SEL - Farewell YNC Jeffrey Sellers I hope you enjoyed spring break with family and friends. It has been a good beginning to a New Year. On April 5th the command took time for the annual summer safety stand down. This was a good time to remember that with the coming good weather of summer we also have to be watchful of risk that are specific to the season. Make sure to stay hydrated when spending time outdoors and look out for one another when doing activities that involve risk. The command has experienced several alcohol related incidents over the last month. This is a sharp increase from the previous year. We have not experienced a change in operational tempo or any other challenges that we can attribute this change to. It's imperative that we all take a look at our personal use of alcohol and be realistic as to how we use it. The Navy's policy is not to keep Sailors from drinking, but to drink responsibly. Make sure you only drink at the right place, at the right time and around people you know well. A poor decision in regards to any of these will result in negative consequences. Make sure you know ahead of time where your liberty will lead you. Lastly, I have been the Senior Enlisted Leader for the past year and will be turning over to Senior Chief Lee Simpson starting May 1. It has been an extraordinary honor to work with you and for you. I can say that this time has been one of the most rewarding of my career and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Thank you for the support that you have given me and I know that Senior Chief will be a great addition to our team. Again, thank you and enjoy the summer!
By Pietro Migliorini
It’s certainly hard to summarize in a few lines the sights and places to visit in a city like Palermo, city capital and main urban center of Sicily, Palermo is a city of Phoenician origin, but with a long history that has left a remarkable artistic heritage styles ranging from Arab-Norman, Baroque, up to Liberty of 1900. Palermo, a city with significant management issues like nearly all cities of southern Italy, and therefore might perplex the tourist because of the degradation of certain areas and neighborhoods, but in any case it deserves to be visited as still one of the main historic centers of the Mediterranean. In fact, from 1160 to 1816 was the capital of the Kingdom of Sicily until 1861, and the second most important city during the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies after Naples. We will begin the visit from the Norman Palace seat of the Sicilian Regional Parliament. The building has an internal chapel "The Palatine Chapel" that is a three-aisled basilica dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, and made a giant golden mosaic of Christ Pantocrator blessing. Multiple styles from Arabic into the ceiling to the Byzantine representations of the sacred, to the Norman architecture. Do not miss the room of King Ruggero (Ruggero II of Swabian) in the tower of Pisa with mosaics dating from the twelfth century, and representing scenes of hunting leopards, deer, swans, peacocks, but also mythological beasts like centaurs. The second place to visit, and one I would strongly suggest, is the cathedral of Palermo which was built in 1185 on an area previously occupied by an Arab mosque. The cathedral is host to a mix of styles from Gothic to Baroque to neoclassical Catalan. Inside there are the tombs of Emperor Federico II Emperor of the Romans, King of Sicily, and King of Jerusalem, King Ruggero II of Sicily, Calabria and Puglia, and the Golden Tiara of Costanza d'Altavilla Queen of Sicily and mother Federico II. At this point, I suggest you look for a restaurant and resume the tour of the city in next month’s Transmitter issue. Have fun!
By ITSN Jesse Roswell
If you are an avid reader of “The Transmitter,” then the following gentlemen shouldn’t be a stranger to you. He is Pietro Migliorini, and I am proud to say that he is one of the NCTS’s very own! Every month, Pietro has introduced us to the Italian culture by sharing his knowledge of this beautiful island, as well as pointing us in the right direction on places to visit. Pietro was kind enough to take some time out of his day to answer a few questions for the “Transmitter.” What is your job function for NCTS? I'm assigned to the Base Communications Office (N91) Division of the N9 Department External Services, as the Technical Director. The Base Communications Office is responsible for all telecommunications requirements within the confines of NAS Sigonella, Sicily which includes NAS I, NAS II, NRTF at Niscemi, Augusta Bay pier site, 205 housing annex, and Marinai residence. The Base Communications Office is responsible to provide service from the user (jack on the wall) location to the external network connection, to include DSN (Defense Switched Network), Commercial PTT (Post Telephone and Telegraph) and mobile/ wireless telephony/interbase connectivity. The BCO Technical Director is responsible for the supervision of all administrative and operational matters.
Gogol, Maupassant, Puskin, etc.) although every couple of readings I alternate some contemporary author such as Andrea Cammilleri, an Italian, that has developed a modern way of writing with a mix of Sicilian and Italian languages and in such a way contributed to the diffusion and knowledge of the Sicilian dialect in the entire country, or Ian McEwan an English novelist, considered one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945 I strongly recommend the reading of "Solar" and "Sweet Tooth," or Georges Simenon, a Belgian writer and author of the famous Police Superintendent character of "Jules Maigret" and a quantity of introspective novels of human nature. Also that I'm a Harley rider, I own a Nightster XL 1200, that I love punk rock music "The Offspring," is my favorite band, and that in the last thirty years I have swim in the sea all year round. But I think the very unique thing, that no one knows is that I have lived my entire life on military installations!!
How long have you been working here? I was raised in NCTS Sicily!!! Actually I have to say initially I was hired in If you could recommend one place that sailors NAVCOMDET Sicily in 1979, and I was only stationed here should not miss, what would it twenty years old at that time. So it will be 34 be? years as of November 2013! Sicily's gift is that it is a vacation island, with sea all around it and its mountains thousand What is something about you that very few meters high and above, with the excellence of the three thousand and three hundred and more mepeople know? That despite the appearance I'm not that ters of the volcano Etna, Sicily is one of the few young!!!!...just kidding. I think the majority of places in the world where you can ski and swim my colleagues knows about my interest for read- during the same day, or lets say within couple of ing international classics literature of the 19th hours!!! No special places to recommend, just get and 20th centuries (Hugo, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, out and have fun!!! But remember only before Mann, Buck, Dickens, Roth, Verga, Pirandello, midnight!!!...since nothing good happen after midnight!
April 2013 GMT Awardees
IT2 Jenei ET3 James IT3 Bellavia ETC Ehrhardt CE1 Blaise IT2 Jenei IT2 Zhao IT3 Bellavia ET3 Barnes
NAM NAM NAM EIDW EIDW EIDW EIDW EIDW EIDW
ET3 Delacruz ET3 McGee ET3 James IT3 Snyder YN3 Adams ITSN Harner IT2 Shanley IT3 Chesnut
EIDW EIDW EIDW EIDW EIDW EIDW Good Conduct BJOQ
Creighton Cup
Mentor of the Month
IT2 Terry
LS2 Blanco Protégé LSSN Burks
Happy Birthday to the Navy’s Finest Chief Petty Officers! By IT1 Shelly Espin
Any enlisted member with their mind set on the Navy as a career has a single hope, to one day reach the rank of Chief Petty Officer, the backbone of our world’s finest Navy. The men and women who have gone before us, shaped us, taught us and trained us have one of the most illustrious histories in our military. They are no less the heroes today than the heroes of our past. To step into those khakis, and take the name “Chief” is one of the greatest accomplishments an enlisted service member can have. On April 1st, 2013, we celebrated the 120th birthday of the U.S. Navy Chief.
NCTS Sicily’s Chief Petty Officers
Chief Gerald Farrier
ITC Allan Capps ITC Antione Flanagan ITC Jason Dawson ITC Hugh Moore EMC Shelton Dickerson ETC Mitchell Ehrhardt ETC Anthony Myrick OSC Christopher Arthur YNC Jeffrey Sellers
MCPO Anna Der-Vartanian
The Chief Petty Officer is a senior enlisted, noncommissioned officer at the pay grades of E-7 (Chief Petty Officer), E-8 (Senior Chief Petty Officer) and E-9 (Master Chief Petty Officer). Typically, these sailors have been in the Navy for at least twelve years, although some hard-charging sailors can reach this rank in as little as nine or ten years. CPO’s are, in essence, the middle managers of the Navy. While commissioned officers are in charge of the department, ship or shore station, and are ultimately accountable for the performance of the entire unit, the Navy Chief is in charge of making sure the work gets done. Although the pay grades of E-7 through E-9 are Chief John W. Finn equivalent to those of other services, the Navy is unique in that it confers much more authority and responsibility on the Chief, while demanding more performance and results than any of the other services. Advancement into the CPO grades is the most significant promotion within the enlisted Naval ranks. Typically, when a Petty Officer First Class and lower ranks go up for advancement, they are promoted based on an advancement examination score. However, when a Sailor makes “Chief,” the candidate must pass the written examination, be selected by a special board made up of Senior and Master Chief Petty Officers, and Commissioned Officers, and then the selectee is ”Appointed” by the Bureau of Naval Personnel, and “initiated” into the ranks of the Chief Petty Officers. When a sailor has a problem, or is in a crisis situation, he or she goes to “Ask The Chief.” CPO’s often are the instrument of swift decision, and are always relied on to get things done; visible leaders who set the tone. And, they are generally charged with keeping good order and discipline within the lower enlisted ranks. Chief Thomas Reeves
1. Which U.S. Navy destroyer tender saw duty with the Asiatic Fleet for 20 years? 2. Aboard battleships and cruisers, when they recovered aircraft, what was the difference between a "Cast" recovery and a "Dog" recovery? 3. With regards to aircraft, what do the letters "PBY" stand for? 4. What was the first U.S. Navy plane to make a trans-Atlantic crossing? 5. What was the first U.S. Destroyer named after a woman ? 6. Name the U.S. Navy's first nuclear powered submarine. 7. Which U.S. Battleship was NOT named for a State? 8. In what year did pay grades E-8 and E-9 become effective? 9. What is a “Sparky’s” most likely rate? 10. The advent of nuclear power introduced a new type of submarine, one that carried nuclear missiles. What was the name of the Navy’s first ballistic missile submarine? 11. What is the nickname given to the twin engined turboprop powered E-2C Hawkeye airborne surveillance aircraft with the rotating “saucer” atop the fuselage? 12. Who was the first MCPON of the Navy? 13. The U.S. Navy allows submariners to wear special insignias to distinguish them from other Sailors. What is this insignia called? 14. What does the USN on the Chief’s fouled anchor emblem stand for? 15. If a Sailor tells you that he/she “did the ditch,” what is he/she referring to?
By: CM1 Leifeste (Safety Officer)
I think we can all agree that we would much rather be out enjoying the beautiful weather that comes with spring and summer instead of being anywhere near work. Grilling, camping, swimming, or just enjoying a nice drive with the windows down and the music up, are all things we enjoy doing this time of year. These warm weather months not only bring a surge in outdoor recreation, but also a large increase in safety related mishaps. I know, everything we do in life has some type of safety hazard related to it, so why make such a big deal about off duty recreation? Well the truth to that is, most all of our off duty mishaps occur during this time of year, and with that being said, we have to ensure we are doing everything in our power to prevent these mishaps. So, how do we make sure we are staying safe during these warm weather months, without putting a damper on our rest and relaxation? First, we have to remind ourselves that the best way to ruin a good time is having someone getting injured or even worse, killed. Many of these accidents are full of "we should have" or "why didn't we" explanations, when all they really needed was a small amount of planning and common sense to begin with. When we look at three of the main activities conducted during the summer months, we can easily see how dangerous they can be when we don't take the proper precautions while doing them. When we grill, we should always ensure our equipment is in good working order, and that we are as far away as possible from anything that might catch fire. When we swim, we should always make sure there is someone around who is a qualified lifeguard, and when we drive, make sure your not tired or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. That brings me to my last point, alcohol. Alcohol is often consumed during these activities, and when that happens it adds another variable into the safety mix. Many of us do drink, and when doing so, we have to remember that it needs to be done in a responsible matter. Always make sure there is someone sober, or as I like to call them, the "designated thinker," around to make sure the safety guidelines are followed. Remember, a safety plan is only as good as the person(s) who enforce it, and if everyone's been drinking, your chances for something bad happening have dramatically increased. Well that's my two sense for safety, and just remember, we talk about this stuff every year because it keeps happening. None of us our immune from accidents, so we have to make sure we put in the small amount of effort to prevent the large amount of damage that may result. Please stay safe and enjoy your summer!
Address PSC 812 BOX 3290 FPO AE 09627-3290
Command Numbers
MOST FITTING: Mr. Barry
SHINIEST: ITC Moore
BEST OF SHOW: Mr. Banchs
CWO: COMM: 011-39-095-86-5553 DSN: 314-624-5553
QD: COMM: 011-39-095-86-5521 DSN: 314-624-5521
Website
THICKEST: IT1 Long
CURLIEST: ETC Ehrhardt
2013 NAS Sigonella Basketball Champions
www.public.navy.mil/ fcc-c10f/navcomtelsta/ Pages/default.aspx
Facebook Group: NCTS Sicily
Editors IT1 Shelly Espin IT2 Katie Dale ET3 Courtney Robson ITSN Jesse Roswell
Photographer IT1 Enderle Questions or comments?
IT1 Espin: 624-5551
Congratulations to the NCTS Basketball team, Base champs! A job well done, gentleman. Hooyah!!