NMCB 1 Air Det. Takes Over 3rd FOB on FTX
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS081126-21
Release Date: 11/26/2008 7:54:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Demetrius Kennon, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 Public Affairs
CAMP SHELBY, Miss. (NNS) -- Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 Air Det. prepare to move into their third and final forward operating base (FOB) after arriving at Camp Shelby, Miss., Nov. 2, for the battalion field training exercise "Operation: Desert Justice."
A battalion Air Det. is made up of 89 Seabees who must be able to deploy with 34 pieces of civil engineer support equipment, begin their mission within 48 hours of receiving orders, and be self-sufficient for 30 days. However, before the mission can begin, a number of steps must be taken in securing a FOB.
"First, we move in with a small security element which is broken down into four vehicles," said Equipment Operator 1st Class Frank Queenlacombe, the Alfa Company, 1st Platoon commander. "Three platoons come out – one deals with EPWs (enemy prisoners of war) and contains our litter bearers, and the other two perform a security sweep of the site alongside the convoy security element (CSE)."
Once the sweep is complete, the Seabees begin setting up concertina wire along the perimeter to establish a FOB. They then dig fighting positions for their crew serve weapons, such as the .50-caliber Browning machine gun and the M-240B machine gun.
"Once our crew serve weapons are locked on, CSE punches out, and then we're on our own," said Queenlacombe.
This Air Det. has accomplished more in a shorter period of time than I'd ever expected," said Lt. James Dohm, the Air Det. officer in charge (OIC). "For instance, when we took FOB 1, we had the entire perimeter secured, crew serve weapons in place, and wire around it within eight hours."
With a secure perimeter set, the 89-person Air Det. continued building up the FOB in order to make it self-sustaining.
"The Air Det. is basically a mini-battalion," added Dohm. "It has different companies just like a battalion. They go in and set up on a smaller scale so that the battalion can start moving in and expanding out to a full-sized FOB."
The Air Det. is a tight-knit community because of its small size. The Seabees work closely together to achieve a common goal which ultimately equates to their success.
"Teamwork," said Dohm. "We depend on it. Everyone must pull, not only their share, but a little over their share of the workload to be successful. Because we're out there by ourselves, teamwork is key."
Communication is also an important element in maintaining teamwork, especially amongst the Seabees in the fighting positions.
"When we're out there on the [firing] lines, we're screaming to each other, 'Contact, contact, moving 20 meters left!'," exclaimed Queenlacombe. "In order for any organization to succeed, it must have effective communication."
The Air Det. Seabees now push forward to sweep and secure FOB 2, their ultimate test in the final evaluation problem (FEP).
"I think our Air Det. is going to move in and kill or capture everything alive that should be captured," said Queenlacombe. "Our first push into FOB 0 was a little shaky. We had to do it twice, but we learned from it and applied it to our push into FOB 1."
The 89 Seabees' success in their second mission reminded the FEP aggressors just why the battalion is called 'The First and the Finest.'
"The aggressors have been attacking us so much because they're looking for weak areas in our defense, and they continue because they have a hard time finding any," said Dohm. "I'm confident that whatever they throw our way, we can take on."
For more news from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1, visit www.navy.mil/local/nmcb1/.
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