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NMCB 1 Returns to Homeport After Combat Deployment

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080424-10
Release Date: 4/24/2008 11:41:00 AM

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

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 returned to their homeport, Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC), Gulfport, April 22, from a regularly scheduled six-month deployment.

The battalion was divided in several smaller "details" while deployed. Details deployed to Ar Ramadi and Al Taquaddum, Iraq supported the Marine Expeditionary Force, while four other details in Iraq and Afghanistan deployed in support of Task Force Sierra. NMCB 1 also deployed two details to Guam and San Nicholas Island.

The NMCB 1 Seabees deployed to combat zones worked hand-in-hand with the ready reserve battalion, NMCB 15, for the majority of deployment. NMCB 15 was relieved late in the deployment by NMCB 17.

"In homeport, we train and train some more," said Chief Information Systems Technician (SCW) Wilmart Mack, the NMCB 1 communications chief. "To actually see the training come full circle on deployment and see the junior troops step up they way they did made me the most proud."

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (FMF) Billy Pacher had the task of helping to maintain Task Force Sierra Main Body's medical readiness and support other service members in a joint task force in Iraq.

"I worked a lot with service members from other branches [of the military]," said Pacher. "They tell me daily about the things Seabees have built and done for them. I tell them 'Yes, I'm a part of them.' And it makes me proud."

The Seabees' mission is to provide military construction support to U.S. military operations in a contingency environment. While deployed primarily to the Middle East, they worked on numerous projects including the construction of several forward operating bases for allied and Iraqi military and police forces.

"It's always good to be able to see the projects from start to finish," said Builder 2nd Class (SCW) Nathan Jacobs. "The quality of work and the people I worked with made it feel more enjoyable and less like work."

Homeport training gave the Seabees the chance to lay the foundation for the bonds that were built on deployment.

"More than the hands-on training, our FEX [field exercise] gave us the opportunity to learn our chain of command and get to know our troops," added Jacobs.

These factors played a major role in the overall success of the battalion's deployment.

"Camaraderie is a big thing with the Seabees," said Pacher. "Your family and your friends from home are not over there with you. Your coworkers, who become your friends, basically become family. You have to look out for each other in a combat zone."

While the Seabees took care of each other in theater, their loved ones maintained the homefront.

"My wife and I have been through several deployments," said Mack. "Her experience dealing with me being gone for half of a year has put my mind at ease. She knows what she has to do and how to handle business."

The sacrifices those family members and loved ones make back home affect the U.S. military abroad.

"There are a lot of things I've seen in my field as a corpsman that sadden my heart," said Pacher, who also served with Marines in Iraq during his first tour. "My heart went out to the affected service members' families. It just makes you appreciate your family more."

Homeport resets the battalion for training for the next deployment and provides the opportunity to reestablish relationships with loved ones.

"Two of my children will be graduating from high school," said Mack. "Just helping them get prepared to step out into the world and start college will be my reward for this deployment."

The Seabees of "The First and the Finest" begin their homeport with a successful deployment in the rearview.

"I'm glad that I had a chance to serve in Iraq," said Mack, who has made the deployment to region for the first time. "On the ships, we're normally passing through and guarding the waters, but to be on the ground to see how the ground troops respond and carry out missions make me glad to be a part of that."

For more news from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1, visit www.navy.mil/local/nmcb1/.