy, August 18, 2019. MOUNT WHITNEY VISITS PALERMO
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Mount Whitney is the U.S. 6th Fleet flagship, homeported in Gaeta, and operates with a combined crew of U.S. Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Scott Barnes
CAPTAIN’S CORNER. . . . . . . . . 2 BASE NOTES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 FFSC CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . 5 SOUND OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MOVIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 JOBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 USO TOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 BirTH announCemenTs for JulY 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . page 5
Help Your CHildren BeCome lifelong readers . . . . . page 14
WORD SEARCH / COLOR ME 14
Ukraine to Ghana: Celebrating Friendship Across Continents and Generations By U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/ U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs
In the 11th episode of “On the Horizon: Navigating the European and African Theater” podcast, Adm. James G. Foggo III highlights the great power competition in the Black Sea and the importance of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. Foggo, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (CNE-A), shared his thoughts on exercise Sea Breeze and his trip to celebrate the Ghanaian navy’s 60th anniversary and attend the International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference. For the first time in the podcast’s history, he invited two guests to join him: CNE-A Fleet Master Chief Derrick Walters and Logistics Specialist 1st Class Ahmed Tabsoba. Exercise Sea Breeze and Russian Activity The admiral began the podcast by sharing his thoughts on the recent 19th annual Sea Breeze exercise, which brought together 3,000 sailors from 19 nations, 32 ships, and 24 aircraft in real-world training operations. “I’ve been stationed in Europe several times during the course of my career,” Foggo said. ADM FOGGO PODCAST Page 11