#SAAM: Sexual Assault Awareness Training Conducted at NSA Naples

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Erik Luebke, Navy Public Affairs Support Element-East Detachment Europe

NAPLES, Italy (NNS) -- Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples continued Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) with a stand-down training for all Sailors, April 23.

NSA Sailors reported to the training as part of a month long concentrated effort to express that sexual assault is not, and will never be, tolerated in the Navy, as expressed by this month's final theme, "We will not tolerate sexual assault."

The training consisted of presentations given by several service members, including NSA Naples Command Master Chief (SW) Charles Collins and Chief Master-at-Arms (SW/AW) Carrie Wesby, the Command Managed Equal Opportunity (CMEO) program manager, on the importance of preventing sexual assault.

"The training was very good and I enjoyed it," said Engineman 2nd Class (SW/EXW) Miguel Huerta. "I was unaware that a simple 'good game' or a simple smack on the backside could be considered a sexual assault."

Sailors are encouraged to watch out for each other, and to take measures to prevent sexual assault from happening to anyone, whether they are a service member or not.

"There are a few things we can do to reduce the risk of being sexually assaulted," said Sindy Copeland, the sexual assault response coordinator. "Be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to behaviors that may lead to sexual assault, such as inappropriate touching and pressures to have sex."

Sexual assault prevention and response is an important subject that Sailors should incorporate into their everyday life. The Department of the Navy is working to aggressively prevent sexual assaults, to support sexual assault victims, and to hold offenders accountable.

"While the Navy has made progress over the past several years, our work is not done," said Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the chief of naval operations in NAVADMIN 106/12. "Sexual assault is a crime that erodes our operational readiness and requires leadership from all levels of the chain of command."

The Department of Defense's SAAM weekly themes for April are, "Hurts One", "Affects All", "Prevention is Everyone's Duty" and "We will not tolerate sexual assault".

Sexual Assault Prevention and Response is an important element of the readiness area of the 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative which consolidates a set of objectives and policies, new and existing, to maximize Sailor and Marine personal readiness, build resiliency and hone the most combat-effective force in the history of the Navy and Marine Corps. The Department of the Navy is working to aggressively to prevent sexual assaults, to support sexual assault victims, and to hold offenders accountable.

Help raise awareness by joining the conversation on social media using #SAAM.

USO Tour Shows Nation’s Gratitude, Vice Chairman Says

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

NAVAL AIR STATION NAPLES, Italy, April 17, 2012 – The USO's spring tour not only brightens the day for service members and their families living overseas, but also shows them the nation is grateful for their sacrifices, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told a crowded auditorium here yesterday.

“We really are here to see you and thank you for what you are doing in uniform -- serving the United States of America overseas,” Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr. said.

The USO has been entertaining troops overseas for decades, Winnefeld said, noting that the Navy named a ship after Bob Hope, who’d headlined many of the tours.

The vice chairman said leading this tour is a privilege, and he thanked the USO, its volunteers and the cast for working hard to bring enjoyment to troops overseas.

Winnefeld is joined by comedian/actor Anthony Anderson; former Major League Baseball pitcher Randy “The Big Unit” Johnson; performer Jason “Wee-Man” Acuna, actor and pitchman Dennis Haysbert; Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders Allyson Traylor, Brittany Evans and Kelsi Reich; and former “American Idol” contestants Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young.

Following the show here, service members and their families said they enjoyed an “awesome” show and spoke of their appreciation for the traveling celebrities.

“I liked it a lot,” said Valerie Stein, a Navy spouse who watched the Naples show with her husband. “It shows that everyone is thinking about us over here and cares about us.”

Her husband, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Joel Stein, said he also enjoyed the show and it had a “good group of celebrities.”

“I'm a baseball fan, so I liked Randy Johnson [the most], but I like ‘The Unit,’ too,” he said, referring to a 2006-2009 series in which Haysbert starred as a member of a special operations unit. “I liked all of those guys.”

Valerie Stein, a native of Westerfield, N.Y., said the Stein family has been in Italy for a year, and she noted the USO tour is important because it “brings a piece of home” to the base.

“Just keep up the good work and keep the celebrities coming as much as they can,” she added. “It helps us get through being away and everything.”

Another Navy spouse, Heather Hawkins, said she enjoyed the cheerleaders during the show.

“It was awesome, and I had a really good time,” she said. “We came from Texas, so the Cowboys [cheerleaders] were awesome to see there.”

Hawkins said she cried when the cast sang “God Bless America,” and thanked the families in the audience. “That means a lot, and it is hard, because you are apart sometimes,” she said.

If she had an opportunity to speak to the USO talent, she added, she would express her gratitude.

“I'd thank them for taking the time out -- they're busy, I know they're busy -- and I don't think they fully understand how much it does mean that they recognize the troops and the sacrifices they make,” she said. “Even the families -- I really appreciated that. Sometimes the families get [forgotten].”

Hawkins said she would encourage more celebrities to travel overseas on USO tours.

“I don't think they understand what it means to see familiar faces from home,” she said. “It kind of keeps the morale of the troops up, and families’ as well.”