12/30/2011 CAMP DARBY, Italy- Fabiano Bartoli retired from United States Federal Service on Dec. 31 from the 839th Transportation Battalion.  After 39 years of dedicated service to the U.S. Government, 25 years spent with the 839th TRANS, Fabiano plans to spend his time relaxing with his wife and is hoping that, “grandkids will be along soon.”

He began his career on Jan.  8, 1973, working for the European Exchange Service which is now known as the Army Air Force Exchange Service.  He worked for the Army Corps of Engineers, the 839th Transportation, the Department of Public Works, and then back to the transportation battalion in 1993.  With the Transportation Battalion, he traveled extensively to ports in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the United States; serving as a senior Marine Cargo Specialist, first with the 1321st Medium Port Command and then later with the 839th Transportation Battalion.

When asked over the years what his favorite part of the job was he responded, “I like being with the ships and getting dirty.  I really enjoyed the operations part of the job and I really don’t like paper work or sitting at a desk.” 

Getting dirty was definitely something that he never had an issue doing; on one particular mission to the Ukraine, the port was littered with protesters.   In order to complete the mission on time, Fabiano and his crew went to a nearby Ukrainian Navy Base and used a tug boat to bring ferry themselves to the pier at the commercial port.  Once inside the port, Fabiano and his fellow Italian and Turkish colleagues were able to slip through the protesters, pretending to be regular ship hands.   Once on the dock, they worked for 36 hours nonstop: completing the mission on time. 

When asked if he found the night shift difficult, he replied, “I enjoyed the night shift because it was always quiet and I was able to get a lot of work done.  We didn’t have VIPs coming in and stopping work for minor details.” 

Fabiano’s enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge is already missed.  The countless missions and experience gained make his shoes hard to fill.  We wish him the best and hope to see him around the local Camp Darby area.  Fabiano: Thank you for your dedicated service and commitment to excellence in serving the United States Government.