Photo By Lance Cpl. Glen Santy | Second Class Marshall Danilo Maraglino, an Italian air force student at the Center for...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - Lobo in Italian means wolf and is defined as “the name of animal of prey.” The Italian navy students from Gruppo Supporto Aerei Imbarcati, in Grottaglie, Italy, who are attending the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training courses here, are exactly that. Though instead of hunting small-woodland animals, the Italians aboard the air station hunt for straight A’s and to become honor graduate of the courses they attend.
For more than a decade Italian students have visited Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point to attend CNATT classes on AV-8B Harrier mechanics, KC-130 maintenance and Cryogenics.
The Italian students come here to be qualified in the same military occupational specialties that U.S. students come here for, explained Staff Sgt. Jessica Romagnoli, CNATT instructor and international military student officer. The only difference is that the Italians already have an apprenticeship of working on the aircraft.
“They have a little more experience than our Marine lance corporals and privates first class,” said Lt. Col. Paul M. Melchior, commanding officer of Marine Unit CNATT. “So we benefit by having them in the course because they act like a senior Marine, someone who’s been around the block once or twice. We benefit also because they’re coalition partners and they’re out there on the flight decks with the U.S.”
“Every course the Italian students are in, they have either the first or second highest grades in the class,” said Romagnoli.
There are currently seven Italian sailors attending the CNATT courses, which can range from two to nine months.
“The instructors here have been very professional,” said Italian navy Sgt. Giuseppe Tanzarella, CNATT student. “I liked what they taught and how they taught. It helped us retain a lot of knowledge.”
Having Italian sailors and U.S. Marines going through the same classes is good for both parties, said Romagnoli. It brings a little healthy competition to the class to reach honor graduate. One Italian student can spend more than a year in attendance of the CNATT courses without Italian translation.
“All of the classes are still in English,” said Warrant Officer Sergio Mangialardo, an ordnance maintainer with Gruppo Supporto Aerei Imbarcti and the liaison officer for the Italian students at the CNATT. “All of their pubs, which are like instructional manuals, will be in English back home.”
An Italian student obtains plenty of skills and knowledge that he can take back to Italy and start teaching other Italian service members.
“The students get qualified in more than one MOS so that when they go back to Italy they will have all that experience to bring back to the country and do their job,” said Mangialardo. “We don’t have any instructors over there, which is why we come here.”
Despite language barriers and possible struggles to understand the classes, Italians continued their way to graduate with enthusiasm.
“We like to be here,” said Mangialardo. “It’s a good experience for us. Especially for those who’ve never been to the states. What they get from here is not only the qualification for their MOS, but also the life experience.”
Even though the Italian sailors were away from their home country, they were able to relate to U.S. Marines because they had the same purpose at Cherry Point – to learn.
“It’s hard being so far away from home and in such a different lifestyle,” said Mangialardo. “But we enjoy improving our English, traveling and the personal life experience of getting to know a new culture and meeting new people.
Whether it is coalition forces like Italy or the UK, CNATT Marines are more than ready to take-on any challenge any country has to offer.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2011 13:42 |
| Story ID: | 74467 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 358 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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