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NMCB 7 Best in the Atlantic

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100409-06
Release Date: 4/9/2010 3:03:00 PM

By Chief Mass Communication Specialist Yan Kennon

ROTA, Spain (NNS) -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 was recognized for outstanding achievements during Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 and awarded the Battle "E" as the top active duty battalion in the Atlantic Fleet Mar. 26.

Commander, First Naval Construction Division and Naval Construction Forces Command (1NCD / NCFC) Rear Adm. Mark Handley, awarded the Seabees of NMCB 7 with the 2009 Battle Efficiency Award (Battle "E") during the battalion's Seabee Ball celebration in Rota, Spain, an event that celebrated the Seabees 68th birthday.

The criterion for the Battle Efficiency Award is the overall readiness of the command to carry out its assigned wartime tasks, and is based on a year-long evaluation. To achieve the award, a ship or unit must demonstrate the highest state of battle readiness.

During the award grading period, "The Magnificent Seven" completed more than 53,000 man-days of construction on 74 projects in support of Marine Corps, Army and Special Operations units within the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility. During their deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the Seabees of NMCB 7 performed the largest tactical airlift movement in Naval Construction Force history during a mid-deployment shift from Iraq to Afghanistan.

For many of the battalion's Sailors, like Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael B. Lavender, this is the first time they have received a Battle "E" in their naval career.

"I am extremely proud of the way this battalion performed throughout its last deployment," said Lavender. "I will transfer in two months, and it is great to see that our hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed."

The Pacific Fleet winner of the Battle "E" was the Seabees of NMCB 5. Reserve units receiving this award were the Seabees of NMCB 25 (Pacific Fleet) and NMCB 24 (Atlantic Fleet).

NMCB 7 and its detachments are currently deployed to various locations throughout Europe and Africa as part of the battalion's regularly scheduled 2010 deployment, with the main body of the battalion operating from Camp Mitchell at Naval Station Rota. In January, the battalion deployed an air detachment of 85 Seabees to assist in Operation Unified Response, in response to the 7.0 earthquake that struck the country of Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010.

NMCB 7 is one of the original 10 Seabee battalions authorized by the Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks, in 1942. The battalion is homeported in Gulfport, Miss., and is comprised of approximately 600 highly skilled warfighters.