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to

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rie

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Direct Line

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Navy News

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Community Calendar

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MWR Corner

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Il Mercato

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July 29H: 90L: 64

July 30H: 88L: 63

July 31H: 91L: 65

Aug 1H: 90L: 68

Aug 2H: 95L: 70

Aug 3H: 92L: 67

Aug 4H: 94L: 71

Weather

uPdate

NASSIG’s Health Promo-tion and Nutrition De-partment has combinedefforts with the MWRDepartment, Commis-sary and the Navy Ex-change (NEX) Sigonellato begin a healthyweight-loss challengefor service members andtheir families stationedhere.

PAGE 2

The Navy announcedJuly 12 the U.S. NavalAcademy's admissionscycle for the class of2016, entering in July2012, is open to enlistedSailors.

PAGE 3

Organizers of the topquality Mascalucia BalletFestival announced thefinal lineup for the thirdedition of this successfuldance event. Check outthe schedule and planon attending!

PAGE 6

"Valle Dell Anapo" or Val-ley of Anapo is a beauti-ful Sicilian reserve thatwas created through a"tracks to trails" projectfrom the remnants of anold train track whichwinds alongside andover the Anapo River.

PAGE 8

The town of ForzaD’Agro has been a must-see location for years,featuring beautiful ter-races, a breathtaking ca-stle, and a view to diefor. ITT is taking a tripthere soon. Find out howto sign up and exploreSicily!

PAGE 11

July 29, 2011

youtube.com/sigonellavidscnic.navy.mil/sigonella

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By MCSN Cameron Bramham

NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

It’s summer time and that meansservice members stationed at NavalAir Station (NAS) Sigonella will begearing up their motorcycles for ridesacross the Sicilian country side.

The Sigonella Safety Departmentwants the community to understandthe risks of accidents that are causedwhile riding motorcycles and how tohave fun on your bike while remainingsafe.

According to studies, motorcycleaccidents have increased every yearsince 1997. During that time, motor-cycle sales have increased about 91percent.

The Sigonella Safety Departmentoffers a monthly Basic Riders Course(BRC) to teach anyone who is intere-sted in obtaining a permit to drive mo-torcycles in Sicily.

“They need to have a proper licenseSAFETY, continued on page 12

Marcus Ochoa prepares participants for the obstacle course during theBasic Rider Course offered at Naval Air Station Sigonella in this filephoto from last year’s training. The course is offered to military memberswanting to learn basic skills or refresh their current skills.

U.S. Navy photo by IC1 (SW) Brian Teneyck/ ReleasedRear Adm. Tony Gaiani, Commander Navy Region Europe AfricaSouthwest Asia, left, and Command Master Chief White accept a checkfor $36,513 from Renee Acosta representing the total money pledged toEuropean installations during the Combined Federal Campaign, July 22.

Rear Adm. Gaiani accepts checkfor Combined Federal Campaign

Photo by MCSN Cameron Bramham/NAS Sigonella Public Affairs Capt. Scott Butler, Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station (NAS)Sigonella, escorts Vice Adm. Michael Vitale, Commander, NavyInstallations Command, around NAS Sigonella during a visit here.The tour also included a quick stop at ‘tent city’ a temporary housingcomplex of coalition partners.

U.S. Navy Photo by MCSA Brian Glunt

Vice Adm. Vitale visits NAS Sigonella

Motorcycle safety emphasizedat NAS Sigonella

PAge 2 July 29, 2011

Commanding Officer

Capt. Scott Butler

Public Affairs Officer

Lt. Tim Page

Deputy Public Affairs Officer

Dott. Alberto Lunetta

Editor

Tracie Barnthouse

Staff Writers/ Photographers

MC1 Christopher Delano

MC2 Gary Prill

GM2 Kris Carmody

MCSN Cameron Bramham

MCSA Brian Glunt

The Signature editorial office

is located at:

Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily

PSC 812 Box 3020,

FPO, AE 09627

Telephone: 095-86-5440:

DSN 624-5440

This civilian enterprise (CE) newspaperis an authorized publication for mem-bers of the military services overseas.Contents of The Signature are not nec-essarily the official views of, or endorsedby, the U.S. Government, the Depart-ment of Defense (DoD), or the U.S.Navy. The appearance of advertising inthis newspaper, including inserts or sup-plements, does not constitute endorse-ment by the DoD or Stampa GeneraleS.r.l., of the products or services adver-tised. Everything advertised in this pub-lication shall be made available forpurchase, use or patronage without re-gard to race, color, religion, sex, nationalorigin, age, marital status, physical hand-icap, political affiliation or any othernon-merit factor of the purchaser, useror patron. A confirmed violation or re-jection of this equal opportunity policyby an advertiser will result in the refusalto print advertising from that sourceuntil the violation is corrected. The Sig-

nature is published weekly by StampaGenerale S.r.l., Sig. Bruno Brandi, Pub-lisher, Naval Support Activity,Capodichino (Naples), Italy - Tel. 081-568-7884, Fax 081-568-7887.E-mail: stampagenerale@tin.it. Editorialsubmissions are welcomed from allNaval Air Station Sigonella departments,divisions and tenant commands. Edito-rial submissions should be sent to thePublic Affairs Office via thesig@eu.navy.mil, guard mail stop #68 orhand-delivered to our office no laterthan the close of business on the Fridayproceeding the expected publicationdate. All articles submitted by non-staffmembers will be considered contribut-ing writers. The Signature will not pub-lish any anonymous articles. Alladvertisements in this publication arethe property of Stampa Generale S.r.l.Any reproduction of advertisements inThe Signature is unauthorized withoutthe written consent of the publisher.

NASSIG WORSHIP SERVICES

Chapel Offices: NAS I 095-56-3975, NAS II 095-86-9049

ROMAN CATHOLIC

Sunday

0900 Catholic Mass (NAS I Chapel)

1200 Catholic Mass (NAS II Chapel)

Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri

1130 Catholic Mass (NAS II Chapel)

PROTESTANTSunday1045 Protestant Worship (NAS I)

JEWISH LAY SERVICES

First Friday

1800 Shabbat Service (NAS I Chapel)

sigshalom@yahoo.com

CHURCH OF CHRIST LAY SERVICESunday1300 Bible Study (NAS I Chapel)1330 Worship ServiceCall 624-5128 or 338-736-3061

OTHER SERVICES/ACTIVITIES POINTS OF CONTACT

Muslim Prayer Room, open for daily prayers, NAS II Chapel, x9049.

Latter-day Saints: Sunday 1300 Catania Chapel, shefchik@hotmail.com; 624-1393

AA Meetings: Monday,Wednesday, Friday – 1900, NAS II Chapel, 346-840-7745

Direct LineGood morning Sigonella,There are two topics I’d like to

discuss today: Advancement examsand recreational safety.

As everyone should know thenext set of advancement exams arefast approaching. September 8th isthe E-6 exam, with the 15th the E-5 exam and the 22nd the E-4 exam.With all the changes that are occur-ring in the Navy (ERB, PTS), ad-vancement will play a huge role inkeeping you safe from the chop-ping block. That said everyone hasjust over a month before testing. Ifyou are not already studying, thendownload your BIBS and start stu-dying now! Also, remember thatleave and PCS is not an excuse totake the late exam. If you arePCS’ing, ensure there is an examdelivered to your gaining com-mand or, if on transfer leave, an in-stallation near your leave address.

The next item is a recurringtheme… Safety! We are still in theperiod which has been labeled thecritical days of summer, Memorial

Day weekend through Labor Day.So what does this mean to you?The critical days of summer are hi-storically the highest risk period ofthe year resulting in many preven-table deaths. The only reason Imention this is because recently wehave had a rise in incidents becauseof a number of factors unique tothe summer season; increased tra-velling due to PCS’s and vacations,increased amount of cookouts andparties which typically include al-cohol, and increased levels of out-door recreation in general.

High speed and poor choiceswere directly related to most of thevehicle accidents this summer. Hadthe Sailors and civilians involved al-lowed more time to get to their de-stination, slowed down, andplanned rest stops, many of themwould have actually arrived.

Motorcycle riders in particularneed to be especially cautious andalways ride in a safe and controlledmanner. Navy Region Europe re-cently lost a Sailor to a single mo-

torcycle accident. This incident, inaddition to a large percentage ofmotorcycle fatalities from previoussummers were caused by the riderlosing control. Simply slowingdown could have saved their lives.Each and every rider needs to re-spect the road, their bike, and mo-torists around them. Obey thespeed limits. Operate your motor-cycle safely. Remember to alwaysbe a defensive driver and watch outfor motorists that aren’t looking formotorcycles. The roads in Sicily arenot forgiving.

A motorcycle safety program isnot complete without the full enga-gement of a Sailor’s chain of com-mand. During the course of theinvestigation for the last fatality, itwas discovered that there was a lackof current motorcycle rider’s cre-dentials and certifications. I expectour leadership, especially the Chie-f ’s Mess, to know which of theirSailors are motorcycle riders. Youshould keep a copy of their requi-red training and documentations in

their Training or DivisionOfficer’s Record. This isespecially important for newcheck-ins. “Intrusive Leader-ship” is always authorized –Please engage, verify, andeducate.

For those who want todrink, ensure that your mor-ning after plan includes analternate means of transpor-tation. Just because you’veslept “some” and feel “fine”does not mean you are ne-cessarily ready to drive. Onlytime rids the body of alco-hol. If you do plan to drink,have a designated driver ar-ranged before you go out,drink in moderation andstick to your plan. MWR has a fewcontracted taxi driving companies,and many of your commands haveduty drivers. Please utilize all ofyour resources.

Let’s continue to make thissummer a safe and fun filled sea-son. When travelling remember to

give yourself plenty of time to getto your destination, drive safely,and use common sense when en-joying outdoor recreation, coo-kouts and alcohol. Let’s worktogether to keep Sigonella safe andnot a part of next year's safety sta-tistics. Hooyah NAS Sigonella!!

NAS SigoNellA ActiNg commANd mASter chief, edwArd SANtiAgo

CNE-CNA-C6F/CNREURAFSEAIG Hotline

It’s everyone’s responsibility to report fraud, waste,abuse and mismanagement in Navy activities to:Office of the Inspector General, Naples, Italy

Leave a recorded message 24/7:DSN 626-2983, Comm: 081-568-2983

Speak to the Investigator:DSN 626-2964, Comm: 081-568-2964

Email: ighotline@eu.navy.milWebsite: www.cnic.navy.mil/europe/index.htm

You can choose to remain anonymous or confidential.

HealthWWaattcchh

Move it to lose it weight loss challengekicks off on NAS Sigonella

Naval Hospital Sigonella’s HealthPromotion and Nutrition Depar-tment here has combined effortswith the Morale, Welfare, and Re-creation (MWR) Department, Com-missary and the Navy Exchange(NEX) Sigonella to begin a healthyweight-loss challenge for servicemembers and their families stationedhere.

The 10-week ‘Move It 2 Lose It!’challenge provides framework andfriendly competition to promote he-althier eating, encourage physical ac-tivity and create a supportiveenvironment to assist in long term re-sults.

“The purpose of the program is toget people to move towards a heal-thier lifestyle in general, to get themup, get them active and get them mo-ving,” said Cmdr. Alice Whitley, the

department head for Health Promo-tion and Nutrition. “A big part of thisprogram is to introduce people toother people that are trying to do thesame thing that will offer them sup-port.”

The participants began the pro-gram July 13 with the initial manda-tory weigh-in and will continue weeklyweigh-ins through September 14.

The program will consist of a maleand female category of which therewill be one winner from each. Thewinners are determined by percen-tage of total weight loss and will re-ceive a mystery prize.

“For everyone who completes thechallenge and maintains their initialweight, they will receive a $25 giftcard from the NEX,” said PaolaKlein, Move It 2 Lose It program co-ordinator. “They do have to attendthe weekly meetings and weigh-ins atthose meetings.”

An inside look at Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella’s Customs OperationsBy LS1 Herman Mesa

Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella

One of the best feelings that oneexperiences when they arrive to theirnew duty station overseas is thechance at good experiences, seeingnew places, all while having many ofthe regular amenities from back inthe States being available to them.Walking in the Commissary, onefinds all kinds of American products,and strolling through the Navy Ex-change (NEX), sees the wide selec-tion of electronics, movies, toys, andother things that make our daily lives

more enjoyable overseas. With ourcurrent missions and operational en-gagements in Libya, not only theCommissary and NEX, but every te-nant command and the installationitself have all experienced a higherdemand for incoming goods and ser-vices.

Behind the scenes in getting a my-riad of supplies to the island are cu-stoms specialists, Salvatore Longoand Maurizio Mancuso, who haveprovided the Sigonella communitywith the possibility of enjoying thesethings, which can easily be taken forgranted. Every single item from theCommissary or NEX that servicemembers enjoy in their homes, theirhousehold goods, their imported ve-hicles and their repair parts, the me-dicine that is received at the hospital,the food enjoyed at the Galley andthe food courts- all of these must go

through a rigorous customs process.When aircraft bring or take cargo,

when contractors need to send equip-ment back home for repair, or whenequipment or vehicles need fuel,Maurizio and Salvo’s work means thatoperations go smoothly. “We feelhappy and honored of doing our jobknowing that American families enjoythe things that they miss the mostback home,” Maurizio says. The divi-sion fosters a relationship that NavalAir Station Sigonella enjoys with thelocal customs office in Catania. “Thesuccessful relationship that we havewith the local customs office andcommercial carriers, has built up a tru-sting and effective logistics network,”Salvo says. “We understand how im-portant the partnership between ournations is and the difference we makein many parts of the world by justdoing our job here in Sigonella.”

MOVE, continued on page 12

By MCSA Brian Glunt

NPASE East

paGe 11July 29, 2011

on the Go with Mwr

Midtown Movie theaterSSchedule & deScriptionS

Movie schedule is subject to change.Please call to confirm. Movie Hotline: 624-4248

Friday, July 295:00pm X-Men: First Class PG-138:00pm The Conspirator PG-13 PREMIER

Saturday, July 302:00pm Cars 2 PG4:30pm Harry Potter 7pt. 2 PG-13 7:30pm Transformers 3 PG-13

Sunday, July 312:00pm Kung Fu Panda 2 PG 4:30pm Transformers 3 PG-137:30pm Priest R

Tuesday, August 25:00pm X-Men: First Class PG-138:00pm Captain America PG-13 PREMIERE

Wednesday, August 35:00pm Harry Potter 7pt. 2 PG-138:00pm Horrible Bosses R

Thursday, August 45:00pm Transformers 3 PG-138:00pm The Conspirator PG-13

Friday, August 55:00pm Super 8 PG-138:00pm Cowboys & Aliens PG-13 PREMIERE

Alcoholics AnonymousAlcoholic Anonymous meeting

will be held on Monday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the NASII Chapel.

If additional meetings are needed or for more

information please call x3267

Forza D’Agro: GodfatherTour and Savoca

The town of Forza D’Agro has been a must-see location for years, featuring beautiful ter-races, a breathtaking castle, and a view to diefor. About an hour away, Forza D’Agro wasone of two Sicilian communes where filmingfor the popular “Godfather” trilogy tookplace, among many other films. Originally,the Godfather movies were set to film in thecity of Corleone, but even back in the 1970s,the city was too developed to be used in thefilm. Today it is quite obvious why producerswould choose to film outside of Corleone, inForza D’Agro. Identifiable stops throughoutthe town include a church regularly featuredthroughout the trilogy, as well as a marvelousview of the town and its surroundings. Sa-voca, the other Sicilian commune where fil-ming took place, features the Bar Vitelli andthe wedding church which is also featured inthe movie. The Bar Vitelli is said to be in theexact same condition as it was during the fil-ming of the trilogy. Also in Savoca is the be-autiful Palazzo Trimarchi, a building knownfor it’s spectacular balcony with exceptionalamounts of greenery. For all those moviegurus interested in visiting the filming loca-tions, be sure to contact ITT and sign up forthe trip on August 5th.

HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (7) pt. 2 - Daniel Rad-cliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Carter

In the epic finale, the battle between good and evil forces of the wizarding worldescalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. Butit is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he drawscloser to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here (118 min.)

KUNG FU PANDA 2- Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen

Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peacealongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five. But Po's newlife of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, whoplans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu.He must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; onlythen will Po be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed. (91 min.)

PRIEST – Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Can Gigandet, Maggie Q, Lily Collins

A legendary Warrior Priest from the last Vampire War now lives in obscurityamong other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruledby the Church. When his niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires,Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on an obsessive quest to find her be-fore they turn her into one of them. He is joined by his niece’s boyfriend and aformer Warrior Priestess who possess otherworldly fighting skills (87 min.)

CARS 2 – Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, Owen Wilson, Michael Cain

Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take theirfriendship to exciting new places when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car. But the road to thechampionship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surpriseswhen Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: internationalespionage. Torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile raceand towing the line in a top-secret spy mission, Mater's action-packed journeyleads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailedby his friends and watched by the whole world. Adding to the fast-paced fun is acolorful new all-car cast that includes secret agents, menacing villains and inter-national racing competitors (112 min.).

ZOOKEEPER – Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Donnie Wahlberg, Ken Jeong

The animals at Franklin Park Zoo love their kind-hearted caretaker, Griffin Keyes.Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Griffin decides the onlyway to get a girl in his life is to leave the zoo and find a more glamorous job. Theanimals, in a panic, decide to break their time-honored code of silence and revealthat they can talk. To keep Griffin from leaving, they decide to teach him the rulesof courtship – animal style (104 min)