Aug. 1, 2008
BZ: This letter is written to you in the hope that you would find it possible to formally express my sincere appreciation to the following people for the excellent support and assistance they have provided and are still providing. Prior to my June 15 arrival, my sponsor answered every question I had and assured me repeatedly that I will be taken care of, and so it was. Chief Personnel Specialist Ferdinand Quinto of the USS George Washington (GW) Family Assistance Support Team (FAST) was able to send a friendly face to meet me at the airport, and I received help to get on the bus by a member of his team, Fire Controlmen 2nd class Greg Bunder. At the Navy Lodge, I was met by my sponsor Angela LeMay, and what a great sponsor she is; husband and wife team Chief David LeMay and Angela are still checking on me daily to ensure that I am comfortable in this environment or if I require assistance. I couldn’t have asked for more, I got the best. Also there to greet me was Chief Quinto and Lt. Manny Aranda. Chief Quinto had reconfirmed the bus arrangements with me via e-mail two days prior to my arrival. He also took care to e-mail my husband on the GW of my safe arrival. Personally, I have witnessed my share of sponsors throughout the years and I know that people have quite unreasonable requests and expectations of these sponsors. It never ceases to amaze me that there is not more emphasis on the fact that all sponsors are volunteers and should be treated as the valuable resource they are and not misused by people requesting sponsors. Most of the time, exactly those people are the most ill prepared, still blissfully ignorant of the new place and country upon their arrival, yet arrogant enough to expect sponsors to do what is ultimately their responsibility. The Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) sponsor coordinator, the sponsors and the GW FAST are doing an amazing job. FFSC can be proud to have such a dedicated staff member as Angela Lemay working for them. I have the privilege and pleasure to witness her going above and beyond her duties. From Personnel Support Detachment (PSD) Yokosuka to Housing office personnel including the Japanese translators assisting with house hunting or Navy Lodge personnel to the bus drivers on base, what a pleasure to be here. Thank you Security, TRICARE staff, FFSC, Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) staff and the entire Area Orientation Brief/Inter- Cultural Relations (AOB/ICR) staff for a job well done and for making my arrival so smooth and pleasant. A special thank you to a kind, unknown person that found my brand new eye glasses on the base bus and turned them into the Navy Lodge front desk. Amidst all the daily complaints you may receive, I hope this will let you know that there are fabulous people out there doing a fabulous job. I for one, am grateful to have found them and wanted to use this platform to express my appreciation and thank you all personally for your efforts in assuring that arriving GW families receive the best care.