Photo By Chief Petty Officer Larry Foos | HOREZU, Romania (April 3, 2016) - A U.S. Navy Sailor of Naval Support Facility (NSF)...... read more read more
DEVESELU, Romania (NNS) -- Serving in what’s considered isolation duty in the interior of Romania, 18 U.S. Navy Sailors and Department of Defense (DOD) personnel of Naval Support Facility (NSF) Deveselu embarked on a weekend excursion to the medieval Corvin Castle in Hunedoara April 2, followed by the historical Monastery of Horezu the following day, both firsts for them and for the installation’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) staff.
The excursion is a milestone for both NSF Deveselu and MWR, considering its size, location and short history. With its establishment not quite 1 ½ years ago, NSF Deveselu is the newest base in the Navy, with most of its operations and personnel only months old. There are no large cities or major attractions nearby. MWR quickly developed a program onsite and built this test model two-day, nearly 400-mile round trip to give service members a weekend getaway. Participants appreciated the opportunity.
“It’s cool, seeing the people, getting to know the culture. It’s nice,” said a Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Sailor of Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System, NSF Deveselu, who participated in the retreat. “It’s always a nice escape from work, like having an R&R. It’s nice having (MWR) here. They’re really supportive.”
With maximum participation, MWR provided a touring bus with a driver for the travel, the itinerary and admission to the castle, including a guided tour. They also provided admission to the monastery the next day, a place to shop for local pottery and souvenirs and have lunch. The activity-packed excursion enabled them free time for dinner, a choice of hotels conveniently located, and a chance to see a window-view of the countryside from two routes.
For MWR specialists, it’s a challenge to create trips in such remote areas where nothing has been done before. Experience and careful planning is a prerequisite. MWR Recreation Specialist Bunny Merritt, who organized and led this particular weekend trip, is keenly aware building these trips, as difficult as it may be, has a greater payoff at the end.
“MWR here is brand new trying to figure out its legs. It was harder than I thought figuring out the process. But most Sailors seem to enjoy these opportunities, especially when they’re in remote locations. Bases like Deveselu and Djibouti, MWR is more salient than other large city base locations with resources. They are not easily going to find the fitness centers and cultural activities in the local community,” said Merritt.
Merritt is working for MWR in NSF Deveselu on a 3 ½-month temporary assignment from Naval Station Great Lakes to help augment permanent staff here. She is one of three MWR staff in Deveselu planning all the trips, tours and a wide-range of on-base activities. It’s all done for a higher purpose.
“MWR is important to bridge the gap for service members’ basic quality of life functions, so they can have happy and healthy lives,” said Merritt.
For more news on NSF Deveselu, go to Facebook at www.facebook.com/NSFDeveselu or visit Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia at www.navy.mil/local/cnre.
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.05.2016 08:34 |
| Story ID: | 194368 |
| Location: | DEVESELU, RO |
| Web Views: | 207 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, MWR Treads New Ground for Sailors, DOD Personnel in Romania, by CPO Larry Foos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
