NAS Sigonella Airport Terminal Support

One of the most sobering experiences we have is working with the USO at the NAS 2 terminal in support of the flight arrival and departure.  It usually always happens very late at night or very early in the morning.  The arrival flights originate in the U.S.  Troops arrive from all over the country at Norfolk then they board the plane for a variety of destinations.  NAS Sigonella is known to be the “Hub of the Med” and if you spend a Wednesday or Friday at the air terminal it all becomes very clear why.

There are flights scheduled pretty much every day but the heavy days are Wednesday and Friday.  Last week we were supporting the Wednesday night flight.  We arrived at the terminal around 8:30pm.  The USO Office is a small one; snacks, cold drinks, coffee and hot water are provided for the passengers.  It is an amazing “meet and greet!”

We had two planes arrive within an hour of each other, one a 767 with 350 and a 747 with 250 military personnel, some TDY and some PCS.  Most were going to the Middle East, Kuwait, UAE or other spots on a rotation.  Most were very young 19-22 with some senior officers sprinkled among them. They had started their journey across the country 36 hours prior to arriving at Sigonella; they were still at least another 24 hours before they would reach their destination, if all went well.  A large contingency on the plane had originated from Camp Pendleton, CA, very near Carlsbad, CA.  We used to shop at the commissary and NEX when we were in Carlsbad.  It was easy to have a conversation about that beautiful area.  

We also had the scheduled “rotator flight” arrive that originates at Norfolk, then to Roda, Spain, Sigonella, Italy, Bahrain and the last stop is Djibouti. Turns out that the base in Djibouti crashed a Harrier helicopter earlier that day and they closed the runway to any flights while the investigation was taking place.  That means the flight from Sigonella cannot take off because they cannot land in Djibouti!  Suddenly we are crammed into the terminal with three pretty heavily loaded flights, one that cannot not take off. The “rotator flight” needed to be housed for the evening until landing could be secured or new orders provided for that load of troops to move any further.  Hotel rooms in Catania were secured and pizzas arrived along with busses to transport them to their hotel until further notice. Never a dull moment!

 Most U.S. citizens have no idea what goes on with military troop movement.  I consider it my privilege to participate and support our troops as they continually move, leave their families, wives, husbands, moms, dads, and kids of all sizes and homes to provide security for all of us.  I know there is people who are taking care of the families left behind but that doesn’t negate the fact that military life is extremely difficult on families.  We get this time to be keenly aware of the sacrifices being made, I am thankful to be aware and be of support to help soften the impact of military reality. God bless our Troops!