The Beacon Newsletter, May 2021

Navy Capt. Rafael Facundo, NSA Souda Bay’s Commanding Officer, recognized LT Elsie Dominguez, Strategic Sealift Officer, Military Sealift Command, during a ceremony in front of Building 1 on April 23 for her outstanding support provided during the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) port visit in March.

Dominguez, a native of Queens, N.Y., has served in the Navy for 7 years and at NSA Souda Bay since January 2021. As MSC’s Souda Bay Representative for MSCEURAF/CTF-63, she coordinates crew details, fueling and cargo support for U.S. Naval Ships (USNS: non-combatant vessels that support the U.S. Navy) that arrive and depart from Souda Bay. During Eisenhower’s visit, she stepped up to the plate to fill a critical manning gap within Souda Bay’s Port Operations. LT Dominguez acted as Port Operations Officer and provided support to 5,676 Officers, Sailors and Civilians during the first-ever carrier sandbox liberty at the Marathi NATO Pier Facility.

“This is actually my very first SPOT NAM,” said Dominguez. “It is great to be recognized for my efforts and to have been able to support the base to ensure the strike group’s port visit went as smooth as possible given our current COVID restrictions. I hope to be giving a good name to my fellow SSO’s as we are a small but vital community of robust Officers within the reserve community."