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CNO Stops in Gulfport to View Hurricane Damage and Recovery Efforts

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS050911-05
Release Date: 9/11/2005 11:26:00 AM

By Journalist 3rd Class Chris Gethings, U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs Detachment, Gulfport

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Michael G. Mullen and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) (SS/AW) Terry Scott made Gulfport, Miss., their first of seven scheduled stops to personally assess damages caused by Hurricane Katrina and to get a firsthand view of the progress Seabees are making in repair and relief missions Sept. 10.

Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport Commanding Officer Capt. George Eichert, Commander, 22nd Naval Construction Regiment Capt. Eric Odderstol and NCBC Executive Officer Capt. (sel.) John Rice met the CNO and MCPON upon their arrival at the base. They, among other senior officers and enlisted staff, escorted the visitors around the base, stopping at the regimental operations tent, family support center, and the new temporary base commissary.

The visit included detailed briefings to the CNO by senior officers about hurricane damage and Seabee reconstruction and cleanup efforts, both on and off base; a visit to about 30 Seabees by the CNO, where he expressed gratitude for all their hard work; and along with Eichert, the store director and store administrator, took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new temporary base commissary, which had to be built, as the main store was damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

"The efforts the Seabees are making are being highly recognized," Mullen told the Seabees regarding their progress in the Hurricane Katrina humanitarian relief mission. "I'm very appreciative of what you're doing and I'm proud to say I serve with [Sailors] like you. Take care of yourselves."

The Seabees in attendance couldn't have felt more appreciated.

"It felt really good to see both the CNO and MCPON stop by our base and express his gratitude and appreciation for all of our hard work," said Construction Electrician 1st Class Joseph Lebovitz, an instructor with the 20th Seabee Readiness Group.

Lebovitz, a Boston, Mass., native, said the CNO had a few brief concluding words for him: "Keep up the good work."

After visiting the base, Mullen was taken to the Port of Gulfport, a major commercial area devastated by hurricane Katrina. There, he received a firsthand view of what Seabees were doing for the community, along with a briefing from the commanding officer of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7.