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Gulf Coast Seabees Remain Strong Community Partners One Year After Katrina

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060831-20
8/31/2006

By Lt. Cmdr. Kyra Hawn, Naval Construction Force Public Affairs

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- One year after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast Aug. 29, Seabee units assigned here continue to contribute to ongoing recovery and restoration efforts in the region.

After the stand-down of Joint Task Force Katrina in October 2005, the 22nd Naval Construction Regiment (22NCR), led by Capt. Eric Odderstol, devised a plan to return units to their required homeport training cycle in preparation for regular Naval Construction Force deployment obligations. Each of the four Gulf Coast active-duty Naval Mobile Construction Battalions has deployed in the year following Katrina. Balancing training requirements with continued community support has involved constant attention.

“We are trying to assist as much as we can within the bounds of what is legal and our requirement to attain high standards of operational readiness,” remarked Odderstol when speaking of homeport community projects. “The need is still there, and we must continue to engage.”

Through the homeport projects office, the Seabee regiment has received, processed and resourced requests from community leaders and organizations for projects, such as pier demolition and reconstruction, construction of temporary housing for relief workers and volunteers, and civic-oriented work with volunteer fire stations, schools, the Armed Forces Retirement Home and other DOD installations in the region.

Additionally, Seabees have contributed thousands of man-hours of volunteer time in the community during off-duty hours.

“If the project serves the community and aids those affected by the storm, we do everything that we can to help,” explained Chief Builder Craig Tracy of Fishville, N.Y., the 22NCR homeport projects liaison. “The kicker is, our man-days are limited and battalion homeport training has become increasingly more complex due to the range of missions we are expected to perform overseas. We don’t just train for construction anymore. There are convoys, security details and other military requirements that didn’t exist for [Seabees] 10 years ago.”

Tracy is responsible for defining homeport project specifications and developing a coherent strategy to work a community project from start to finish.

“Sometimes one job will have several crews, and the work may extend from one battalion to the next depending on deployment schedules – that’s just the way it has to be if we want to get anything done,” he said.

“The benefit for the Seabees is that most of these projects have hands-on training value, and we know that it means a lot to the community for us to be out there and involved,” Tracy noted. “There’s not a project we have worked where we didn’t receive plenty of kudos and pats on the back from civilians, and that really goes a long way for those who are taking the strain to fit community work into their homeport schedule. I know it’s not easy, but we don’t train for easy.”

Builder 1st Class Dave Franklyn from Logan, Ohio, is a quality control supervisor for Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, and recently returned from a six-month deployment to Iraq. In homeport, Franklyn oversees work at the Volunteer Fire Department in Pearlington, Miss., where Seabees are building a shelter to house equipment and vehicles.

“Pearlington was really hit hard,” explained Franklyn. “This crew really sees the importance of their work, and even though they are fighting intense heat and humidity, as well as killer mosquitoes and a one-hour commute from Gulfport twice a day, they look around and see how much their work is appreciated and needed, and they stick with it and give it their all.”

Pearlington Volunteer Fire Chief Ken Jones could not be more appreciative of the talents and dedication of the Seabees.

“Without them, we would be nowhere," Jones said. "FEMA agreed to pay for materials, but we were up a creek without money for labor.”

“They’ve been great – every one of them,” remarked Jones. “It’s astronomical what they’ve been able to do for us, and our community as a whole is so grateful.”

More information about Seabees can be found at www.seabees.navy.mil.