Junior enlisted Sailors serving aboard Naval Support Facility (NSF) Deveselu, Romania moved from temporary row huts into the new Housing/Dining Facility (HDF) Dec. 7.

Construction of the HDF began in August 2014. It will eventually house all military personnel, but for now, officers and chief petty officers will continue to live in Containerized Housing and Living Units (CHU/CLU).

"Fighting the weather elements last winter and working through the delays created a project that was continually fighting to regain ground," said Capt. William Garren, commanding officer, NSF Deveselu. "With the base cooperation with the Army Corps, we were able to make sure we did not interfere with construction and put pressure on the contractors that needed to be there to identify how important this building was to our Sailors."

When fully completed, the HDF will be more than living quarters. The building will contain the gym, a galley, an exchange and a Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) lounge for Sailors living there.

Senior Chief Culinary Specialist Raymond Dean, senior enlisted leader, NSF Deveselu said that the move out of the row huts greatly improves the quality of life for Sailors stationed here.

"You no longer have 16 or more Sailors living in an open space," he said. "In the new HDF, you have two Sailors to a room. They have their own closet and share a bathroom."

Before the move to the HDF, the restroom and showers were in a separate row hut from where service members slept.

While the HDF is a great leap in the quality of life for many Sailors, it is the end of an era at NSF Deveselu. It also appears some will feel nostalgia for the camaraderie of the 'old days' in the row huts.

Seaman Apprentice Donovan Anthony, NSF Deveselu Blue Jacket of the Year, lived in the row huts for more than six months.

"We had 14 people in our hut," said Anthony. "I do appreciate the privacy more now, but I liked the row huts because there was a lot of interaction between everybody." He also added that it's nice to not don cold weather gear at 3 a.m. to use the restroom in the wintertime.

While construction continues at various buildings around the base, the opening of the HDF is a major step forward and shows that progress is being made for the U.S. Navy in Romania.

"The next quality-of-life improvement will be to get the galley equipment installed and move the mess hall to the HDF," said Garren. "We will then push hard for the workspaces to be completed to begin operating out of permanent facilities."

As the first Navy shore installation commissioned since Everett, Washington, in 1987 NSF Deveselu is co-located in south-central Romania with the Romanian 99th Military Base. When completed, its mission will be to provide installation facilities, resources and services to support and enable the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System (AAMDS).

AAMDS is part of Phase II of the European Phased Adaptive Approach to ballistic-missile defense in Europe. Utilizing the U.S. Navy's proven at-sea missile defense capability adapted for shore application, the plan for EPAA builds on the Standard Missile-3 now deployed around the world.

For more news from Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia, visit www.navy.mil/.