SFC John Queen, Station Manager
SFC John Queen is the station manager for AFN Livorno. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky and raised in the Green Mountain area of Lakewood, Colorado. He began his Army career in June 1982, two days after his 17th birthday, when he enlisted in the Army Reserves as a Heavy Construction Equipment Mechanic. Since then he has served in all three components of the Army – active duty, Army Reserve and Army National Guard.
SFC Queen made the transition to Public Affairs in 1995 as a journalist assigned to the Washington Army National Guard’s 122nd MPAD. He has served as a Public Affairs staff member for the Army Reserve’s 2122nd Garrison Support Unit, PA NCOIC for 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division; 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade; 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI).
Mr. Riccardo Gaggioli, Chief Engineer
Riccardo Gaggioli, a Livorno, Italy native, has always had strong interest in electrical and mechanical work. He studied at Istituto Tecnico Industriale Galileo Galilei of Livorno where earned his diploma in Electronic as “perito industriale”. Gaggioli started his military service for Marina Militare in 1990 where he shipped on Nave Maestrale frigate as electronic technician for propulsion system. He successfully completed his military service at CRESAM military research center in San Piero a Grado, Pisa, in 1991.
He then worked for Apple computer center as a technician, working on hardware, software and the first “appletalk” networks. In 1992, he started working for US Army in Camp Darby employed as electronic mechanic for aiming and fire control devices installed on various tank models. During this period his suggestion about an M1A1 night vision channel adjustment was approved by the Department of the Army, making maintenance process faster and more accurate. In 1997, he started working for 509th Signal Battalion at Camp Darby as telecommunications mechanic. In 2008, Gaggioli then started working for AFN Livorno as chief engineer. Riccardo has been a licensed radio-amateur since 1989.