61st year, No. 28
Serving the NATO, Naples and Gaeta Military Community in Italy
Friday, July 15, 2016
President Visits Rota By HM2 Brinn Hefron Naval Station Rota Public Affairs
The 24-person JFC Naples Field Gun Crew walked – rather ran – away from the Brickwoods Field Gun competition at HMS Collingwood, Fareham, Hampshire, UK, with a first place finish in the plate 3 final. Photo courtesy of JFC Public Affairs
The Field Gun Crew that Could By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Patton
When the JFC Naples Field Gun Crew’s number one trainer, British Navy Chief Petty Officer Iain McMillan, heard someone in the crowd say “I didn’t see that coming from Naples,” he knew his team’s hard work had paid off. The cheers from 3,000 spectators and the tears of joy in the eyes of the JFC Naples crew were also a giveaway that they’d accomplished something special. The JFC Naples Field Gun Crew, the only multi-national team in the
competition of more than 20 other teams, walked away from the Brickwoods Field Gun competition at HMS Collingwood, Fareham, Hampshire, UK, with a first place finish in the plate 3 final. “The feeling you cannot describe,” German Army Staff Sgt. Hilke Lütt, whose speed benefitted the team as she served on a crucial pins position, said. The Brickwoods competition commemorates the breaking of the siege of Ladysmith in South Africa in 1899, when a Royal Navy infantry unit dragged huge field guns
in rough terrain across 100 miles of hostile territory. The crew’s race, which was completed in one minute and 32 seconds, combined strength, speed and finesse as the team was challenged to build a box, place wheels, run to the start line, attach the gun to the box, fire off three rounds after running with the 10 ½ ton equipment 85 meters and back again. The JFC Naples crew battled from behind to take the lead towards the final stretch. JFC FIELD GUN CREW Page 7
USNH Naples Leading the Way in Teleradiology for the European Theatre Lt. Cmdr. David A. Paz and HM2 Victor J. Peña USNH Naples Radiology Department
July is Health Innovations month, and U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Naples is proud to announce it has made major advances in an important health technology known as teleradiology. Teleradiology is the transmission of medical images, such as X-rays or Computed Tomography (CT) scans from one loca-
tion to another. Navy teleradiology is leaning forward with a global innovation to connect our European Military Treatment Facilities (MTF) with American MTFs. Led by the USNH Naples Radiology Department, this team of doctors and Corpsmen are on the cusp of surpassing even the most advanced civilian hospitals, transmitting medical images across continents and oceans to make real-time
patient diagnosis possible. A few years ago, it would take an average of two hours for a CT scan to be processed and interpreted by a board-certified Navy radiologist who would then report the diagnosis for an Emergency Room (ER) patient. Now, it can take as little as three minutes for a patient to be
seen by a Navy teleradiologist, either within Europe or as far away as California. Teleradiology is a leading example of telemedicine, which plays an increasingly large role in the future of many medical specialties, from psychiatry to Intensive Care Units.
USNH RADIOLOGY Page 5 CAPTAIN’S CORNER. . . . . . . . . 2
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BASE NOTES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 NAVY HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 FFSC CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . 5 SOUND OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MOVIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 JOBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
VISIT BEAUTIFUL SORRENTO . . . . pages 10-11
LOADS OF FUN 4TH OF JULY . . . . . . . page 14
USO TOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 WORD SEARCH / COLOR ME 14
President Barack Obama spoke to more than 2,000 American and Spanish service members and their families during a visit to Naval Station Rota, Spain, July 10. During his visit, Obama visited USS Ross (DDG 71) as well as held an all-hands call to thank service members. Obama’s trip to the naval station marked the first time a U.S. president has visited the installation in 15 years. “So on my visit to Europe, what I have been trying to communicate, what I have been wanting to focus on, is America’s relation to Europe and the fact that our commitment will not change,” Obama said. “We have an enduring commitment to the transatlantic alliance and to our allies in Europe because you are central to our security and we could not have a more important alliance or a better set of friends than those of you here in Europe. That includes a strong and unified Spain, one of our closest allies. The alliance between our countries is rooted in shared values, of democracy, and pluralism and open markets and our shared commitment to freedom.” Obama went on to mention that American forces have been stationed in Spain for more than 60 years and today there are more than 3,000 service members stationed in Rota. He continued to add that the American and Spanish alliance is well-founded on shared values, and strong bonds. “Day in and day out, Americans and Spaniards like you serve together, shoulder to shoulder. Not only here but in missions for our common security in the coalition to destroy ISIL, combating piracy, supporting peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts. That’s because we believe that people around the world, and here in Europe, have the right to live in security and prosperity and dignity. That’s what America stands for, that’s what Spain stands for and that’s what NATO stands for,” Obama said. Bringing his speech to a close, Obama spoke with emotion and emphasis, “We have the finest fighting force the world has ever known, we have great partners around the world and I am absolutely confident that the people of good will ultimately overcome those forces that seek to divide and destroy us.”