• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

NMCB 1 Officers, Chiefs Team Up in Khaki FEX

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070430-16
Release Date: 4/30/2007 5:21:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Demetrius Kennon, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 Public Affairs

WOOLMARKET, Miss. (NNS) -- Officers and chiefs from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 sharpened their contingency operation skills during the battalion’s weeklong khaki field exercise (FEX) April 22 to 27, held at joint training facility Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Miss.

The exercise prepared the khakis for NMCB 1’s battalion FEX, scheduled for June, as well as for future deployments.

“It puts the khakis in their troops’ positions,” said Chief Utilitiesman Tim Hittle, the R75 convoy security military operations urban terrain chief petty officer. “They set up wires, dig foxholes and do convoy operations so that they know what their troops go through.”

The rising heat and humidity made it a trying time for the leadership of NMCB 1 early in the week, but with their "can do" spirit, they pushed forward.

“It’s easy to dehydrate out here and become a heat casualty,” said Chief Construction Mechanic Ambrose Brown, Guam Company Alfa 4. “With all this gear on, if you’re not taking in your fluids, [you are very susceptible to the heat].”

The officers and chiefs reported to Camp Shelby on April 22 and began training operations April 23. They were refreshed on the basics of weapons handling, first aid and medical evacuation procedures.

April 24, the competition was not against the heat and humidity of Camp Shelby, rather the khakis against one another. The Seabees were divided into seven teams to compete in an endurance course.

“Each team had to go to different stations and perform specific tasks,” said Hittle.

According to Hittle, some of the tasks the NMCB 1 khakis performed were disassembling and reassembling weapons, mounting weapons on Humvees, entering radio frequencies and first aid. They ran the whole way competing against each other for the best time, he added.

“There was a lot of running and walking involved in the endurance course,” said Brown. “It was about 6.4 miles total of us moving through the stations.”

The next day the khakis polished up on their radio skills in a communications exercise and kept watch throughout the night in patrolling exercises.

Next it was time for the khakis to start cooling down. The downpour of showers and thunderstorms in the early hours of the morning assured that they would, as it was another warm day in the field. The instructors split the crew in half. While some drove Humvees through the Mississippi mud in convoy operations, others trudged with motivated teamwork through the leadership reaction course.

Brown said his favorite portion of the khaki FEX was convoy operations.

“It was interesting to learn how to replace a gunner after he went down and how to tow a vehicle using tactical maneuvers,” he said.

Prior to heading back to the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Miss., the khakis concluded their week of FEX with the engagement of targets on the Firearms Training Simulator and a final exam.

The leaders of NMCB 1 used this experience as a foundation for building a sturdy networking structure within the battalion.

“The importance of the khaki FEX is the training of the junior officers and also building the camaraderie between the chiefs and officers,” said Brown. “All in all, we had fun.”