SIGNATURE THE
SIGONELLA, SICILY
October 24, 2014
Vol. 31 No. 40
cnic.navy.mil/sigonella
Sigonella Sailors celebrate 239 years
Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella held its annual Navy Ball at the Sheraton in Catania to commemorate the Navy's 239th birthday, Oct. 17. The event was comprised of around 480 Sig Sailors and citizens to help celebrate the Navy and pay homage to this time-honored tradition. To see more check out pages 8-9. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tony D. Curtis/Released) By YN3 Gabrielle Milly NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily - Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella held its annual Navy Ball on Oct. 17 at the Sheraton Hotel in Catania to commemorate the Navy's 239th birthday. Around 480 service members and citizens from the community helped celebrate the Navy and pay homage to this time-honored tradition. Capt. Chris Dennis, NAS Sigonella Commanding Officer, said the importance of celebrating a Navy Ball is that each year it allows attendees the opportunity to reflect on what the United States Navy is, where we have been, and where we are headed, and how contribute to the U.S and it’s National Security; not only in the past but also the present and into the future. Behind the success of the Navy Ball was plenty of hard work and coordination. Lt. Jonah Petrinovic, this year's Navy Ball coordinator, said the fundraising goal this year was $35,000. “Traditionally, the cost of the entire Navy Ball is around the range of $30,000 so I wanted to ensure that we had some ‘wiggle room’ for unexpected costs,” Petrinovic said. This year, the Navy Ball Committee raised a little over $40,000, which allowed NAS Sigonella to have everything needed to host a great Navy Ball. Petrinovic and his team held several fundraisers in the months leading up to the Navy Ball in an effort to make the annual event more enjoyable and to subsidize the cost for Sailors wanting to attend. Fundraising events included car washes, BBQs, bake sales as well as opportunities for people to blow off work and hit the links. Petrinovic said the main contributing factors making this year’s fundraising successful was due to those who volunteered their time to raise funds. With around 15 to 20 volunteers for each of the major fundraising events, there was a lot of community support that led to a successful turnout.
Dennis said it takes an entire community to coordinate a Navy Ball. “It really took a broad amount of coordination and the reason that I think that it was so well done is because that’s what this community does. We communicate and coordinate really well together,” he said. The Navy Ball is NAS Sigonella’s biggest social event of the year. The guest of honor at this year’s Navy ball, Consul General Colombia Barrosse, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and a friend of Dennis, provided the audience with expressed gratitude for what the Navy and its members do on a daily basis. Dennis said the general’s words inspired a time of reflection while capturing key elements of what Sailors do. Barrosse also talked about the history of the U.S. Navy in conjunction with how the U.S. Navy is portrayed in a number of different films. She also talked about how we saw the integration of women into our military through these movies and gave us an appreciation for the many powers of social change that the Navy has taken on and successfully accomplished. “You’re loyal, funny, and you will sacrifice your lives for your country. Your honorable, you’re tough and you’re human,” Barrosse said. Dennis said he felt privileged to toast the Italian President and was likewise honored that Commander Col. Vincenzo Sicuso, Sigonella Base Commander, toasted the president of the United States. He also believed that the execution of the POW/MIA event/display was probably the best he’s seen during his years in the military. “I thought that the actual ball itself was really, really well run. My hats off to all of the many people who were involved in the fundraising, as well as, to the organization and execution of the Navy Ball.”
Daylight-saving time 2014 will begin for Italy at 3 a.m., this Sunday, Oct. 26. Set your clocks back before you go to bed on Saturday night. Around Sigonella
Navy Ball 2014:
See what's happening around NAS Sigonella!
Check out the action!
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SP-MAGTF Africa 14: Scan for direct links to NAS Sigonella
Trains Cameroon in riverine tactics!
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