XO’s Corner LCDR Joey Harrison

Well it's never too early to start planning for the warmer weather and the travel season. When you travel that of course means spending money and spending money requires a budget. Do you have one? If not, the family service center can help you with this very important plan. Also in full swing is military saves month. If you need help developing a plan our command financial counselor can help you with a budget to get you saving money now so you will enjoy the benefits, and hopefully the profits, later. As little as $25 a payday is a great start. Please continue to take care of one another and keep leaning forward in all you do, stay safe and stay warm! Enjoy some well deserved down time over the Presidents Day long weekend and until next time, CIAO!

Good day shipmates, family and friends. First, I would like to echo the Commanding Officer's comments from the January Transmitter and also say Thank You to each one of you, your families, and friends, for a great 2012. We are off and running in 2013 and have set many goals for our team. I'm confident we will accomplish them with the same drive and determination that made our 2012 so successful. Press! Is it me or is time once again moving swiftly along? I can't believe it's February already and the Superbowl is over. Now we must count the days until the boys of summer once again take to the gridiron but I'm not worried, as I know there will be much to keep us busy between now and August. Spring will soon be here and with that comes warmer weather and another physical readiness cycle. Keep working out, eating right and make a goal to better last cycle's score.

By Pietro Migliorini

Aci Reale is a town ten minutes of motorway away from Catania in the north direction, and in the period that goes from the last week end of January to Tuesday 12 February 2013 you can participate, in what has rightly been called the most' beautiful carnival in Sicily. Characterized by the colors of the floats and the carnival noises is considered the festival of joy per excellence, a festival during which, at least for one day humanity roles are reversed. It is not easy to investigate the origins of the festival that goes 'back in time to the beginnings of Christianity, in fact, the holidays' is placed immediately between Epiphany (Date of arrival in Bethlehem of the Magi) and Lent (About forty days before Easter Period) and the Latin name "Carnem Levare" translateable in English “Meat remove from diet” indicates the requirement to abstain from meat consumption on the days following the end of the carnival (The Mardi gras) which precisely coincides with the first day of Lent. The Carnival Acese (Aci Reale), with origins as early as 1500, the masks had at the time a character mocking of authority ', although they were very tolerated especially by the Church, which ruled directly or indirectly on almost all the Italian territory as well in Europe. With the mask called "The Abbatazzu" which satirized the clerical class of the time especially on the Bishop of Catania, the mask of the "Baruni" wearing a large hood, a hat cylinder, bright ribbons, big collars, big chains with behavior and coarse peasant, he sought to denigrate the nobility '. Nowadays they make fun of politicians in general, and people of entertainment known to the general public. The floats (Allegoric vans) are made of cardboard or flowers. Have fun and enjoy the carnival!!!

THE CARNIVAL OF ACI REALETHE CARNIVAL OF ACI REALETHE CARNIVAL OF ACI REALETHE CARNIVAL OF ACI REALE

When and where did you enlist in the Navy? I joined the Delayed Entry

Program in October, 1988 in Junction

City, Kansas and came on active duty

April 3, 1989. You have been active duty for 22

years. You have probably been to some

pretty exciting commands, would you care

to name a couple of your favorites? My

favorite command was NMCB 133

(Kangaroos Can Do). The Seabees are

definitely a special group but the

camaraderie and the knowledge they

possess led to not only and exciting tour

but a memorable one. We deployed to

Kuwait and we were there for the start of

Operation Iraqi Freedom.

What was your favorite place to eat

while stationed in Sicily? That’s an easy

one. I love Italian Chinese food. We

were frequent flyers at Il Mundo

Restaurant Chinese in Catania.

What advice would you give to sailors thinking about making the Navy their career?

Always keep a positive attitude and

remember that things you might think are

senseless or strange, do have a purpose and

if you look at the big picture, you will see

that even the most trivial of tasks serve a

purpose for the greater good of the

command mission and the Navy.

What will you miss most about being

active duty? Strangely enough, I will miss

wearing the uniform. Now I have to

actually put some thought into what I am

going to wear each day. I will miss the

special relationships among Sailors and

most of all the solidarity of the Chiefs Mess.

I have enjoyed my years in the Navy

and would not change a single thing. I have

made many great friends and have learned so

much about myself. I would like to wish each

and everyone good fortune in their personal

and professional endeavors.

After 22 years of dedication and service, the time has come for Chief Cole to hang up her anchors. Her legacy is the leadership she provided, the motivation and inspiration she has passed on to the sailors of NCTS Sicily. Fair winds and following seas,

By IT1 Espin

How long have you been working at NCTS?

16 years with NCTS, 11 with the NEX and 3 with DECA

What are your job responsibilities?

Travel, accounting and mail

What are the biggest changes you have seen throughout your years at NCTS?

Budget cuts

What restaurant do you recommend a NCTS Sailor not miss during their tour in Sicily?

Visiting the north side of Etna and Nebrodi, you will experience several nice little restaurants.

What is something not many people know about you?

I am the only born Sicilian in my office!

Need mail or TAD orders? Isidoro “Izzy” Russo is your man! Always willing to help with a smile, Izzy, as he is fondly referred to at NCTS, is a mainstay at our command. Izzy was kind enough to take time out of his busy day to sit down with the Transmitter and answer a few questions for us. As always, we appreciate Izzy and his hard work and look forward to spending another great year here at NCTS Sicily with him on our team.

By IT1 Espin

Creighton Cup Mentor of the Month

IT2 Bean

February 2013 GMT Awardees

BM2 Davis Protégé ITSN Hulett

IT3 Barnthouse JCM IT3 Foggin IT1 Chaco NAM ET3 Stafford ET1 Klingman NAM ITSN Harner ET2 Love NAM OSC Arthur IT2 Marks NAM YN2 Siebert ET3 Balesi NAM CE1 Poe ET3 Henry Good Conduct IT2 Williams ET3 Ramus Good Conduct ET3 Beckworth IT2 Bergen FLOC ET3 Camacho IT2 VanGundy FLOC IT3 Snyder IT2 Zhao FLOC

FLOC FLOC FLOC MOVSM MOVSM/EIDW EIDW EIDW/LOA LOA LOA LOA

Sailor of the Quarter

Junior Sailor of the Quarter

CE1 Leifeste

February 2013 GMT Awardees

IT2 Williams

IT1 Kim presents CDR Buss with the CFC plaque for Silver Level Contributions, above $90 per

donation, the first time NCTS Sicily has earned this

award!

Lately we’ve been seeing a lot of message traffic about phishing attempts that are targeted specifically at you – the military service person. Why would you be a target? Well, you get a steady paycheck and your pay is more than likely direct-deposited into a bank. The average age of the sailor is 22 and they are heavy internet and email users. As a person born into the information communication internet era, this generation tends to be more trusting and responsive to emails from what seem to be valid authorities and banks. This generation spends more time texting than actually talking on a mobile device. What is phishing? Well, phishing is the act of attempting to acquire information, such as user names, passwords and credit card or bank account details (and sometimes indirectly your cash) by posing as a trustworthy agent in a digital or electronic communication. Some of you may have already received quite a few bank emails, the tip off may have been that you don’t bank with them. Some tips are that the grammar usage in the email is terrible; but after reading some of my son’s and other young people’s communications, this may not readily tip you off. Sometimes it’s the big fantasy of someone needing your help to get money out of some exotic country you don’t even know where to find on a map! Sigh, if only they could wire it to a stateside account while it is in transition and then they could reward you

The most common forms of phishing now are embedded URL’s in emails or emails with attachments that have a malicious payload, which once opened in the respective program, sets off “a series of unfortunate events…” Lately, with the housing and re-fi problems in the U.S., there are phishers posing as members of the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars – and they have a program of some sort to short term loan you money… but “only if you aren’t currently under threat of being evicted.” Be vigilant in your personal and professional email exchanges and aware of the people who normally send you email and be suspicious or strange senders, outlandish claims and bank or other financial emails, like PayPal… they will never ask you for your user name and password in an email. Most direct you to a number to call. Be aware of the links in an email – don’t click the link – but hover over it and you will notice that the link is either not a secure HTML link or the domain name is off even is not a .COM but a foreign nation, like .RU or .HU or .CH… Hyperlinks or URLs on your official email should be digitially signed, if they aren’t, they are suspect. Prepared – Proactive – Professional starts with every one of us. One mistake at any level can compromise the information security of the shipmate working beside you. So, far, none of our Team COMSTA folks have come up in the phishing lists, let’s stay that way.

By Mr. Wilfredo Banchs NCTS IAM

Officer Elections Results:

President - IT2 Williams Vice President - IT2 Zhao Secretary - EM3 Camacho Bookkeeper - ET3 Ramus Treasurer - YN3 Adams

EO/Multi Cultural Director - YN2 Siebert

I would just like to add that we are all VERY excited to get started this year, and hope that everyone can support the committee's functions. We always welcome new members and new ideas. My contact numbers are extensions x5858 (primary) or x5184.— IT2 Williams

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/Pages/default.aspx

Facebook

Group: NCTS Sicily

ACTCOMM will be providing a prize for the person who can match the most pictures to names! Please submit answers to IT1 Espin by

COB 22 FEB. Winner will be announced 25 FEB in email.

CO ENS Hazelbaker Mr. Banchs IT1 Mundo ET3 Robson XO IT2 Dale Mrs. Davis IT1 Espin

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