Aviano's Finest - U.S. Civilian Category Published Sept. 4, 2009 AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- Name: James "Jim" Hoppe, a retired Air Force master sergeant Unit: 31st Medical Support Squadron Duty Title: 31st MDG Network Manager/Information Assurance Officer How long have you worked for the military? 29 years (21 active-duty and eight as a civilian) Hometown City, State and/or Country: Wahoo ,Neb. How do you support the 31st Fighter Wing mission? I'm a U.S. civilian contractor working for Electronic Data Systems supporting the 31st Medical Group and manage and oversee the operations of 28 servers/clinical systems and more than 500 computer spread throughout 11 buildings located in four geographic locations, the furthest being approimately 17 kilometers away from the base. What's one thing you've learned about Italy's history, people and culture? The depth and richness of the history is almost endless. As for the people and culture, it is interesting to experience and understand both the unique differences and the similarities to other countries. What's one advantage of being stationed overseas? Travel and with it the exposure to the many people and cultures. What's your favorite European destination and why? Rome has been my favorite Italian destination so far. The history of Rome is probably the biggest reason. So many places to see and learn about, you could spend days and not see it all. Why I nominated Mr. Hoppe as one of Aviano's Finest? "Hoppe" is a shining light of dedication, expertise and professionalism. Time and time again he helps the MDG and Wing navigate the complex information security waters while providing excellent customer service. He was recently singled out for praise in the Wing's Information Assurance Assessment inspection. He was key to the successful standup of the group's new server room, which houses $600K in unique medical systems. We are lucky to have him in the Medical Group and Medical Support Squadron." - Lt. Col. John Savage, 31st Medical Support Squadron commander.