BEACON March 2017
The Beacon
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH
AWARDS QUARTERS
Contents
Warfighting First, Operate Forward, Be Ready
Commanding Officer, NSA Souda Bay Capt. Brad J. Collins Executive Officer Cmdr. James R. Bird Command Master Chief CMDCM Neal T. Olds
Beacon Staff Jacky Fisher Jacky.Fisher@eu.navy.mil
Public Affairs Officer 266-1244
Kostas Fantaousakis Konstantinos.Fant.gr@eu.navy.mil
Community Relations/Public Affairs Specialist 266-1348
MC2 Chase Martin Chase.Martin@eu.navy.mil
Public Affairs Specialist 266-1348
The Beacon is the professional online newsletter of NSA Souda Bay Public Affairs. Information contained in The Beacon does not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Department of the Navy. Editorial content is prepared by the Public Affairs Office of NSA Souda Bay. Articles for publication in The Beacon should be submitted to SoudaBayPAO@eu.navy.mil Story submissions must be routed through tenant command or departmental senior leadership. Security and policy review must be completed before submissions can be considered for publication.
Sailors from Naval Support Activity Souda Bay haul a mooring line from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77.). Photo by: MC2 Chase Martin.
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Triad Corner
A message from the Commanding Officer By Capt. Brad Collins
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101 Days Of Summer
An article about the dangers of drinking and driving. By Jerry Hollenbeck
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Rescue Training
Firefighters from NSA Souda Bay Undergo rigorus training to prepare for emergencies. By Matthew McQuaig
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Aviation Support
NAVSUP Souda Bay privided support for joint operations between the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. By Lt. Adam Roach
ON THE COVER: USS Geoge H.W. Bush arrives in Souda Bay. Photo By MC2 Chase Martin
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Triad Corner Team Souda,
Shortly before I took command last August, NSA Souda Bay had its first aircraft carrier port visit in more than five years. Seven months later and we have hosted two more CVN port visits in quick succession. Each time there is a high value unit in port, 24/7 operational is required from harbor patrol, port ops, JTOC, Security, and the EOC. No matter the demand signal, every time the men and women of these departments delivered their around the clock service to the fleet and installation with professionalism. The last Bush port visit was lengthy and had several extra elements that required services from other departments and tenants. The combined efforts of Protocol, NCIS and Security were essential for Bush senior leadership to successfully host a VIP luncheon attended by Ambassador Geoffrey R. Pyatt, American Ambassador to Greece. While that event took place, and on almost every other day of her stay, Bush Public Affairs hosted community tours with the assistance of Souda Bay Protocol, Public Affairs, Legal, and MVRO. Over the course of a week, more than 700 people visited the ship, many of whom never seen an aircraft carrier. As VIPs and guests were going on board Bush, its own Sailors and officers were pouring off, some to visit Argonaut which fed a steady stream of customers and provided much needed laundry services and others to head into town. Other support included a NEX manned a gift shop on the pier and euro exchange services in the hangar bay and MWR scheduled daily tours to get ship’s company off the pier and out to the local community to enjoy Greek culture and fantastic food.
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An infusion of business during an otherwise non-tourist season is not the only benefit enjoyed by the locals. Public Affairs organized three community relation projects for Bush Sailors. Media coverage of these comrel events highlighted both the model behavior of ships personnel and the outstanding relationship between our host nation and the U.S. Navy. We have chosen a life of service as military members, DoN civilians, or local nationals working on board NSA Souda Bay. The magnitude of support an aircraft carrier port visit requires with its many moving parts, in addition to supporting other sea and air assets exemplifies our mission statement – “ … providing, operating and sustaining superior facilities and services dedicated to combat readiness and the security of ships, aircraft, detachments and personnel.” Team Souda answered the operational mail with steadfast proficiency in addition to responding to the everyday workload that continues forth even when special operations surge. I am grateful to command a team of such consummate professionals. When we work hard, it’s important to find time to relax and enjoy being stationed in Crete. We spring forward for Daylight Saving Time 23 March, giving us an extra hour of daylight to do some sightseeing and, as the weather warms up, hit the beaches. So as you hike, swim, bike, kayak or travel aboard, do so safely. I need each and every one of you back to stand the watch ready to support fleet, fighter and family. BZ TEAM SOUDA!
- Capt Collins
On May 14, 1988, Larry Mahoney was out driving his Toyota pickup truck north on Interstate 71 outside of Carrollton, Kentucky. Mahoney 34, had been drinking and it was unclear where he was headed at 10:55 p.m. One other thing, Larry was driving his pickup the wrong way down the highway with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .24. There was not much traffic on the road at that hour, but the little pickup plowed into a loaded school bus of 67 people. The bus was hauling a church youth group home when Larry crashed into the front part of it. The collision did not kill anyone immediately; in fact the investigation showed that there were only minor injuries. Unfortunately, when the truck collided with the bus, the gas tank, which had just recently been filled to its 60-gallon capacity, ignited. The flames along with structural damage prevented the front door of the bus from opening, leaving only the tiny rear emergency door exit. The loaded bus became engulfed in flames as 67 children and adults fought their way to the back door. The investigation was able to determine that attempts were made by the few adults that were on board to kick out windows for escape, but in the end only one person was able to escape out of a window. Everyone else tried to go out the tiny back door. When the emergency crews arrived and extinguished the flames, there were 27 people, 3 adults and 24 children dead and still on the wreckage. Hundreds of lives were affected that night as many parents lost their children, and some children lost their parents. In the aftermath, several parents of the victims became actively involved
in MADD and one became its national president. Larry Mahoney did not plan on killing 27 people when he went out to drink that cold May night in 1988. In fact he does not remember anything about the crash. DUI laws were not as strict as they are now, and in court Larry was given a sentence of less than one year for each person he killed. For good behavior he was released just short of 11 years. Here are some DUI facts from the MADD web page: • In 2015, 10,265 people died in drunk driving crashes – one every 51 minutes – and 290,000 were injured. • In fatal crashes in 2014, the highest percentage of drunk drivers was for drivers ages 21-24 (30 percent), followed by ages 25 to 34 (29 percent) and 35 to 44 (24 percent). • In 2014, three times as many males were arrested for drunk driving as females (401,904 v 130,480). If you are going to drink, don’t drive. Catch the shuttle, take a cab, use a designated driver, and watch out for your shipmates. Don’t be like Larry.
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Comrels
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mario Coto.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Page 6 Communication Specialist 2nd Class Spencer Fling.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class David Mora Jr.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Spencer Fling.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Spencer Fling.
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USS George H.W. Bush Photos by: MC2 Chase Martin.
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Photo by: Anna Matchett
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Rescue Training The days of old where the department only fought fires has since past with the present day demand requiring a force capable of "All Hazards Response" i.e. jack of all trades. One example of one such mission requirement is technical rescue. To meet this specialized skillset, the NSA Souda Bay Fire and Emergency Services Department reached out to the Rammstein Fire Academy in Germany for support. Following the taxing three week course ten new would-be rescuers walked away with elite tactics, techniques, and procedures required to succeed in a complicated rope rescue or confined space incident. Though the emergency incident type is infrequent for Souda Bay, the team now stands ready to answer the call thanks to the support from the Rammstein Fire Academy Cadre. Photos by Andreas Markakis from NSA Souda Bay.
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Aviation Support
During a cold, rainy, two-week period, NAVSUP FLCSI Site Souda Bay extended a warm welcome to the USAF 555th Fighter Squadron from Aviano AB, Italy and Arizona Air National Guard's 161st Air Refueling Wing, conducting a Fighter Training Deployment in Souda Bay, Greece. “Train like you fight” is an old military adage, and this exercise simulated support for upcoming real world activities. The USAF fighter jets burned through 20,000 USG of JP-5 daily, provided by the flawless logistics teamwork between the USN and USAF. While providing fuel to the USAF is a routine occurrence, this exercise rigorously tested the tactical deployment of USAF organic fuel trucks. Four R-11 refueling trucks were recalled from war reserve and deployed to Souda Bay with the intent of operating from USN fill stands. The Joint Fuels Team’s challenge, however, surfaced while ensuring the interoperability of the R-11s with the Navy’s truck overfill prevention and grounding
system: the team discovered that, due to a lack of software and material upgrades while they were in layup, two of the USAF trucks could not safely receive fuel. Quick to respond, NAVSUP FLCSI Site Souda’s Fuel Team worked with the 161st to establish a safe, suitable workaround, and a repair kit was overnighted and installed to successfully correct the issue. Over the course of the exercise, Souda’s Fuel Service Provider, Doss Aviation, partnered with the 161st to safely provide over a quarter million USG of fuel for this exercise while continuing normal operations. In addition to supplying the USAF with jet fuel, Doss Aviation provided a diesel fuel truck to keep all Ground Support Equipment properly topped off with diesel fuel. The end result is that the USN and USAF proved once again that we are joint and interoperable, and proud of the support that we provide to keep our warfighters in the air. Page 13
MAC Joshua Summers MA2 Michael Sanders ABHAA Connor Akey LS2 Michael Behrends Ma2 Michelle Runge MASA Declan Rogers MASN Page 14 Lillianne Wells MA3 Joseph Benevento
MA3 Daniel Dwyer MA3 Kevin Flores MA2 Zachary Cameron MA2 Brandon Erwin MA2 Jalesia Syas BUCN Brooke Davendonis Audry Champagne Steven Gray
Congratulations Awardees!
CFC Awards: IT3 Vincent Farretta MC2 Anaid Rodriguez ABH2 Robert Jonesbest GM1 Alvaro Flores MC1 Christopher Henry CS1 Carlos Moran
HM1 Karla Reid MA1 Germain Steele David Wallace Personnel Department Captain’s Cup Winners: Team Admin Page 15