Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jan David Mercado | 220429-N-EJ241-3013 DIEGO GARCIA, British Indian Ocean Territory (April 29, 2022)...... read more read more
DIEGO GARCIA, British Indian Ocean Territory (April 29, 2022) – An Arbor Day tree planting ceremony was held at Naval Support Facility (NSF) Diego Garcia in a joint effort between between NSF Diego Garcia, Safety Department, Navy Gateway Inns & Suites (NGIS), and Naval Facilities Engineering Command Far East Public Works Department (NAVFAC FE PWD) to ensure pedestrian walkway safety near NGIS facilities and also as part of an island-wide beautification project.
“The wellbeing of all our personnel, Sailors and civilian contractors alike, are very important to us,” said Capt. Richard D. Payne, commanding officer of NSF Diego Garcia. “Here in Diego Garcia, our motto is, ‘One island. One team. One mission,’ and the best way to make sure that the mission gets done is to make sure the team on the island is safe and sound.”
These important trees were planted in an area that has seen some safety concerns in the past.
According to NSF Diego Garcia safety specialists, the area near the NGIS facility had encountered an increase in unauthorized vehicular traffic flow causing a crossing hazard safety concern to be brought to their attention due to the vehicles driving over a nearby pedestrian walkway, which prompted the temporary solution of using barricades until a more permanent solution could be determined.
NGIS employees were the first to observe this dangerous change in vehicular activity and reached out to both NSF Diego Garcia, Safety Department, and NAVFAC FE PWD for a potential solution.
“As far as I’ve known, that area is not a road shortcut, but rather a lawn,” said Lhemar Antipasado, the Installation Natural Resource Program Manager for Diego Garcia, a U.S. Navy foreign national direct hire who works at Public Works Department’s Environmental Division. “People just kept driving through it with their vehicles, which damaged the lawn over time.”
This is the first time a tree planting ceremony was conducted near the NGIS area since most of the previous tree planting efforts took place in the southern areas of Diego Garcia.
“The trees will improve the area for NGIS guests who wish to stay or walk around the facility,” said Ritchie Columna, Diego Garcia Navy Exchange Service Command NGIS General Manager. “My fellow NGIS staff and I will be taking care of the trees and will work with NAVFAC FE PWD in the hopes of similar events in the future.”
NSF Diego Garcia's mission is to provide critical support to U.S. and allied forces forward deployed to the Indian Ocean, while supporting multi-theater forces operating in the CENTCOM, AFRICOM, EUCOM, and PACOM areas of responsibilities in support of overseas contingency operations.
For more information on events happening in NSF Diego Garcia, visit https://www.facebook.com/NSFDG.
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2022 06:10 |
| Story ID: | 419999 |
| Location: | DIEGO GARCIA, IO |
| Hometown: | PAMPA, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 97 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Arbor Day 2022 Tree Planting Ceremony, by PO2 Jan David Mercado, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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