MPS and your home business:

NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily – Maybe it was a toy when you were a kid; or the car's gas cap as a teenager; prob-ably your mind when you first became a parent. We've all lost something at one point or another in our lives. Most of the time it's not a big deal if

it can easily be replaced, but what if you lost something significant? Some-thing with not only a hefty price tag, but also sentimental value. Something irreplaceable. What would you do? How would you feel?

"I never take it off. I've never lost it. I've worn it for six years and have never lost it,” said Holly Harvard, who lost her diamond wedding ring while

shopping at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella commissary, Feb. 3.

It's a horrible situation to be in. Retracing your footsteps, trying to re-member the last time you saw it, and hoping that it's not lost, but

only misplaced, all the while feel-ing helpless to do anything about it. But what if you were on the other side of the equation? What would you do if you found a diamond ring? Some would try to sell it and make a quick buck. Others may keep it for themselves, or to give to their future wife. Thankfully, three sail-ors of the Fleet Air Re-connaissance Squadron (VQ) 1 chose to do the correct thing: get it back to the rightful owner.

Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Tarrell Jones, Naval Aircrewman (Avi-onics) 2nd Class Lindsay Tarner, and Intelligence Specialist 3rd Class Evan Spriggs each have lost valuable items at some point in their lives.

Eventually those items were found and returned to them, but they said these incidents played no part in their decision to turn the ring in.

"You always want something that's yours to be returned," said Spriggs. "It's the right thing to do, bottom line."

"Especially something that's as meaningful as a wedding band," add-ed Tarner.

The trio of Sailors found the ring while walking down Aisle 3 of the commissary and immediately turned it in to Al Brooks, the commissary duty manager.

"This community is extremely

honest," Brooks said. "People will turn in a dollar, so I wasn't surprised at all when they turned in the ring." It's comforting to know that our small community is looking out for one an-other; to know that Sig’ Citizens are making honest choices. These Sig’ Citizens from VQ-1 are simply pass-ing through on deployment. They were gone in the blink of an eye and that ring could have been gone with them, never again to be seen by its

owner. Jones, Tarner, and Spriggs could've made out pretty well at a pawn shop when they returned to their home port in Washington State. No one would have known and there would have been no repercussions. Still, they did the honorable thing. "I'm sincerely grateful to

them for their sense of commitment to the Navy's core values," said Capt. Christopher Dennis, commanding of-ficer of NAS Sigonella. "I would even go a step further and thank all the people who were influential in their lives. All the people that put them on the right path; if they could know about this they would be proud."

"I just think they're amazing peo-ple," said Harvard. "It shows a lot about their character and obvious-ly their parents raised them right." Spriggs, Tarner, and Jones, if you are reading this, know that a community thanks you. You've not only helped set the standard; you've reminded us what it means to truly be a Sig’ Citizen and shown us that you don't have to be from Sigonella to be a part of this wonderful community.

NAS Sigonella pet owners have likely spent hours teaching their pets to sit, stop, and play dead. Perhaps now is a good time for pet owners living here to learn some new things about their pets, especially as it pertains to on-base veterinarian services.

Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella’s Veterinary Clinic indeed offers assistance to our pet-owning community,

including tips for new pet owners, over-the-counter medications, appointment-based visits, and health certificates for those flying on the rotator.

However, treating personally-owned animals – no matter how dear they may be to every owner – is not the primary mission of the veterinary mission. The clinic, located next to the NAS 1 post office, has three charges. In order of priority they are: 1) provide support for all NAS Sigonella and NSA Souda Bay military working dogs; 2) conduct food-safety inspections at the commissary and other on-base food facilities; 3) offer appointment-based clinic hours to support privately-owned animals.

Between 30 and 40 animals are seen weekly for routine check-ups, laboratory tests, and beyond, by one of two veterinarian clinic doctors: Army Capt. Lara

NAS SIGONELLA

The Fellowship of the Ring: Sig’ Citizens return precious wedding band to owner

From left to right, Naval Aircrewman (Avionics) 2nd Class Lindsay Tarner, Intelligence Specialist 3rd Class Evan Spriggs, and Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Tarrell Jones found a diamond wedding ring Feb. 3, at the commissary. The three turned the ring into the commissary manager, which was successfully returned to its owner Feb. 5. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Donavan K. Patubo/Released)

By mc2 donavan patuBoNAS Sigonella Public Affairs Staff

"VET" continued on Page 14

Know the rules!

PAGE 15

Vol. 32 No. 8

Congratulations Jaguars:D - III Boys Champions!

PAGE 8

Sigonella Swordfish:To European Championships!

PAGE 4

February 27, 2015

Know your vet, know your petBy mc3 Ramon GoNAS Sigonella Public Affairs Staff

Army Capt. Lara Brennecke, left, and Army Sgt. Christian Loza, provide routine check-up procedures to a privately owned animal at the NAS Sigonella Veterinary Clinic, Feb. 11. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ramon Go/Released)

tHE SIGnatuREpaGE 2 February 27, 2015 tHE SIGnatuRE paGE 3February 27, 2015

Yesterday, Sigonella did a “rally at the galley” to kick off the 2015 Active Duty Fund Drive in support of this year’s Navy Marine Corps Re-lief Society. If you didn’t make it over there it was a huge success. Perhaps, worst of all, you missed out on some fantastic cake.

Each year the Navy sets aside the month of March to support the Navy-Marine Corps Re-lief Society through what’s known as the Ac-tive Duty Fund Drive. This annual event has two primary purposes: raise awareness about available NMCRS services while also raising the “Benjamins” so we can properly back an organization that has been there for so many of our shipmates and their families. This year’s installation goal: Raise $150,000.

In case you haven’t heard of the Navy-Ma-rine Corps Relief Society, here’s a little back-ground.

Since 1904, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society has helped active duty Sailors and Ma-rines deal with crises that include (but are not limited to) scheduling and payment for emer-gency travel, and caring for family in times of need. One of the organization’s unique aspects is that despite being military-affiliated, loans and service remain confidential. You can walk in and walk out, and your chief or OIC won’t know a thing…unless you tell them yourself.

In a nutshell it’s a “pay-it-forward” program geared as a security blanket for our uniformed men and women when times get rough. The Society also supports Sea Service widows, wid-owers, and the children of Sailors and Marines who have died – as well as wounded Marines and Sailors across the country who are seen in their homes by the Society’s Visiting Nurses.

Throughout the month of March you’ll see fund raisers going on all over base. It’ll be a hoot. We’ve got car washes, bake sales, raffles, a “Pie in the Eye,” and many other events all set up to raise funds for and increase awareness of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

In addition to the fund raising events, each Sigonella active-duty member will be approached by a command representative who will provide information on the assis-

tance NMCRS provides to Sailors and Marines. The command representative will also provide members the opportunity to make a contribution through a onetime gift or a continu-ing contribution. I’m ask-ing that each person here seriously consider start-ing an allotment. If each of us gives $10 per month, we could easily eclipse our $150,000 goal. Sigonella has historically been one of the most generous commands in all the Navy, so I have no doubt that our caring com-munity can make it happen. If you don’t think you can afford $10 per month, don’t despair. The minimum al-lotment is $1 per month, which still makes a differ-ence.

If you think you can’t afford to give, please consider the following: Each military member received a one-percent pay raise on New Year’s Day. For an E-1, that raise is $15 a month in just base pay. The higher the rank, the higher your raise. Even junior personnel committing $10 per month will have money left over at the end of each month compared to this time last year while helping an organization that does a great deal of good. To borrow a quote from the Secretary of the Navy, “…in 2014, the society responded to the financial needs of more than 65,000 Sailors, Marines, retirees, and their families with nearly $49 million in assistance.”

That is a lot of help that was provided to our brothers and sisters in arms. In addition to fi-nancial support, the Navy-Marine Corps Re-lief Society also has a team of nurses stationed throughout the world to assist new parents and service members that were wounded in action. These nurses make house calls after a baby is born and provide a well check and training to

new moms and dads. They also visit wounded Sailors and Marines and provide training to their family members so they know how help their loved ones heal in a timely fashion.

The visiting nurse has come to my house af-ter the births of both of my boys and it was a huge help for my wife. One of the last things you want to do with a brand new baby is pack him up and take him to the doctor for a check-up. If you have never had a need for support from the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society I ask that you look at this fund drive as an op-portunity for us to continue to “pay it forward” by providing assistance to those in need. All of us are going to die someday. Don’t be on your deathbed and say with your last breath “I wiiii-ish I gaaaaaave to NMCRS.” That would just be tragic. Give to NMCRS today!

Please follow our cause on Facebook, type Sigonella Active Duty Fund Drive in the search box or visit our webpage at http://nmcrsfund-drive.org/Sigonella.

Lt. Jacob Davis - Chairman, Sigonella NMCRS Active Duty Fund DriveDirect Line

There are two ways to submit feed back to Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella Commanding Officer Capt. Chris Dennis:

Visit The Interactive Customer Evaluation (ICE) home page on a One-Net computer at: http://ice.disa.mil, All Sigonella services are found under the Navy Europe Listing in the scroll-down menu. Also, visit NAS Sigonella's website www.cnic.navy.mil/Sigonella, go to the "About" drop down menu and click on " CO Suggestion Box".

The Signature will anonymously publish comments and responses for the benefit of the Sigonella community. If you are submitting a "BZ", we ask that you provide your name in order for us to properly recognize employee. Please make sure your comments and suggestions are constructive. In other words, "BE NICE ON ICE."

Commanding Officer's Suggestion Box

Interactive Customer EvaluationUPDATE to an earlier Auto Port comment:Last week I discussed a comment from a community member hoping to add oil change appointments to NAS 2 Auto Port service options. I closed by promising to look into opportunities. Great news! NEX Manager, Ms. Julie Herring, reports that on March 1 the NAS 2 Auto Port will offer both walk-in and scheduled oil change appointments 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday to Friday. Walk-ins will also be available through closing on a first-come first-serve basis. The scheduled oil change appointments will initially run for a 60-day trial period. If the appointments are popular, we will look to extend this service; if neither popular nor manageable, we will consider other options.

This brings me to a similar topic. As noted by an All Hands Message that went out earlier this week, NAS 2 tailor services have been discontinued due to very low usage. In the ~two-month trial period, the NAS 2 tailor took in less than 10 orders. Both resource conservation and opportunity cost suggest that such low usage is a waste of our means, and we can probably do better reapplying this capability to other prospects. You have my commitment that our NEX and installation service centers will strive to introduce community amenities when they appear to be promising. When services are not generating interest, we will curtail them. For anything concerning the Auto Port or tailoring services, please contact Julie Herring at 624-4379, or e-mail her at: Julie.herring@nexweb.org.

NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily - In a large community like Naval Air Station Sigonella, it can be difficult to forget that it takes all kinds to support our overall mission. Each command is dependent upon one another to get the job done. However, when thinking of Naval Munitions Command (NMC) Det. Sigonella, one probably doesn’t think of the yeoman. Weapons rates? Sure. Still, Yeoman 2nd Class Andres Hurtado is an essential Navy Munitions Command member here in Sigonella.

Born in Colombia and raised in Queens, New York, Hurtado joined the Navy in April 2010, beginning his naval career working in base ad-ministration at Naval Station Nor-folk. From there he worked admin-istration for Naval Security Forces of Bahrain before arriving in Sigonella and immediately becom-ing an integral asset to both NMC and NAS Sigonella. “We can move any amount of ammo,” said Lt. Cmdr. Travis Scott, Officer In Charge of NMC. “But the job isn’t complete until the paperwork is done, which makes Hurtado invaluable.”

Hurtado immediately became involved in the command as treasurer of NMC’s MWR committee. In between ensuring NMC and its Sailors were taken care of administratively, he helped organize social functions and MWR fundraising events, and even took time to help train his fellow Sailors for advancement by holding lunchtime PMK training. The NMC Diversity Committee was established through Hurtado’s efforts as well. “Even as a Yeoman in a predominantly AO (aviation ordnanceman) and GM (gunner’s mate) command,

it has never felt like there is any separation or difference,” Hurtado said. “We’re not different rates here, but one family.” This kind of tight-knit camaraderie is something Hurtado said NMC takes great strides to engender.

As if this weren’t enough, Hurtado is also the vice-president of the base chapter of CSADD. With this unique position, he has made it a point to keep NMC aware of all related events happening on both NAS 1 and NAS 2. “Networking is one of the keys to success as a Sailor and a leader,” Hurtado said. Hurtado frequently takes it upon himself to be the NMC point-of-contact for CSADD events and volunteer opportunities, as well as community relations

(COMREL) volunteer opportunities. Having accumulated about 185 hours of community service since arriving here, Hurtado shows no signs of stopping.

After the work day is over, he said he enjoys spending down time with his wife of three years, Luz. Together they enjoy exploring the island, cooking, playing soccer, and otherwise keeping active. Both are such avid cooks that during NMC MWR cookouts, he is the one manning the grill. Luz also enjoys making home-cooked meals and selling them at NMC two, sometimes three times a week. These ‘Hurtado lunches’ have become so coveted, the signup sheet – usually available Monday morning – is full for the entire week come lunchtime Monday.

When asked about his future, Hurtado said: “I definitely want to travel to more of Europe while I’m stationed here.” Being honored the previous year with NMC’s 2014 Junior Sailor of the Year, he expressed optimism for upcoming September which is when he will take the E-6 exam for the first time.

NMC Sailor in the Spotlight: YN2 Andres Hurtado

Yeoman 2nd Class Andres Hurtado prepares administrative documents for Naval Munitions Command Det. Sigonella. Hurtado was honored as NMC's 2014 Junior Sailor of the Year. (U.S. Navy photo by Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class Marina Vega/Released)

By ao3 maRIna vEGaNavy Munitions Command Det Sigonella

"We’re not different rates here, but one family.”

-YN2 Andres Hurtado

CommandingOfficer’s

Box

Suggestion EvaluationCustomerInteractive

THE SIGNATUREU.S. NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA

Commanding OfficerCapt. Chris Dennis

Executive OfficerCmdr. Charles G. McKinney II

Command Master ChiefCMDCM Mike Kaszubowski

EDITORIAL

Public Affairs Officer Lt. Paul Newell

paul.newell@eu.navy.mil

EditorM. Todd Butler

michael.butler@eu.navy.mil

Community Relations Officer Dott. Alberto Lunetta

alberto.lunetta.it@eu.navy.mil

PAO Staff Writers \ PhotographersMC1 Tony D. Curtis

anthony.curtis@eu.navy.mil

MC3 Ramon Goramon.go@eu.navy.mil

CONTACT USNaval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily

thesig@eu.navy.milDSN 624-5440; 095-86-5440

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Tel. 081-568-7884Fax 081-568-7887

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Department of Defense (DoD), or the U.S. Navy. The appearance of advertising

in this newspaper, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement

by the DoD or Stampa Generale 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,

national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-merit factorof the purchaser, user or

patron. A confirmed violation or rejection of this equal opportunity policy by an advertiser

will result in the refusal to print advertising from that source until the violation is

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The Signature is published weekly by Stampa Generale S.r.l., Sig. Bruno Brandi,

Publisher, Naval Support Activity, Capodichino (Naples), Italy.

Tel. 081-568-7884. Fax 081-568-7887. E-mail: stampagenerale@tin.it.

Editorial submissions are welcomed from all Naval Air Station Sigonella departments,

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 Fri-

day proceeding the expected publication date. All articles submitted by non-staff members

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The Signature will not publish anyanonymous articles. All advertisements in this publication are the property of Stampa Generale S.r.l. Any

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tHE SIGnatuREpaGE 4 February 27, 2015 tHE SIGnatuRE paGE 5February 27, 2015

Behind the Scenes with the cast of “The Wizard of Oz”

Performers rehearse singing with 'Dorothy' as she begins her trip down the yellow brick road for the upcoming show of "The Wizard of Oz". The performance is scheduled to begin on March 6 at 7 p.m. and March 7 at 2 and 6 p.m. at Knights Hall. (Photo credit by Anthony J. Waldbillig)

By alExandRa mcKInnEySigonella Middle/High School

NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily - Every year, Sigonella schools performs a full-scale Broadway musical. This year’s production is “The Wizard of Oz.” More than 80 Sigonellans – elementary, middle and high school students, and adults – have come together to pull off this production.

With less than two weeks until the show opens, rehearsals have become quite hectic as finishing touches are added. Every scene is rehearsed over and over so everything comes out perfectly.

With all the singing, dancing, and acting, rehearsals can become quite demanding. “We usually sing the songs at the beginning of practice,” says Kendra VanWynsberghe, who plays the lead role of Dorothy. “And then we go over lines and we stage it all.” The Jitterbugs, who have a very demanding dance for their scene, are physically exhausted at the end of each practice.

“It’s as hard as being in a sport” says Chloe Pollard, one of the dancers. Meanwhile, the Witch’s Guards have to “practice marching maneuvers, how to act in the actual play, and singing”, said Danny Hopkins.

As the performers know all too well, participation in the musical comes with many challenges.Most students face the hardship of balancing homework and the time commitment involved in

such a large-scale theatrical production. Participants must know their lines, their songs, and when the time comes they'll need to know their dance choreography. However, each person has his or her own challenges. When asked the most difficult thing about the musical, Averi Chandler, a Jitterbug, replied “Patience. You have to wait, and have patience to watch the others”.

Meanwhile, Ellie Germaine, who plays the part of the Wicked Witch, says that it’s challenging to “know your character.”

Still, it’s not only the performers who are working hard. Mrs. Kerri Schumacher, who assists in ticket and t-shirt sales said she believes "The most challenging thing is coordinating all the participants’ schedules and getting them at the same place, at the same time.” Lynn Soeby, the show’s director, agrees with Schumacher about coordinating all the performers. “It’s not just getting everyone to rehearsals that’s a challenge, the behind-the-scenes efforts are enormous.

It takes so many people and so much time to get the backstage aspects ready for the show.Procuring all the materials and supplies for all the scenery, costumes, and props can be a big

challenge, especially when everything has to be purchased on the economy or sent from the states.”Many performers agree that most people don’t really know all the work required to organize a

musical. “I didn’t know until I started, until I joined the play” Susan McCarthy, an Emerald Citizen, said when asked her opinion. “I think a lot of people have no idea how much work is involved”.

Yet despite the challenges, there are many reasons why being in this production is a wonderful experience. For Chris Cournoyer, who plays the Scarecrow, it’s “being able to change personalities, and escape the real world.” For other people, the best part is meeting new people and having a great time while performing. “We get to hang around with friends at rehearsals, and that’s always fun,” said Holt Lancaster, who plays the role of Tin Man.

When asked how successful they thought the show would be, everyone agreed that the musical would go incredibly well. “I think we’re all pretty good, so I think the show will be amazing,” Ben Berlin said.

The curtain goes up on the Knights Hall stage on March 6 at 7 p.m., and March 7 at 2 and 6 p.m. Tickets are available from Sharyn Dennis at 349-308-9090, Gigi Lagman 624-1669, 347- 815-0205 (cell) and Keri Schumacher who will be at rehearsals with tickets. Email to order tickets: sigonellaonbroadway@gmail.com. Seats are going fast, so get yours soon!

Sigonella Swordfish swim to European Championships

NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily - The Sigonella Swordfish swim team is traveling to Eindhoven, Netherlands this weekend. The 2014-2015 European Forces Swim League Championship will take place Feb. 28 and March 1. As the season grand finale, 18 teams will come together at the Nationaal Zwemcentrum de Tongelreep to compete for top honors in swimming.

This year, the Swordfish are sending 25 swimmers who have qualified or earned lanes at this distinguished event. Sigonella will be represented in 126 individual events and seven relays over the two-day extravaganza. Swordfish swimmers have been training for this event since the April 2014 swim clinics. The official European Forces Swimming League season began Sept. 1. This weekend represents the pinnacle of their hard work and determination.

We wish them the best of luck as they travel to the Netherlands. The Sigonella community is proud of their dedication and accomplishments. Swim Fast, Swordfish!The 2015 Eindhoven Championship TeamEleanora Andre, Ezra Andres, Gabrielle Andres, Harrison Barnes, Ethan Bowling, Ellie Brassart, Shannon Buckley, Megan Cagle, Camila Cardona, Hunter Clayborne, CJ Davis, Hannah Davis, Graham Dennis, Isabella DeSanto, Brendan Fahey, Parker Gates, Landon Johnson, Savannah Johnson, Mary Kate Jones, Matti Krug, Tommy McManus, Alyah Perkins, Zoey Perkins, Malia Puerto, and Bailey Wilson.

THE SIGONELLA SWORDFISH ARE A NON-FEDERAL ENTITY. THEY ARE NOT A PART OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OR ANY OF ITS COMPONENTS AND IT HAS NO GOVERNMENT STATUS.

The Sigonella Swordfish swim team will be traveling to Eindhoven, Netherlands this weekend for the 2014-2015 European Forces Swim League Championships that will take place on Saturday, Feb. 28 and Sunday, March 1. (Photo courtesy of Tom Perkins)

By cHad E. davISSigonella Swordfish

Need an appointment at the hospital? Call DSN

624-CARE (2273) or commercial 095-56-2273,

M-F: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

For non-emergent medical questions that arise over the weekend, holidays, or after office

hours, please call 335-578-8077 if you are normally seen

at the hospital or 335-578-8150

if you are normally seen at the Flight Line Clinic.

tHE SIGnatuREpaGE 6 February 27, 2015 tHE SIGnatuRE paGE 7February 27, 2015

St. Joseph’s Festival in Salemi on March 19

During the annual March 19 St. Joseph’s Day, several private houses become small sanctuaries showcasing elaborate “bread altars” and hosting the traditional dinners honoring the beloved town’s patron saint. Photo by http://notizie.comuni-italiani.it/

Navy's Voluntary Education (VOLED) Program realigning

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) will administratively realign the Navy's Voluntary Education (VOLED) program under Naval Education and Training Professional Development and Technology Center (NETPDTC) in Pensacola, Florida, Feb. 23.

According to Rear Adm. Mike White, commander of the Naval Education and Training Command, the move will be administrative and will have zero impact on the purpose, mission or abilities of VOLED.

"For the Sailor using VOLED, the change will be seamless and transparent," said White. "In fact, each of the 33 Navy College Offices worldwide and the Virtual Education Center (VEC) will remain unchanged; they will retain the same physical locations, the same telephone numbers, the same email addresses, and the same commitment to serving service members."

VOLED will continue to support Sailors with dedicated, committed assistance and counseling to help them develop tailored plans to meet their educational and credentialing goals.

VOLED is currently celebrating 40 years of Sailors' educational successes through diverse programs including tuition assistance, numerous testing programs, the Navy College Program for Afloat College Education (NCPACE) - where Sailors can complete courses while on type 2 and 4 sea duty, and the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP) - which provides Sailors with the opportunity to earn a certificate of apprenticeship from the U.S. Department of Labor by documenting tasks of their Navy rating while on the job.

Regardless of the educational goal, Navy College Offices and the Virtual Education Center are available to assist Sailors in accelerating their future.

For more information on Navy Voluntary Education, visit the Navy College Program website: https://www.navycollege.navy.mil.

For more news from Naval Education and Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnet/.

From Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs

"ST. JOSEPH" continued on Page 12

SALEMI, Sicily - Bread as staple food and a religious symbol is at the center of the upcoming celebrations honoring St. Joseph, which will be held during the third week of March, with the highlight on March 19 in Salemi, a small medieval town in the Trapani province.

Bread making tradition in this area goes far back in time. According to history, the Elymians who were the inhabitants of the western part of Sicily during the Bronze Age and Classical antiquity, used “elumos,” an ancient grain, to bake bread. Some historians maintain that Trojans, who also colonized the island, would also make bread from roasted spelt, which was grinded into flour.

Salemi townspeople have been keeping this tradition alive through the centuries up to today. The town boasts one of the most important traditions of votive offerings of bread in Sicily, which was recently recognized by UNESCO, which included Salemi in its world heritage list.

Breads are baked into elaborate shapes of flowers, animals, garlands, craftsman’s tools, religious objects etc.

Bread also holds a religious significance in modern rural Sicily as it still linked to the

devotion towards San Giuseppe (St. Joseph), who is considered the protector of the needy and the family.

In Sicily, San Giuseppe is honored through the custom of decorating “home-made” altars and setting up tables with local food that is symbolically offered to the poor and needy and later to visitors.

Unlike what happens during the majority of religious festivals that are usually hosted by churches, these celebrations are held inside the devotees’ homes that are turned for the occasion into “private and cozy sanctuaries.”

According to tradition, the number of items on the altar can’t be less than 19 or more than 101.

In Salemi, elaborate, “bread altars” became a form of art. Since the 19th century, the Cene di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph Dinners) also called the “St. Joseph's Tables” are prepared for the festival that is usually held on March 19. Every year, the planning of this festival requires a lot of time and financial resources. The organization of the St. Joseph Tables indeed relies on the talents and effort of local volunteers.

During the third week of March, the tables and

the altars will be on display at several venues throughout the city historic center. But the celebrations highlights is the “Invito dei santi” (Invitation to the Saints) tradition which are usually held at midday during the third week of March in private houses in the historic heart. It consists of a banquet offered by devotees to a group of children who symbolize the Holy Family and includes “101courses”, all of them meatless and cereal-based, because of Lenten obligations. There will be spaghetti mixed with olive oil, breadcrumbs, sugar, cinnamon and parsley, pumpkin-based specialties, fried fish, sardines, different kinds of cakes (Pignolate, cannoli, cassata etc.) and vegetarian omelets (filled with either potatoes, eggplants, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, fennel, etc), orange salads and more.

The hosting devotee is someone who shows gratitude and reverence to St. Joseph for a miracle or an intercession that the saint had granted them.

The saint’s help is invoked for the healing from a sickness or just to express devotion. The preparation of the dinner begins a month days before the festival.

Three children, refereed to as Santi (saints) or Virgineddi (virgins) who depict the Holy Family, are invited to the meal to celebrate the holiday. St. Joseph is indeed revered as the saint of Providence and the patron and protector of the family and of the

KINGS BAY, Ga. (NNS) -- As one of the newer rates in the Navy, Religious Program Specialists (RPs) make it their mission to serve others, whether it is during community relations projects, setting up services for different religions, or supporting chaplains. Although it may seem like a slow-paced job, it's quite the opposite.

"I like helping people," said Religious Program Specialist 3rd Class Nijah Herns. "I may be really quiet, but people see a totally different side of me when I'm working."

The RP rating became official Jan. 15, 1979, celebrating 36 years this past year. Some may say it's much older than that. Enlisted personnel have been assisting Navy chaplains since the late 1800s by playing music during services and leading hymns.

In 1942 the Navy took the first steps to establish a rate specifically for this purpose. During this time, the rate was called "specialist", or W, which represented "welfare". However, the W rating was active only for the duration of World War II.

Until 1979, personnel of the yeoman rating were designated as the chaplain's clerk, whose duty was it to assist in the Command Religious Program. In 1979, the quest for a permanent chaplain's assistant was successful; the RP rating was finally born. RPs now provide support to the Navy by supporting religious services, promoting community relations and protecting their chaplains.

As with every rating in the Navy, RPs come from all different backgrounds, races and religions. One might assume that an RP specifically supports a primary religion, but this couldn't be any further from the truth. Unlike chaplains, who represent a particular faith, RPs must be able to work with different faith groups.

Herns explained that it's very important to be mindful of other's beliefs and religions."As an RP, you need to accept another's religion," Herns said. "When I was deployed, I helped out

with Muslim, Buddhist and Wiccan services."Being an RP, helping those in need come hand-in-hand with the rate. Whether it's community

relations projects or listening to somebody who just wants to talk, RPs are always there to lend a hand."My favorite part about the rate is the COMRELs," Herns said. "You get such a good feeling helping

people in need."She also said that sometimes people come to the chapel just to have somebody to talk to. Although

RPs are not allowed to council, they're still there to listen. If they need or want it, RPs will refer people to the chaplain.

What many may not know are the duties RPs perform during forward deployment operations. They are essentially the right arm of the chaplain and serve as a personal protector.

"RPs can serve with the Marines, and they will go to Fleet Marine Force school," said Cmdr. Ted Fanning, command chaplain for SUBASE. "We couldn't do what we do as chaplains without our RPs. It's hard to know where to even begin with the benefits of a mature, solid RP. They're our bodyguard, and they take care of us in a variety of ways."

According to the Geneva Convention, chaplains are the only service members who are not authorized to carry weapons, therefore they must rely on their RPs for protection. RPs are considered the only rate in the Navy tasked with protecting a noncombatant.

RPs provide many different services and contribute to the Navy in unique ways. Their ability to foster to others, and provide support and protection to Navy chaplains, enables them to provide an essential benefit to naval members.

RPs make it their mission to serve othersBy mc2 aSHlEy HEdRIcKNaval Submarine Base Kings Bay Public Affairs

u.S. navy HEadlInES

tHE SIGnatuREpaGE 8 February 27, 2015 tHE SIGnatuRE paGE 9February 27, 2015

Every sports’-season, the Sigonella Jaguars compete with schools throughout Italy. These schools range in size from 200 to 600 students, up to six times the high school population of Sigonella High School; yet our teams stay competitive. At the conclusion of each sports’ season, Department of Defense Dependent schools (DoDDs) Europe hosts Championships, typically in Germany, which offers Sigonella teams the chance to compete with schools of similar size from throughout DoDDS Europe, in the Division III tournament.

This year, all three winter sports teams from Sigonella placed in their end-of-season competitions held Feb. 19-21 in Wiesbaden, Germany. The Boys Basketball team earned the Championship title by defeating Baumholder High School 43-40. Chris Moore scored five points in the final seconds to finish off the win, and he was named Division III boys tournament MVP. Jason Berlin was also named to the All-Tournament team.

The Girls Basketball team lost in overtime to the Baumholder girls 28-24. Sydney Moore and Kisiah Chandler were named to the All-Tournament team as well.

The Sigonella Cheer Squad placed third in their competition as Haley Lehtola and MacKenzie Taylor were named to the Cheer All-Tournament team as well.

The boys team was coached by Matt McKown and David

Berlin. The girls basketball team was coached by Darryl Chandler, Michelle Chandler, Mark Wojtal and Sarah Anderson. The cheerleading team was coached by Heather Bohon, Claudia Bowling, and Jessica Gokey Each of the Sigonella Jaguar teams brought back awards by finishing in one of the top three places in their competition. We are extremely proud of our Jaguar athletes, and thank the community for all of their support!

CONGRATULATIONS JAGUARS!StoRy By mIcHEllE cHandlERPHOTOS BY KIM MASON AND MATT MCKOwN

tHE SIGnatuREpaGE 10 February 27, 2015 tHE SIGnatuRE paGE 11February 27, 2015

Breakfast: $3.45 Lunch: $5.55 Dinner: $4.85As a reminder to everyone:

Reminder - there are no PTUs allowed at the Galley. Appropriate athletic gear is authorized at the discretion of the Galley staff. Please remember that for sanitation purposes and for the consideration of other customers, if you have been out for PT, been working out at the gym, or have just been engaged in any physical activity where you and or your clothing has become soiled or sweaty you will be asked to turn around.

Friday, February 27Breakfast: Eggs to Order, Oven Fried Bacon, Chicken Tocino on Garlic Fried RiceLunch: Chef Russo’s Home Made Meatloaf, Baked FishSpeed Line: Freshly Made PizzaDinner: Chicken Parmesan, Fishwich

Saturday, February 28Breakfast: Eggs to Order, Oven Fried Bacon, Corned Beef HashBrunch: Eggs to Order, Oven Fried Bacon, Corned Beef Hash, Corn DogsDinner: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Oven Fried Chicken Fillet

Sunday, March 1Breakfast: Eggs to Order, Grilled Minute Steak, Oven Fried BaconBrunch: Eggs to Order, Grilled Minute Steak, Oven Fried Bacon, SauerbratenDinner: Savory Baked Chicken, Chef Pasta Alforno

Monday, March 2Breakfast: Eggs to Order, Minced Beef, Oven Fried BaconLunch: Roast Turkey, Hamburger YakisobaSpeed Line: Chef Mauricio’s Freshly Made PizzaDinner: Roast Pork, Chef Franco’s Chicken Alfredo w/ Penne Pasta

Tuesday, March 3Breakfast: Eggs to Order, Biscuits and Gravy, Oven Fried BaconLunch: Taco TuesdaySpeed Line: Fish & ChipsDinner: Baked Italian Sausage, Chef Franco’s Home Made Meatloaf

Wednesday, March 4Breakfast: Eggs to Order, Chicken Tocino on Garlic Fried Rice, Oven Fried BaconLunch: Oven Roasted Beef, Fried CatfishSpeed Line: All American Grilled BurgersDinner: Savory Baked Chicken, Chef Melo’s Penne Alfredo

Thursday, March 5Breakfast: Eggs to Order, Creamed Ground Beef on Toast, Oven Fried BaconLunch: Chef Mimo’s Home Made Lasagna, Grilled Pork Chops Speed Line: Pasta Bar with choice of Freshly Made Pasta SauceDinner: Veal Steaks, Chicken Tetrazzini

Friday, March 6Breakfast: Eggs to Order, Oven Fried Bacon, Chicken Tocino on Garlic Fried RiceLunch: Turkey A La King, Baked FishSpeed Line: Chef Gigi’s Freshly Made PizzaDinner: Salisbury Steak, Chef Melo’s Grilled Chicken Breast

Ristorante Bel la EtnaRistorante Bel la EtnaRistorante Bel la Etna

BREAKFASTMon-Fri

6:30-8 a.m.Weekend/Holiday

7 -9 a.m.

LUNCHMon-Fri

11 a.m. - 1 p.m.Weekend/Holiday

11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

DINNERMon-Fri

4:30 - 6 p.m.Weekend/Holiday

4:30 - 6 p.m.

DRIVE SAFELY SIGONELLA

NAS 2 Tailor Services discontinued - Due to the very low volume of business, the NAS 2 Mini-Mart will no longer provide tailor services. Tailoring will still be available Monday through Friday at the Main Store on NAS 1 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. If you have question or concerns, please contact Julie Herring at 624-4379.

The Religious Ministries Department in conjunction with CREDO will offer the ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills and Training) Workshop March 3 - 4 at the NAS 1 Chapel. ASIST is a workshop designed to train suicide first aid to caregivers and make them feel more comfortable and confident in helping prevent the immediate risk of suicide in our community. At the successful completion of the class, participants will receive a certificate for their work. To sign up for the class and to receive more information, you may contact the Chapel at 624-3975 or KatieLynn.Wilkins@eu.navy.mil

BCO Customers: Due to some DISA changes, 19020 will no longer be used to dial 1-800 Services. You will have to dial 94 to access these services. When you are going to make the phone call, simply dial 94-800-XXX-XXXX. There will be no secondary dial tone after dialing 94. Simply dial out. Ensure that you DO NOT dial a "1" after dialing 94.

Club Beyond Service Project runs from June 21-27, and registration is now open. Service Project is open to any high school student, including just-graduated 8th grade and 12th grade students. This year's Service Project is in Ostrava, Czech Republic! Hundreds of Club Beyond teens from military bases all over Europe (and Bahrain) will gather to focus on helping others. We will partner with several local Czech schools and in past years have accomplished a variety of tasks including building playgrounds, basic landscaping, teaching English in school in simple ways like playing games and talking to students about where we are from and comparing notes, and helping run after school activities. Every evening small groups are addressed by speakers. To get registration information, or for any other questions, please contact the Club Beyond Community Director, Michael King, at mking@clubbeyond.org, or the NAS 1 Chapel at 624-3975.

All Hands News BulletinTo request publication of your message, please send it to thesig@eu.navy.mil

NASSIG Worship Services

Chapel Offices: NAS I 95563975, NAS II 095869049, DSN: 624-3975, Chaplain Duty: 335-831-4493 RP Duty: 335-786-1950NAS Sigonella Religious Ministries Department Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Naval Air Station Sigonella Chapel

ROMAN CATHOLIC• Sunday - 9 a.m. Catholic Mass at NAS 1 Chapel• TuESday, WEdnESday & FRIday 11:30 a.m. - Catholic Mass at NAS 2 ChapelSacraments of Reconciliation / Penance precedeeach Mass• FRIday - 11:30 a.m. Catholic Mass at NAS 1 Chapel

LATTER-DAY SAINTS • Sunday - 1:30 p.m. at NAS 1 ChapelContact: sigonellalds@gmail.com or 624-9049

JEWISH SHABBAT LAY SERVICE• FRIday - 5:30 p.m. at NAS 1 Chapel

PROTESTANT - NAS 1 CHAPEL• SaTuRday - 6:30 p.m. Contemporary Worship Services • Sunday - 11 a.m. Traditional Worship; 12 p.m. Sunday SchoolPROTESTANT / Non-Denominational - NAS 2 CHAPEL• Sunday - 6 p.m.

NIGHT STUDY• MOnday - AA Meetings - 5:30 p.m., seconddeck at NAS 1 Chapel; ThuRSday - 7 p.m. at NAS 2 Chapel• TuESday - Italian Class - 7 p.m. at Classroom at NAS 1 Chapel • TuESday - Glee Club - 12 p.m. at NAS 1 Chapel • TuESday - Awana Club - 4:45 p.m at NAS 1 Chapel

tHE SIGnatuREpaGE 12 February 27, 2015 tHE SIGnatuRE paGE 13February 27, 2015

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Find and circle all of the 1950's song titles that are hidden in the grid.The remaining letters spell the title of an additional 1950's song.

ALL SHOOK UPALMOST GROWNAT THE HOPBIRD DOGBLUE MONDAYCHANCES ARECHANTILLY LACECRYDON'T BE CRUELEL PASO FLAMINGOGET A JOBGOODNIGHT IRENE

I'M A MANI'M WALKIN'JIM DANDYJUKELITTLE DARLIN'LONELY AVENUELOUIE LOUIELUCILLEMAYBEMONEY HONEYMR SANDMANPERSONALITYREBEL ROUSER

ROLLIN' STONESEA CRUISESINCERELYSO WHAT SOUL ON FIRESTAGGER LEETHE BELLSTHE WINDTIPITINATOM DOOLEYTRY MEWHITE LIGHTNINGYOUNG BLOOD

More 1950s Songs

poor, both embodied by the invited guests. Chapel-like structures, made of wood or iron, are placed next to the tables, where the Cena takes place. They feature a three-tiered devotional altar surrounded by an ornamental roof-like projection framed in myrtle and laurel, and hung with lemons, oranges, and hundreds of small, ornately shaped breads.

The altars also contain candles, crosses and other religious objects, flowers, select foods, a jar of wine and three large and braided breads (“Cudduri” which are divided into three categories: “Cucciddatu”, “Vastuni” or Bastone di San Giuseppe” or St. Joseph’s cane and “Palma” or Palm). A large framed print of St. Joseph or of the Holy Family is placed at the center of the chapel.

During the banquet, believers recite monologues and prayers named “Parti.” At the end of the meal, landlords offer visitors some of the food including some “blessed” bread. This popular tradition draws annually thousands of tourists.

Free English speaking guides are usually available to accompany tourists to the festival events that typically include also art and exhibitions and antique fairs.

Salemi is located in the heart of the province of Trapani, at 443m above sea level. A center of culture and religion, history and traditions, it has Sican-Elymian origins; according to such eminent historians as Diodorus Siculus and Philipp Cluver, the new town exactly coincides with the ancient citadel of Halicyae. The name of Salemi comes either from the Arabic “Salem” (meaning “healthy”) or more likely from the Latin transposition (sal, salt = salt) of the Greek “als, alòs”, which gave origin to the name Halicyae, ascribed by the Arab rulers in the ninth century A.D. Embellished over the centuries by the Greek, Roman, Islamic, Norman, Swabian, Angevin and Aragon dominations, today Salemi is full of monuments, culture and memories: in the old town, there are ancient buildings, built in local stone; some churches, the oldest of which is the early Christian basilica of San Miceli; the medieval castle and the Jewish district of Rabato.

Salemi is about four hours drive from Sigonella and can be easily reached through the Catania -Palermo highway. Once in Palermo take the Palermo-Mazara del Vallo highway and exit Salemi.

For more information and detailed events’ schedule, visit http://www.prolocosalemi.net/

"ST. JOSEPH" continued from Page 6 The benefits of financial partnerships – Did you get yours?By mIKE matHEnyFleet and Family Support Center Sigonella

NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily - It is often said that solid and strong teamwork will produce superior results compared to the efforts of just one, and as this year’s Military Saves Week comes to a close this statement rings very true. Throughout the month of February all of the financial education resources here in Sigo-nella worked together in a combined effort to stimulate higher awareness in the community on the often taboo topics of financial behavior and personal savings goals. Dozens of profes-sional and volunteer colleagues committed their time, creativity and effort to bring access to financial education and enthusiasm for sav-ing more money to the citizens of Sigonella.

The intent was to engage the public about savings goals and to learn about the motivating factors that shape financial priorities. It has been a fascinating week, and one that would have been impossible to complete successfully without the professional partnerships that made it all happen. Working with my Command Financial Specialist netwo rk is one of the most satisfying parts of my job; this campaign fueled their knowledge and confidence to grow by putting their training to use. I am so thankful for the many CFS peers who added to their already heavy work rate to support this campaign by executing training programs, saving proclamation events and Military Saves Pledge drives in their commands. This supported hundreds of sailors in making personal savings a priority and to promote the valued resource a CFS provides to a tenant command.

The teams at DoD Community Bank and Navy Federal Credit Union have close rela-tionships with their clients and they showed great enthusiasm for the campaign by host-ing branch events and partnering with FFSC for other community events through the month. The entire staff team at FFSC showed camaraderie with our “I’m Saving For” chal-lenge to other departments to lead by exam-ple throughout their tenant commands by expressing their savings commitment. I am grateful to have colleagues that so willingly supported the Military Saves effort through the management of social media content, the promotion of Military Saves to base leader-ship and the timely assistance in making sure marketing deadlines were met.

Media partnerships including the NASSIG Public Affairs Office and AFN were instrumental in providing frequent platforms for the Military Saves message to be broadcast in print, online and on air. Professionals at AFN have outstanding creativity in making financial topics a fun conversation that engages listeners and I have the utmost respect for their hard work in attending the promotional events and supporting the campaign objectives. The DoDEA faculty, MWR Child and Youth Program staff, and the MWR Liberty Program deserve kudos for their recognition of the Military Saves partnership opportunity to create and deliver unique learning avenues to enrich their respective programs and those community members they selflessly serve. And the NEX and DECA management teams were immediate in offering their accommodation in allowing us to utilize facility space for special events through the month.

All of these examples represent the abun-dant chances for the Sigonella community to access greater insight to strategies that sup-port financial success and personal growth, and hundreds of you heard the call and rose to the challenge. Congratulations! But remem-ber, setting a goal is only part of our mission this month. I remind all of you who made sav-ings pledges this month that the goal is only the beginning. To achieve goals one must put plans into action, so I say to you: Keep going and don’t rest on the goal alone. Make a plan, and connect with resources that are placed throughout our great community to support your endeavor. For those of you still on the fence I encourage you to go to www.militar-ysaves.org and take the pledge. It is not too late to get started!

To EVERYONE who put energy and effort into the Military Saves 2015 campaign, I ex-press my sincerest appreciation.

tHE SIGnatuREpaGE 14 February 27, 2015 tHE SIGnatuRE paGE 15February 27, 2015

Brennecke, NAS Sigonella’s veterinarian officer, and Dr. Barbara Sessa, an Italian veterinarian doctor.

To maximize the number of privately-owned animals they can see each month, they set appointments around other obligations such as training, food-safety inspections, and care for military working dogs. When someone misses an appointment, it wastes both valuable time of the vets, and as well squanders an opportunity for a waiting pet needing care.

With a recent 12-percent rise in appointment no-shows, the availability for others to get appointments at the veterinary clinic is greatly affected. The short window of appointments available for the community affects those who have been waiting to get an appointment.

Funding for tools, equipment, paid staff, and lab tests are also affected.

“It’s important for our customers to go to their appointments because our clinic is only open three times a week, based on a month-to-month schedule, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,” said Brennecke.

Brennecke said the clinic laboratory is purposed to do in-house blood work, basic chemistry, heartworm testing, complete blood count, and fecal exams. What the NAS Sigonella clinic laboratory can’t process we send to a laboratory in Catania or Germany,” said Brennecke.

Due to Army-wide cutbacks on veterinary clinics, the Sigonella clinic can only support surgery operations for military working dogs. To avoid needing an operation for your pet, Brennecke encourages owners to stay up-

to-date on prevention medication, as well as keeping vigilant regarding your animal’s diet, exercise, and disease prevention.

“There has been an increase in animals obesity, so we educate pet owners about body conditioning score and how to look at their pet rather than focus on the weight scale,” said Brennecke. “I always recommend to take the pets for plenty of walks or for a swim because it’s not only good for their weight, but also good for their joints, especially older dogs when they start to get arthritis.”

Keeping a watchful eye of what and how much your pets eat is important. The caloric content located on the back of the food bag varies so use the recommended serving amount. While keeping your pet active and safe, it’s just as important to deter any diseases upon them. Zoonotic diseases are infectious and can be transmitted to humans.

“We always recommend animals to be on a heartworm, flea and tick medication which are easily purchased at our over-the-counter sales at the veterinary clinic,” said Brennecke. “Heartworm medication comes in a topical treatment or chewable tablet and Advantix is a topical treatment for flea and tick, or a flea and tick collar.”

For service members transferring aboard the Patriot Express to rabies-free countries, the clinic also performs the fluorescent antibody virus neutralization (FAVN) test.”

FAVN tests are not required if you are traveling back to the United States of America. However, by Italian law, if you are traveling with your animal to a rabies-free country such as Hawaii, Cuba, Japan and Guam, you will need a health certificate through a local veterinarian office. The health certificate must certify that your pet has at least one

year of rabies vaccination left at the time of departure. “The costs associated with bringing your pets can sometimes shock owners because they didn’t anticipate the expenses,” said Army Sgt. Christian Loza, animal care specialist technician. “Patriot Express does not offer free shipping services of animals but it’s a lot cheaper than flying them commercial.”

The summer season in Sicily is usually the hardest time to travel with your pets. Commercial airlines won’t accept animals onboard over a certain ground temperature due to heat restrictions that could harm the animal. Also, the airlines can’t accept short-nosed dogs such as pugs, Boston Terriers, boxers, some mastiffs, Pekingese, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and bulldogs, due to breathing problems that may occur during flight.

If you have to PCS during the summer, Loza suggests giving a power of attorney to transfer ownership of the animal to a friend willing to ship it to your next address when the time is right. If you’ve been thinking about adopting a stray, please take into consideration the difficulty of getting your animal off the island. Owning pets should last their lifetime, not just the few years stationed in Sigonella. If you don’t intend on adopting the stray permanently, don’t feed the animal. It’s dangerous, and it’s also a general order from your NAS Sigonella

Commanding Officer, Capt. Christopher Dennis.For more information on their hours of operation,

prices, medication, other local veterinarian physicians, follow their Facebook page: Sigonella Veterinary Treatment Facility or https://www.facebook.com/groups/SigVTF/.

MPS and your home business"VET" continued from Page 1

NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily - Receiving PCS orders to NAS Sigonella brings many unique op-portunities: learning and enjoying the Italian culture while making Sicilian friends; eating authentic Italian food; succeeding (or in my case, failing) to learn Italian; and for many Sig’ Citizens it’s a chance to start a home business, or perhaps learn how to continue a previously-established business while stationed overseas.

The latter can become im-portant as dual-income families here are often reduced to single income, possibly causing financial hardship.

Growing up, I remember my mother selling Avon, our neigh-bor Mary Kay, while another neighbor peddled Tupperware. It was quite easy then, and it still re-mains so. After collecting orders from the consumer, the home business owner places a bulk or-der with the company, and after the products arrive in the mail the customer receives their desired product – the perfect example of a self-sufficient home business.

Unfortunately, there are some need-to-know nuances for home businesses that the base post of-fice is happy to explain, and our home business owners must fol-low.

First things first. Let’s answer how you’re supposed to get items ordered from your home business to your paying customers. It’s very simple actually. When operating a home business, just ensure all orders are sent to the address of the person ordering the product to prevent the business operator from serving as a middle person and violating DoD Postal policy.

To clarify further, home busi-ness transactions cannot transpire using our FPO addresses. Postal Officer Wes Smith explained that regrettably USPS is not the only player when it comes to han-dling mail addressed to an FPO address. Because the US govern-ment has allocated funds specifi-cally for transporting mail from the USA to Italy all mail going to and from NAS Sigonella is subject to DoD Postal Manual rules and regulations that clearly state that “no person or entity, either for

profit or non-profit, may use the Military Postal Service (MPS) for home business or to sell merchan-dise.” These regulations also state that there are “severe penalties associated with those who break this regulation.”

I know what you’re thinking, Military Postal Service? I thought that I was using USPS. In actual-ity, you are using both. The MPS works as an extension of USPS, which allows us, MPS users, to pay domestic prices for the USPS services we receive. USPS do-mestic postage covers the fees to move mail from the U.S. point of origin to the MPS gateway, typi-cally O’Hare International Air-port (ORD) in Illinois. The same applies for items we mail from Sigonella: USPS domestic post-age covers the fee from ORD to the USPS domestic address. The Department of Defense pays the transportation cost (Appropriat-ed Funds) from the FPO address to the gateway or from the gate-way to the FPO address. In other words, when a package is sent from NAS Sigonella, the package is scanned into the USPS system via our MPS system. The package is then sent from Sigonella to the MPS gateway in the USA. This is when the USPS Domestic Mail system at the domestic postage rate that is paid by the customer actually takes effect.

“There are a lot of behind-the-scenes processes that many peo-ple do not see, and it does get con-fusing,” explained Smith. “But our Sailors and Marines at the Post Office are ready to answer any questions you may have about the postal procedures. If anyone has more questions about how to use USPS and MPS without violating the rules and regulations outlined in our DoD manual, my door is always open.“

Home businesses are impor-tant to the NAS Sigonella commu-nity – a great means of procuring essential oils, special cookware, cosmetics and hair care supplies, plastic ware, and other personal use nice-to-haves while stationed here. Just make sure that whether you are a home business owner, or even the paying customer, the mail process is executed appropri-ately. Please contact the Fleet Mail Center or NAS 1 Post office if you have any questions – 624-5915.

By ltJG mIcaH WallInFleet Mail Center Division Officer

NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily - People may be surprised to learn that the base veteri-nary clinic does more than care for animals. One of its primary missions is food-safety inspection for NAS Sigonella and NSA Souda Bay, Greece.

Veterinarian corps officers travel back and forth between the two European na-tions and respective food-production facilities to ensure eatery food preparation and quality meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards.

No items can be served on base unless it’s from an approved source for use in the DoD system, or otherwise exempt “U.S. Army food inspectors protect the health of the population by ensuring standards are met through FDA food code, as well as Navy and Army regulations at the commissary and food establishments around base,” said Army Sgt. David Perez, NAS Sigonella’s food inspector. “As a food inspector, I am au-thorized to inspect and monitor deliveries of food to the commissary on a daily basis."

Any U.S. Army food inspector undergoes a five-week individual training at Fort Sam Houston with continued education on advanced food technology. “We work hand-in-hand with preventative medicine and food safety within the base installa-tions and educate them with food safety,” said Army Capt. Lara Brennecke. “We also do audits of the commercial facilities that are employed with the U.S. government to make sure the process is safe and sanitary.”

Audits begin through a checklist of required food safety documentation that in-cludes: temperature logs, pest management plans, and sanitization and training sched-ules. After the documentation is completed, a walkthrough of the processing facility is the last step of the food safety inspection. If standards are not met, the proprietor will

be given an amount of time to correct the deficiency.If still not correct during a re-inspection, the base preventative health team will

step in and order the eatery closed until the issue is corrected.Since care of all military working dogs at Sigonella and Souda Bay has big-time

physical security implications, it is the clinic’s number-one priority.“Many times we have to close the clinic to see and treat the military working dogs,”

said Brennecke. “We provide certain surgery procedures for the dogs, but sometimes we don’t have the man power or the equipment so we have to send the dogs to a dog center in Germany.”

The dogs go through two regular check-ups annually with the veterinary clinic. Veterinary clinic provides these services to support the military working dogs and their handlers to do their job and keep the NAS Sigonella community safe.

“I train with Enyzi, a military working dog, at least 30 minutes a day to maintain proficiency in detecting oxidizers, Trinitroluene (TNT) bombs, time-fused detona-tion cord like C-4 explosives,” said Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Paige Nielsen, Enyzi’s handler.

“Our mission is to keep the community safe by inspecting anything out of the ordinary from vehicles to buildings to make sure there are no improvised explosive devices (IEDs).”

As a military working dog handler, Nielsen can’t help but fall in love with Enyzi and the job. She commented on how good a team they are, which makes working with her fun and exciting every day.

To help provide more services to the community, the veterinary clinic is looking for volunteers. Go through the American Red Cross for training and then apply at the clinic. For more information call the clinic at 624-4258.

Vet Clinic's primary missions: Military Working Dog's and food safetyBy mc3 Ramon GoNAS Sigonella Public Affairs Staff

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tHE SIGnatuREpaGE 16 February 27, 2015