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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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June 24H: 92L: 67

June 25H: 89L: 65

June 26H: 83L: 63

June 27H: 81L: 63

June 28H: 83L: 64

June 29H: 87L: 63

June 30H: 88L: 66

Weather

uPdate

If you are a parent of achild enrolled in Sigo-nella schools and arePCSing this summer,check out the article inthe school corner thataddresses PCS concernsand how to help yourchild adapt.

PAGE 2

Master Chief Petty Offi-cer of the Navy(MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D.West released a messageto the hospital corpsmanin celebration of theirbirthday in his messageto the Fleet June 17.

PAGE 3

Andrea Bocelli will per-form on Friday, July 1 atthe Greek Theatre of Si-racusa his only Europeanperformance in 2011: theconcert, “Flames of Soli-darity.” An event which isorganized by Fiamme diSolidarietà, the ItalianGuardia di Finanza’sCommittee dedicated tohumanitarian projects.

PAGE 6

If you haven’t been toMalta, what are you wait-ing for? Just a hop, skip,and jump over the Medand you’re transportedto a country with deephistory and culture.

PAGE 8

Come out to Movies inthe Park tomorrow, June25. The movie playingwill be “Tangled” andthere will be refresh-ments for sale. Bring yourlawn chair, blanket, andenjoy a movie under thestars!

PAGE 11

JuNe 24, 2011

youtube.com/sigonellavidscnic.navy.mil/sigonella

Check us out online!

facebook.com/nassigonella

Vol. 28 No. 25

Traffic

Numbers

Jan. 11 Jan. 10

June 11 June 10

Accidents 152 134

Injuries 22 25

DUIs 5 4

Traffic Deaths 0 0

Please,

don’t

become

a statistic!

Photo by MC3 Erin L. Boyce

Sailors from AIMD Sigonella aboard USS Bataan teach the fundamentalsof AIRspeed to Sailors aboard the Bataan.

AIMD Sigonella teachesAIRspeed to USS Bataan

Team members of AIMD Sigo-nella recently joined sailors on theUSS Bataan to teach the fundamen-tals of the Navy AIRspeed program.AIRspeed is the name given to theNAVY’s program that combines ele-ments from the three managementtechniques of Lean, Six Sigma, andTheory of Constraints. Practiced byindustry leaders such as Apple andGE, these management methods aredesigned to eliminate waste and im-prove efficiency while fostering anenvironment of continual processimprovement.

There are four progressive tiers ofAIRspeed certifications: white, yel-low, green, and black belts- the latterbeing the most knowledgeable anddifficult to attain. On the USS Bataan,the class being taught was for the yel-low belt. For some, these conceptswere new, yet for others, this class wastaken to further their understandingof an already familiar program. AT1(AW) Craig, who helped implementAIRspeed on the USS Kitty Hawk aswell as participate in events at FRCMayport has experienced first handthe effectiveness the program offers.Craig stated, “The AIRspeed pro-gram has the ability to eliminate a lotof waste while helping to visualizespace constraints.”

Certified yellow belt sailors areeligible to participate in AIRspeedevents. In an AIRspeed event, anarea is identified that is in need ofimprovement. A team is then assem-bled and tasked to break down theissue, identifying areas of concernand what is needed to rectify pro-blems. While this sounds easy, itmost often consists of weeks of ga-thering information and breakingdown processes to their simpleststeps. The event is most effectivewhen team members know even thesmallest aspects of that which theyare investigating. Next, all steps arecategorized and a value is placed de-termining its validity. Any step in the

By Tracie Barnthouse

NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

Faced with barracks at 170 percentcapacity and no sign of OperationUNIFIED PROTECTOR ending any-time soon, Navy Region Europe andEuropean Command (EUCOM) lea-dership recognized that berthing chal-lenges at Naval Air Station (NAS)Sigonella needed to be resolved -- andquickly. At EUCOM’s direction, andwith Italian government approval,USAFE (3rd Air Force) deployed theirBasic Expeditionary Airfield Resour-ces (BEAR) kits to NAS Sigonellaalong with 57 personnel and they,alongside 27 Seabees from NMCB-74stationed out of Rota, Spain and NASSigonella Seabees and Public Works(PW) personnel have been feverishlyworking to get “tent city” off theground. The first inhabitants are set tomove in within a couple of days.

After a decision was made thatsomething needed to be done about

TENT, continued on page 12The view of the field behind the Autoport on NAS II on June 1.The view of the land behind the Autoport on NAS II as of June 17. 65 tents (50 livable and 15 shower/shave and bathroom) had been set up.

‘Tent City’ goes up at NAS Sigonella

AIMD, continued on page 12

By AE3 Kenny Jason Nantz

AIMD Sigonella

pAge 2 JuNe 24, 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) newspaper

is an authorized publication for mem-

bers of the military services overseas.

Contents of The Signature are not nec-

essarily the official views of, or en-

dorsed by, the U.S. Government, the

Department of Defense (DoD), or the

U.S. Navy. The appearance of advertis-

ing in this newspaper, including inserts

or supplements, does not constitute en-

dorsement by the DoD or Stampa Gen-

erale S.r.l., of the products or services

advertised. Everything advertised in

this publication shall be made available

for purchase, use or patronage without

regard to race, color, religion, sex, na-

tional origin, age, marital status, phys-

ical handicap, political affiliation or any

other non-merit factor of the purchaser,

user or patron. A confirmed violation or

rejection of this equal opportunity pol-

icy by an advertiser will result in the re-

fusal to print advertising from that

source until the violation is corrected.

The Signature is published weekly by

Stampa Generale S.r.l., Sig. Bruno

Brandi, Publisher, Naval Support Ac-

tivity, Capodichino (Naples), Italy - Tel.

081-568-7884, Fax 081-568-7887.

E-mail: stampagenerale@tin.it. Edito-

rial submissions are welcomed from all

Naval Air Station Sigonella depart-

ments, divisions and tenant commands.

Editorial submissions should be sent to

the Public Affairs Office via

thesig@eu.navy.mil, guard mail stop

#68 or hand-delivered to our office no

later than the close of business on the

Friday proceeding the expected publi-

cation date. All articles submitted by

non-staff members will be considered

contributing writers. The Signature will

not publish any anonymous articles. All

advertisements in this publication are

the property of Stampa Generale S.r.l.

Any reproduction of advertisements in

The Signature is unauthorized without

the 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 LineHave you hugged a Seabee

today? I’m not saying that theSeabees that are engaged acrossthe spectrum of base supportand construction operationswould actually welcome anyhugs, but I wanted to devote thisedition of Direct Line to lettingthe greater Sigonella Commu-nity know about some of theamazing – truly groundbreaking– work being done by Seabees atour installations. We’ll call it averbal hug.I think that, by now, most of

you are aware of the huge in-crease in the number of person-nel being supported by NASSIG.We continue to ensure the opera-tional readiness of more than1100 additional personnel from 8different nations in support ofthe ongoing operations in Libya.What you may not have knownis that all of our additionalguests have been staying in ourexisting buildings, to the pointwhere our Navy Gateway Inns &Suites (NGIS), remarkably ma-naged by Mr. Eric Birmingham,

have been operating at nearly170% capacity. Our friends aresleeping in overcrowded roomson cots…and the summer heat isnow here to stay.To mitigate this, NASSIG

Seabees have been working clo-sely with Seabees deployed fromNaval Mobile Construction Bat-talion SEVENTY-FOUR(NMCB-74) to construct a tentcity on NAS II. Tracie has agreat article about this effort inthis week’s Signature, but in thevery near term, this camp willbe able to house more than 500personnel, greatly enhancingNASSIG’s ability to support thedeployed coalition forces. Thetent city represents the firsttime this equipment has everbeen deployed within Italy andits construction was quite anachievement. The efforts ofthese great Sailors serve toexemplify the Seabee motto, “WeBuild. We Fight.”But Seabees are involved in

far more than this single project,of course. For example, I hope

that some of you may have al-ready noticed some of the basebeautification projects our Sea-bees have taken on. They’ve al-ready spent countless hourspainting areas around MidTownon NAS I, and they’re really justgetting started. It’s amazing tome what a fresh coat of paintcan do on some of our buildingsand I’m sure you’ll agree theirwork is already having somegreat results. I really think thatthey are setting an example forall of us: if something is broke;try to fix it….if it’s dirty; clean itup…if it’s in the wrong place;put it back where it belongs. Wecan all get more involved and Iknow that the Base will lookeven better.The Seabees are, literally,

working everywhere: fixingwater leaks; repairing air condi-tioning units; cleaning out pipesunder the school’s track&field;assisting with repairs in everybuilding all over the installa-tions. Under the direction of thenewly-arrived Public Works Of-

ficer, LCDR Bill Brecken-ridge, and his Deputy, Mr.John Rovero, I have everyfaith that this great workwill continue to the bene-fit of all here in Sigonella.So go ahead, give ‘em ahug!I’d also like to take a

moment to officially wel-come aboard my Execu-tive Officer, CDR Eric“Voz” Vosler, whose familyis arriving this week fromBremerton, WA. Vozbrings with him a wealthof operational helicopterexperience in the both theUH-1 Huey and the SH-60B Seahawk. He has ser-ved the Navy in dutystations all over theworld, but this is the first timehe and his family have been sta-tioned in Sicily. In his most re-cent job as Operations Officeraboard USS JOHN C. STEN-NIS, he directed activitiesacross the spectrum of deployednaval operations, which should

make his job working with thefolks here seem easy. I can’t tellyou how happy I am, personally,to welcome Voz, Michelle, Han-nah, Rachel, Katie and Andrewto the Sigonella family – and Iencourage you to welcome themaboard, too.

NAS SigoNellA CommANdiNg offiCer, CApt. SCott Butler

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.

Sigonella School CornerAre you PCSing this summer?

Article from Office of the EducationOmbudsman

www.waparentslearn.org

Tips to Make Your Child’s Transi-tion Smoother

Are you going to be moving thissummer? Now is the time to start plan-ning! In order to reduce the stress thatcan accompany a Permanent Changeof Station (PCS), it’s important not towait until the last minute before prepa-ring for your move. Often military fa-milies are so preoccupied with thelogistic of PCS-ing, that the academicPCS of your child gets overlooked.Here are a few quick tips to help yourchild have a smooth move from theircurrent school to his or her newschool.

1. As soon as you receive orders,notify your child’s school in writing.Provide the date of your child’s lastday. It is never too early to do this!

2. Create a School PCS folder foreach child. In the folder, place all of theitems collected that represent your chil-d’s academic standing at the time ofyour move — report cards, standardi-zed test results, special education docu-mentation, etc. Be sure to include thefollowing: copy of birth certificate, shotrecord, copy of Social Security card.DO NOT PACK THIS FOLDER!

3. Research the area where you aremoving. You should investigate theschools BEFORE you choose some-

where to live! You can find valuable in-formation and data about schools onwww.greatschools.org.

4. Contact the local School LiaisonOfficer at your current duty station.He or she will be able to connect youto the School Liaison Officer at yournew duty station. Together they will beable to assist you in gathering the in-formation you need to make impor-tant educational decisions for yourfamily.

5. If you have a child with specialneeds, meet with your Special Educa-tion Teacher. Ask that they contact thenew school personally. Keep copies ofIEPs, notes, etc. in your child’s SchoolPCS folder.

6. Network! One thing military fa-milies are often eager to do is sharewhat they have learned. In addition totalking to neighbors and friends, lookfor information on-line. Many schoolsand military support organizationspost information on websites and so-cial networking sites like Facebook.Take a look around you just might findwhat you need.

7. Talk to your child about his or hersocial and emotional stresses. Plan agood-bye party or allow your child tohave a closure at your current duty sta-tion. Ask other important adults in yourchild’s life to lend a hand — teachers,club leaders, and counselors can all playan important role in this process.

PCS, continued on page 12

Victory against all oddsBy Mikaela Palmer

After a long season of blood, sweatand tears, the Sigonella LadyJaguar Softball team defea-ted the Incirlik Hodjas fromTurkey, bringing home thelong awaited title of the Di-vision III Softball Cham-pionship. In the last inningof the final game with Incir-lik ahead by five runs throu-ghout the intense battle,Sigonella pulled through inthe top of the 6th inning,bringing in seven runs, soa-ring past the Hodjas.

With one more “at bat”for Incirlik, the Sigonellagirls were determined not to let Incir-

lik score any runs, this time around.The Jaguars waited on their toes as

Courtney Albert pitched the firststrike, which was an infield hit, that Si-gonella scrambled to get. When thesecond batter stepped up to the plate,the Lady Jaguars were ready to playanything that came their way. The bat-ter had a record of clearing the fences,

but to everyone’s surprise, she smac-ked the ball straight at Sigonella’s third

baseman Alexis Palmer. Pal-mer snagged the ball just be-fore it hit the ground, gettingthe batter out, and then; witha blink of an eye, hurled theball to the first basemanTenia Strobridge, making adouble play and sending therunner back to the dug out.

Everyone was all smilesand tears running into the in-field to congratulate Palmerand Strobridge for the dou-ble play. After tasting some ofthe victory and regainingtheir composure each player

returned to their positions determinedto get the last out.

Courtney Albert pitched anotherhit-worthy ball, which was popped upby the batter into foul territory. TeniaStrobridge hustled to the fly ball, whileSOFTBALL, continued on page 12

paGe 11June 24, 2011

on the Go with Mwr

Midtown Movie theaterSSchedule & deScriptionS

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

Sunday, June 252:00pm Hoodwinked Too: Hood v. Evil PG PREMIER E4:30pm Water for Elephants PG-137:30pm Fast Five PG-13

Tuesday, June 285:00pm Soul Surfer PG8:00pm Green Lantern PG-13 PREMIERE

Wednesday, June 295:00pm X-Men: First Class PG-138:00pm Your Highness R LAST SHOWING

Thursday, June 305:00pm Kung Fu Panda 2 PG 8:00pm Green Lantern PG-13

Friday, July 15:00pm Arthur PG-138:00pm X-Men: First Class PG-13

The sunny Mediterranean city of Va-lencia in Spain is world-renowned for itstasty and succulent oranges. And justthirty miles away is Buñol, another townjust as famous for its produce. But its no-toriety comes from the locals' habit ofwearing the produce as well as tasting it:every year, Buñol hosts La Tomatina,the world's largest vegetable fight. Situa-ted only 30 kilometers inland from theMediterranean Sea, and well-connectedby motorway and rail to Madrid and Va-lencia, this charming town erupts into afiery blaze of tomato-hurling on the lastWednesday of every August.

The "batalla" (battle) takes place du-ring a week-long celebration filled withon-going festivities and with even grea-ter anticipation for the monstrous to-mato battle that serves as theculmination of the week's events.

Without question the biggest to-mato fight in the world, La Tomatinastarted with a good laugh. During theforties, in Buñol's main town square, anumber of friends started a tomato fightfor unknown reasons. It's unclear whe-ther the initial volley was aimed at cityofficials or simply pedestrians unluckyenough to be in the line of fire. Soon

enough, however, with their rowdyhooliganism drawing passers-by intothe fray, everyone was having a greattime. They had so much fun, in fact, thatfrom that day forward, the fiesta hasbeen celebrated annually and hasgrown ever bigger each year.

In an effort to draw more tourism(and therefore more targets) into thesmall town of Buñol, La Tomatina hasblossomed into a full-blown fiesta thatcoincides with the festival for the town'spatron saint. For a week leading up tothe epic battle, the 20,000-strong townof Buñol, is filled with parades, fire-works, food and street parties. Thenight before La Tomatina, the narrowstreets beneath the town's imposingMedieval bell tower are filled with to-matoes, in a much more palatable formthan they will be the next day! Caul-drons of delectable paella cooking, sim-mered traditionally over wood-burningfires line the Concurso des Paellas, nearthe Plaza del Pueblo, site of the immi-nent skirmishes. Wine and food flowaround the small town until the weehours, in a fabulous Dickens-like fore-shadowing. After all, who can do battlethirsty and on an empty stomach?

SOUL SURFER- Anna Sophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Kevin Sorbo, Lorraine Nicholson

Bethany was born to surf. A natural talent who took to the waves at a young age,she was leading an idyllic, sun-drenched, surfer girl's life on the Kauai Coast, com-peting in national competitions with her best friend Alana, when everythingchanged in a heartbeat. On Halloween morning, Bethany was on a typical oceanouting when a 14-foot tiger shark came out of nowhere and seemed to shatter allher dreams. In the moving aftermath of this headline-making story, Bethany fightsto recover and grapples with the future. Strengthened by the love of her parents,Tom and Cheri, she refuses to give in or give up, and begins a bold return to thewater. Still, the questions keep hammering her: Why did this happen? Why did shehave to lose everything? Will she ever feel the joy and power of riding the wavesagain? And if she can't be a surfer, then who is she? The devastating 2004 tsunamiin the Pacific Ocean unexpectedly gives Bethany a new perspective. Traveling toPhuket, Thailand with her youth-group leader Sara Hill, she witnesses life beyondher own shoreline and discovers her greater purpose--she can make a difference inthe lives of others. Filled with a new sense of hope and direction, she returns homewith a renewed resolve to conquer her own limitations and set an encouraging ex-ample for people facing adversity. At the National Championships, Bethany bravelyfaces off with her fiercest rival, Malia Birch, and takes her astonishing one-armedsurfing technique to the limit. But as the horn blows, and the suspenseful compe-tition kicks off, Bethany is no longer thinking about the challenges of her body.Now, her surfing, her biggest dreams and her life have become about pushing herown physical limits to touch the souls of others. (106 min.)

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS- Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson,Christoph Waltz, Paul Schneider, Jim Norton

Jacob Jankowski is about to take his final exams in veterinary medicine at Cornellwhen his parents are killed in a car accident. He drops out and joins Benzini Brothers,a second-rate traveling circus trying to survive during the Depression. (121 min.)

GREEN LANTERN – Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed forcenturies. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps.A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lanternwears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallaxthreatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate ofEarth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jor-dan. Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respectfor humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. ButHal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination andwillpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. Withthe encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris, if Halcan quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, hemay prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax... he will become the greatestGreen Lantern of all (105 min.)