I hope you enjoyed spring break with family and friends. It has been a good be-

ginning to a New Year. On April 5th the command took time for the annual summer safe-

ty 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 ac-

tivities 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 respon-

sibly. 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 consequenc-

es. 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!

SEL - Farewell YNC Jeffrey Sellers

By Pietro Migliorini

It’s certainly hard to summarize in a few

lines the sights and places to visit in a city like Paler-

mo, city capital and main urban center of Sicily, Pa-

lermo 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 neighbor-

hoods, but in any case it deserves to be visited as

still one of the main historic centers of the Mediter-

ranean. 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 Chap-

el" 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 representa-

tions 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 Cata-

lan. 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'Alta-

villa 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 is-

sue. Have fun!

What is your job function for NCTS?

I'm assigned to the Base Communica-

tions Office (N91) Division of the N9 Depart-

ment External Services, as the Technical Direc-

tor. The Base Communications Office is respon-

sible for all telecommunications requirements

within the confines of NAS Sigonella, Sicily

which includes NAS I, NAS II, NRTF at Nisce-

mi, Augusta Bay pier site, 205 housing annex,

and Marinai residence. The Base Communica-

tions 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.

How long have you been working here?

I was raised in NCTS Sicily!!! Actually I

have to say initially I was hired in

NAVCOMDET Sicily in 1979, and I was only

twenty years old at that time. So it will be 34

years as of November 2013!

What is something about you that very few

people know?

That despite the appearance I'm not that

young!!!!...just kidding. I think the majority of

my colleagues knows about my interest for read-

ing international classics literature of the 19th

and 20th centuries (Hugo, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj,

Mann, Buck, Dickens, Roth, Verga, Pirandello,

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.”

By ITSN Jesse Roswell

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 na-

ture. 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!!

If you could recommend one place that sailors

stationed here should not miss, what would it

be?

Sicily's gift is that it is a vacation island,

with sea all around it and its mountains thousand

meters high and above, with the excellence of the

three thousand and three hundred and more me-

ters of the volcano Etna, Sicily is one of the few

places in the world where you can ski and swim

during the same day, or lets say within couple of

hours!!! No special places to recommend, just get

out and have fun!!! But remember only before

midnight!!!...since nothing good happen after

midnight!

Creighton Cup Mentor of the Month

IT2 Terry

April 2013 GMT Awardees

LS2 Blanco

Protégé LSSN Burks

IT2 Jenei NAM

ET3 James NAM

IT3 Bellavia NAM

ETC Ehrhardt EIDW

CE1 Blaise EIDW

IT2 Jenei EIDW

IT2 Zhao EIDW

IT3 Bellavia EIDW

ET3 Barnes EIDW

EIDW

EIDW

EIDW

EIDW

EIDW

EIDW

Good Conduct

BJOQ

ET3 Delacruz

ET3 McGee

ET3 James

IT3 Snyder

YN3 Adams

ITSN Harner

IT2 Shanley

IT3 Chesnut

Happy Birthday to the Navy’s Finest Chief

Petty Officers!

By IT1 Shelly Espin

NCTS Sicily’s Chief

Petty Officers

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

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 mili-

tary. 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.

The Chief Petty Officer is a senior enlisted, non-

commissioned 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 lit-

tle as nine or ten years. CPO’s are, in essence, the mid-

dle managers of the Navy. While commissioned offic-

ers 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

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 Of-

ficer First Class and lower ranks go up for advancement,

they are promoted based on an advancement examina-

tion 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 Person-

nel, and “initiated” into the ranks of the Chief Petty Of-

ficers.

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 al-

ways relied on to get things done; visible leaders who

set the tone. And, they are generally charged with keep-

ing good order and discipline within the lower enlisted

ranks.

Chief John W. Finn

Chief Thomas Reeves MCPO Anna

Der-Vartanian

Chief Gerald Farrier

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 dif-

ference 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 car-

ried 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?

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, swim-

ming, 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 recrea-

tion, 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 dur-

ing this time of year, and with that being said, we have to ensure we are doing every-

thing 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 re-

laxation? 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 or-

der, 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 dur-

ing 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 pre-

vent the large amount of damage that may result. Please

stay safe and enjoy your summer!

By: CM1 Leifeste (Safety Officer)

Editors

IT1 Shelly Espin

IT2 Katie Dale

ET3 Courtney Robson

ITSN Jesse Roswell

Photographer

IT1 Enderle

Questions or comments?

IT1 Espin: 624-5551

Address

PSC 812 BOX 3290

FPO AE 09627-3290

Command

Numbers

CWO:

COMM:

011-39-095-86-5553

DSN:

314-624-5553

QD:

COMM:

011-39-095-86-5521

DSN:

314-624-5521

Website

www.public.navy.mil/

fcc-c10f/navcomtelsta/

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NCTS Sicily

Congratulations to the NCTS Basketball team, Base champs!

A job well done, gentleman. Hooyah!!

2013 NAS Sigonella Basketball Champions

THICKEST:

IT1 Long CURLIEST:

ETC Ehrhardt

SHINIEST:

ITC Moore

MOST FITTING:

Mr. Barry BEST OF SHOW:

Mr. Banchs