In the Spotlight

Stationed on a picturesque island with an active volcano offers ample opportunities to hike a variety of unique trails and for Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Aircraft Handling) 2nd Kelly Williams, from Bend, Oregon, the chance to hike with his dog and explore some of the best hiking spots across Sicily and Europe is his favorite reason for being stationed here at Naval Air Station Sigonella.

Williams has been onboard for three years and is assigned to the Emergency Management department in the Emergency Operations Center.

“He was a key player during emergency operation center activations during Operation Allies Refuge, the 2021 base flooding, multiple scheduled protests and several unexplored ordinance transportation and disposal events,” remarked Logistics Specialist 1st Class Acey Mateo, leading petty officer for emergency management.

When asked about his proudest accomplishment while in the Navy, Williams said Operation Allies Refuge and assisting all the people that came through Sigonella during it.

While emergency management doesn’t directly correlate to his rate as an ABH, it does tie in directly to Williams’s motivation to serve in the U.S. Navy, “to help those that are unable or unwilling to help themselves.”

Williams’s main responsibilities are updating and coordinating the mission essential listings and emergency action plans for all of NAS Sigonella and its tenant commands, updating different aspects of the installation’s emergency management plan, conducting emergency management related trainings for command duty officers and incident management team members, and talking to new base personnel at command indoctrination regarding emergency preparedness.

“His leadership and attention to detail in the EOC and as part of the Installation Training Team contributed to an overall score of 93% during the 2022 NAS Sigonella’s command assessment of readiness training,” added Mateo.

In addition to his normal tasks, Williams also holds several collateral duties such as the departmental career counselor, systems admin, Non-Combatant Evacuation Tracking System site manager and Installation Training Team member.

Despite how busy and the many responsibilities Williams has taken on at work, he has still been to find time to complete his associate’s degree in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle and is now working on his bachelor’s degree.

Williams’s favorite quote from “The Odyssey” by Homer is “Even his griefs are a joy long after one that remembers all that he wrought and endured.”

This quote is a just a reflection of Williams’s work ethic and beliefs, as for Williams it is all just part of life in Navy and what being a Sailor is about.
He explains what most people don’t know about the Navy is “the amount of humanitarian work and community outreach the Navy, and the other branches as well, do to help not just their local community around the base but in communities across the world.”

His stewardship, dedication and leadership are the qualities that drew his command to nominating him as NAS Sigonella’s “In the Spotlight” selection.

“His leadership and experience has a made him a strong influence throughout the department and greatly relied upon for all critical tasks,” concluded Mateo. “He consistently performs high above his paygrade.”