Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Gordon | 170527-N-OY339-022 SIGONELLA, Sicily (May 27, 2017) President Donald J. Trump waves...... read more read more
11:58 p.m. It’s pitch black on the tarmac. Lt. Cmdr. Erika “Mo” Schoenthal raises her binoculars to the sky. A soft mechanical hum infiltrates the Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella airfield. From below the aircraft, onlookers watch the plane’s flaps extend outward until the spoilers are ready to bring her safely to the ground. With a pronounced thud she lands and gently glides along the runway.
The President of the United States of America is here.
For Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Sigonella’s site Sigonella Director, Lt. Cmdr. Schoenthal, providing logistics support for the president and other foreign dignitaries is another (albeit exciting) day in the office.
NAVSUP FLC Sigonella played a major support role providing fuels, customs support, hazardous material (HAZMAT) support, and transportation during the dignitaries visit in support of the G7 Summit held in Taormina, Sicly.
Specifically, the team started its pre-planning phase last December, when the White House pre-advanced team visited Sigonella to capture capabilities and to conduct a site survey for the upcoming visit.
Prior to the summit, NAVSUP FLC Sigonella’s fuels division refueled 21 aircraft bringing gear and equipment for a total of 174,000 U.S. gallons of fuel.
“The G7 Summit was an awesome experience and being able to support such a great cause was an honor. The fuels division’s motivation and teamwork shined ‘clean, clear, and bright’, just like the fuel we gave them,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate-Fuels 2nd Class Rita Doakes.
During the summit, the team refueled 18 aircraft, including fuels support and coordination to Air Force One and Two, as well as aircraft from partner nations Japan and France, U.S. Air Force and Italian Aeronautica Militare helicopters, totaling 26,000 U.S. gallons of fuel.
The team provided 37,000 gallons of fuel to Italian Air Force fuel trucks for their refueling efforts; and coordinated customs support for armed Secret Service agents and the press plane at the Catania Airport, to include weapons clearance and a liaising service for Italian customs support to Sigonella.
After the presidential town hall featuring U.S. and Italian Armed Forces, NAVSUP FLC Sigonella’s work was not finished. After the event, the team defueled 13,000 U.S. gallons of fuel from nine helicopters and assisted Air Force One fueling teams in draining Air Force fuel trucks in preparation for shipment. During this time, the team also refueled six C-17s with more than 100,000 U.S. gallons of fuel.
“I think this is one of the most challenging logistics support activities I’ve ever led. With so many partners and so many key players, it was imperative that we all understood both what we owned and how we needed to support one another,” said Schoenthal.
“Our job as supply officers is to make sure our warfighters get what they need when they need it. In this case, it was ensuring the Commander in Chief arrived safely and was able to meet his mission,” she said.
NAVSUP FLC Sigonella is one of eight fleet logistics centers that provides global logistics, business and support services to fleet, shore and industrial commands of the Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army and allied forces. Services include contracting, regional transportation, fuel, material management, household goods movement support, postal and consolidated mail, warehousing, global logistics and husbanding, hazardous material management, and integrated logistics support.
| Date Taken: | 05.31.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2017 09:17 |
| Story ID: | 259033 |
| Location: | SIGONELLA, IT |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, NAVSUP FLC Sigonella Provides Critical Logistics Support, by Tia Nichole McMillen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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