Seabees Reflect on 66 Years of Tradition
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS080307-16
Release Date: 3/7/2008 12:15:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Demetrius Kennon, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 Public Affairs
IRAQ (NNS) -- U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1, Task Force Sierra Mainbody (TFS MB), part of a joint task force in Iraq, reflected on their time in the Naval Construction Force March 5, 2008, celebrating the 66th anniversary of the U.S. Navy Seabees.
To honor the day, one Seabee reenlisted, another wore his Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist designation for the first time, and another flew an American flag over Iraq to take home to his one-year-old son.
"It's about tradition and pride. We celebrate to show our troops what we do and why we're here," said Chief Equipment Operator (SCW) Helen Daniel, TFS MB Alfa Company leading chief petty officer. "It gives them a sense of our history, and that pride comes from our history. Everything we do today is affected by what happened yesterday."
It became evident that the U.S. Navy needed construction capability in December 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Civilian construction workers in a war zone were not allowed to defend themselves, nor were they given rights as prisoners of war. According to the international law at that time, they were executed as spies.
Rear Adm. Ben Moreell, then Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, requested the establishment of construction battalions, who were officially named
"Seabees" on March 5, 1942.
The need for a responsive, capable construction force to build advanced bases in a war zone was evident almost seven decades ago and is essential to the modern war fighter.
Today, forward operating bases (FOB) serve as the leading edge for the global war on terrorism, and Seabees have answered the call.
"Seabees make things safer and better for the Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Sailors who are out there fighting on the front lines," said Chief Storekeeper (SCW/AW) Patrick Atwara, the TFS MB Supply leading chief petty officer. "They come back to either a SWA [Southwest Asia] hut or some kind of camp that Seabees build, making it that much more habitable for them."
Atwara, who recently earned his Seabee Combat Warfare designation, is on his first tour with the Seabees.
"It's definitely different coming from the fleet," he said. "I would say the most challenging part was learning the construction and combat aspects we had to learn in order to defend ourselves and our camp."
Seabees train extensively during homeport through classes and field exercises to build and sustain camps in contingency environments. They serve by their motto, "We build, We fight."
"It means we're here, boots on the ground. We're building, and if we have to defend it, then, we'll defend it because it's ours," said Daniel, who reenlisted with the Seabees for four years to commemorate the birthday. "We take great pride in that."
Many of the tasks Seabees complete are quick jobs. They're trained to work quickly in order to move on to the next task. However, the quality, despite swift construction, is what their customers compliment most.
"Being in the Seabees has taught me attention to detail, self-discipline, and self-respect," said Builder 3rd Class Shawn Laborde, a Seabee with TFS MB Charlie Company. "If we build something with poor quality, it reflects on us as a whole."
Seabees today are identified by their hard hats, camouflage uniforms, Seabee patch on their left breast pocket, and their 'can do' attitudes. The old 1940 promotional posters which portrayed the Seabees enjoying their jobs during those difficult times only affirm that the tradition has endured.
"Whether they're short tools, personnel, or materials, somehow or another, they will find the tools. They will find the personnel. They will find the material, or they will come up with a way to make it work with what they have," said Atwara. "That's 'can do.'"
For more news from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1, visit www.navy.mil/local/nmcb1/.
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