Serving the Nato, Naples and Gaeta military community in italy
58th year, No. 27
Friday, July 12, 2013
Gaeta Friendship Day Celebrated Capt. Craig Clapperton, commanding officer of the U.s. 6th Fleet flagship Uss Mount Whitney (LCC 20), makes opening remarks during Gaeta Friendship day, July 9, which recognizes the relationship between the U.s. navy and the ship’s host community of Gaeta, Italy. Mount Whitney, homeported in Gaeta, Italy, is the U.s. 6th Fleet flagship and operates with a combined crew of U.s. sailors and MsC civil service mariners. (Photo by MC1 Collin Turner)
George A. Smith, AFN Europe
See GAETA Page 11
Have Questions About Your Career? Navy Personnel Command offers a one-stop shop for Sailors who need answers By MC1 Jen Blake - Defense Media Activity
The Navy Personnel Command (NPC) customer service center (CSC) is dedicated to providing information and support to Sailors and their families around the world. The CSC can answer a wide variety of career-related questions such as Navy programs and policies, pay and benefits, selection board questions, and service member locations. Customer service agent Kathleen Lewelling said the service center is intended to be the Navy's "front door" "We want everything to come through us, and if we can't answer the question, we provide the single point of contact that can," said Lewelling.
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SATURDAY
Airwaves Carry US Culture to Unintended Audience
Lewelling, who has been a customer service agent for two and a half years, said the most common questions callers have are, "I'm no longer in the Navy; where can I find my service record or DD-214?" But each May, the call center is inundated with Sailors calling to see if their chief selection board package arrived at NPC. The board packages are processed within 24 hours of arrival. Customer service agents
can then confirm a Sailor's board package made it. That information can also be accessed through NPC's website. Because CSC has access to all current NAVADMINs, they can answer questions about the PRT/PFA, reply to employment verifications, and even answer questions about the detailing process. See YOUR CAREER Page 10
One of the U.S. military’s biggest accomplishments in post-war Europe was unintentional: the music the GIs listened to on the radio made a deep, positive impact on Europeans that continues today. Prior to AFN’s arrival, Nazi Germany had banned most American music as “decadent,” and even after the Americans first arrived, state-run German radio didn’t play English language music. When rebuilding began after World War II, American Soldiers seldom mixed with locals. Regulations prohibited it and few spoke the local language. But some curious Europeans chose to invite the GIs’ radio station into their home, car or restaurant: the American Forces Network Europe, AFN. Many Europeans wanted to hear the rich diversity of jazz, blues, country and rock music that wasn’t airing on their country’s radio stations. AFN never intended or tried to broadcast to host nationals. As a matter of fact, the network took extraordinary measures to not reach them. AFN’s linked radio transmitters used special broadcast patterns targeted where the Americans were stationed, the music and the talk was all in English and most transmitters were low-powered, so planners didn’t think many people living in Germany, Italy, France, Austria or Belgium would bother tuning in. But they did. Historian Dr. John Provan said a survey in AFN’s early years indicated the military network was reaching a potential listening audience of 50 million Europeans. AFN began broadcasting from locations in France, Austria, Italy, Germany and Belgium, and was heard, despite restrictions, in Paris, Vienna, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich and other major population centers. While many transmitters were low-powered, some were “sound monsters,” with the Munich and Weisskirchen, Germany, AM transmitters reaching much of Europe. See AIRWAVES Page 12
W hat ’ s I nsIde
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Weekly crime statistics SUNDAY High 84 / Low 70 Partly Cloudy
Review what happened between July 4 and July 10. Page 5
X-47B Makes First Arrested Landing at Sea Page 6
VCNO Message to Leaders on Sexual Assault Page 10
Scarletta Performs at Support Site Page 13