we BUILD o We FIGHT

CEC Officer 

Killed in Iraq

Stethem, Combs, Shields, Moreell, Peltier and Perry 

Awards Announced

Heritage: Vietnam-Era 

NMCB 4 ’Bees 

Construct Liberty Bridge we BUILD o

ALSO INSIDE:

We FIGHT

africa

HORN of

MARITIME STRATEGY AT WORK: NMCB 11 in the

SUMM ER 2009
SEABEE MAGAZINE TEAM

Virginia Bueno

DIRECTOR

George L. Markfelder, USN (Ret.)

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Kurt Riggs

MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 1ST CLASS(SW)

Mason Lowery

Senior Public Affairs Specialist

Public Affairs and Communications

NAVAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING 

COMMAND

Daryl C. Smith

PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER

FIRST NAVAL CONSTRUCTION DIVISION

www.SEABEE.NAVY.MIL

Liz Dunn

Editorial Copy and Content

Management

Luisa Palting

Graphic Design, Layout and Production

Melissa Mullins

CONTENT COORDINATION

Lauren Egan

PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE

Andrea Flores

Project Management

Qnexis, Inc.

Strategic Marketing and Communications

www.qnexis.com

Naval Facilities Engineering Command

Greg Shear

REAR ADMIRAL, CEC, USN 

COMMANDER AND CHIEF

OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

Mike Holdcraft

FORCM(SCW), USN

Force Master Chief Petty Officer

of the Seabees

FIRST NAVAL CONSTRUCTION DIVISION

Richard E. Cellon

REAR ADMIRAL, CEC, USN

COMMANDER

Scott A. Weikert

REAR ADMIRAL, CEC, USNR

DEPUTY COMMANDER

Wade C. Howk 

CMDCM(SCW), USN

Command Master Chief

DEPARTMENTS

AWARDS/

COMMENDATIONS

RADM Eugene J. Peltier Award

NMCB 5 ....................................... 12

RADM John R. Perry Award

NMCB 15 ...................................... 12

CEC Officer’s Wife: 

Navy Spouse of the Year ............. 13

Readiness Award: NMCB 24 ........... 13

DoD African American History Award 

UCCM(SCW/FMF) Delbert Terrell.. 13

COMMAND NEWS

Flag Selections ............................... .15

NMCBs 27, 24 Transfer 

of Authority ................................... 15

features

Seabee Birthday Celebrations.......... 14 

“Can Do” Exhibit Underway.............. 16

RADM Peary, Henson 

Wreath-laying................................. 20

FORWARD PRESENCE

CDR Duane G. Wolfe, CEC, 

 Killed in Iraq................................... 21

NMCB 24 – Iraq

Riverines Boat Ramp.................... 22

Deputy Commander Visit............. 23

NMCB 15 – Iraq

Culvert Denial Program................ 22

NMCBs 5, 11 – Kuwait

 Father and Son Seabees ............. 23

25th NCR – Afghanistan

 Cargo Delivery ............................. .24

NMCB 11 – Afghanistan

 Staging Compound 

Improvements............................... 24 

Satellite Communication System .... 25

New Seabee Hardhats.................... .25

20th SRG

 Gym Facility Damage, 

NCBC Gulfport, Miss. .................. 26

Winner of 2008 and 2009

FEATURES

PUBLISHED BY

3 NMCB 11 Expands 

Relationships in the 

Horn of Africa

Building cooperation and trust, this newly 

deployed battalion is contributing to the 

security and stability of the maritime domain.

10 Stethem, 

Combs, 

Shields and 

Moreell 

Awards 

Announced

Stellar individuals are 

recognized for their 

contributions to the 

legacy of the Seabees 

and CEC.
Humanitarian

30th NCR – Philippines

 Balikatan ’09................................. 28

NMCB 40 – Sasebo, Japan

Drainage Project........................... 29

NMCB 4 – Horn of Africa

 Gen. Ward Visit,

Moroni, Comoros ......................... 30

Public Works Projects, 

Camp Lemonier, Djibouti ............. 30

Readiness

NMCB 1

 Operation Winter Talon, 

Camp Shelby, Miss. ..................... 31

NMCB 3, UCT 1

 Bailey Bridge Course, Naval Base 

Ventura County, Calif. .................. 31

UCT 2

 Fleet Mooring Repairs, Guam...... 32

 “Mudpup” Apprenticeship 

Program........................................ 32

 Exercise Foal Eagle, Korea........... 32

September Advancement Exam 

Reminder ...................................... 32

NMCB 4

Philippine Commodore Visit, Naval 

 Base Ventura County, Calif.......... 33 

Community SPIRIT

NMCB 3

Martial Arts.................................... 34

NMCB 74

’Bees on TV .................................. 34

NMCB 133

Soccer Star................................... 35

IN OTHER NEWS

NMCB 1 CHINFO Awards...................... 36

Seabee Reunions................................... 36

Final Word

On their first deployment with NMCB 11, 

four members share stories and 

experiences from the newest chapter 

in the battalion's history.

SUMMER09

27 School Collapse in Haiti

UCT 1 is on the scene to aid in search and 

recovery efforts in Port-au-Prince.

18 Seabees in Vietnam

In the late 1960s, NMCB 4 Seabees overcame 

many obstacles to construct Liberty Bridge, 

a critical passageway for the war effort.

17 A Fitting Tribute...

Constructed by BCS(SCW) Don Bankey, CBMU 202, 

the Naval Heritage Center's Purple Heart Memorial is 

more than just wood and glass. 

ON THE COVER

Seabees from NMCB 11 

Detachment Horn of Africa – 

(front to back) BU2(SCW) Peter 

Belcastro, BU3 Carolyn Wade 

and BU3(SCW) Patrick McKinney 

– remove framework during 

construction of the Walela lowwater crossing bridge, Aromo, 

Uganda, April 18. NMCB 11 is 

deployed for the first time since 

being re-established in 2007, 

and is providing mission support 

in the Combined Joint Task 

Force-Horn of Africa area of 

operations.

Photo by MC2 Erick S. Holmes

Photo illustration
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Send address corrections to the magazine address shown at right.

EDITORIAL

SEABEE Magazine is scheduled quarterly by the Naval Facilities Engineering 

Command (NAVFAC) Public Affairs Office from the historic Washington Navy Yard, 

“the Quarterdeck of the Navy.” Our readership consists of Active and Reserve 

Seabees and Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) officers and their families, as well as veterans, retirees and the general public. Letters and electronic mail are welcome on all 

Seabee-related topics and, if published, are subject to editing for length and clarity. 

Written and photographic submissions that show Active and Reserve Seabees are 

strongly encouraged. We prefer to receive all written and photographic submissions 

by e-mail to seabeemagazine@navy.mil. Images should include captions and be 

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Contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Department of Defense, 

the Navy, NAVFAC, CEC or the U.S. Navy Seabees. Inclusions of or references to 

any product or service in editorial content does not constitute endorsement by the 

U.S. Navy, NAVFAC, the CEC or the Seabees. All trademarks, service marks or other 

symbols, names, images or logos are and remain the sole property of their respective 

owners. Military address corrections, story and photo submissions, and requests for 

writer’s guidelines may be sent to the magazine’s postal or e-mail address. 

M A G A Z I N E

U N I T E D S T A T E S N A V Y

We buildowe fight

Almost two years ago, Naval Mobile Construction 

Battalion (NMCB) 11 was commissioned for 

the third time at Naval Construction Battalion 

Center (NCBC) Gulfport, Miss., on Sept. 14. After 

many months of training in the homeport phase, 

NMCB 11 is now supporting efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as 

well as Theater Security Cooperation Programs in the Pacific and 

Horn of Africa. In this issue, we take a closer look at how the battalion is building hope for the people of Africa. Final Word also 

provides a personal glimpse from four battalion members on their 

experiences with the “new” ELEVEN.

This year’s recipients of three of the most prestigious honors presented in the Builder Warrior community – the Stethem, 

Combs, Shields and Moreell awards – which recognize individual 

contributions to the legacy of the Seabees and CEC are profiled in 

these pages. In addition to several other awards, we also recognize 

NMCBs 5 and 15, the recipients of the Peltier and Perry awards, 

respectively, as the most outstanding active and reserve battalion 

components. 

Our Heritage section traces Seabee roots back to the Vietnam 

era when NMCB 4 was tasked with one of the most impressive 

undertakings of the war – Liberty Bridge. With only 26 ’Bees, 

minimal equipment, enemy forces in all corners and the harsh 

realities of monsoon season, the battalion constructed the critical 

passageway in only five months. 

On a somber note, we pay tribute to one of our fallen comrades in this issue. CDR Duane G. Wolfe, CEC, was killed by a 

roadside bomb in Fallujah, Iraq, May 25, while serving as the officer in charge of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region 

Division’s Al Anbar Office. 

 

 Sincerely,

 

 George L. Markfelder, USN (Ret.)

 Team Leader, Seabee Magazine

“Theater Security Cooperation [Programs] remain the cornerstone of our persistent, sustained 

engagement. These programs build lasting relationships, promote common interests, and enhance 

partner capabilities to provide safe and secure environments...Our cooperative security efforts provide 

essential peacetime and contingency access and infrastructure, improve information sharing, and are 

vital to U.S. Africa Command’s support of U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives.”

Gen. William E. Ward, Commander, U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Africa Command Posture Statement 2009 

BRICKS & MORTAR

2 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
 CAMEROON • COMOROS • DJIBOUTI • ETHIOPIA • SENEGAL • UGANDA

HOA

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 3

MARITIME STRATEGY AT WORK: NMCB 11 IN THE

africa

Almost four decades since decommissioning, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11

began its first deployment in February, sending Seabees across the globe on various 

missions — throughout 25 countries in 33 locations across 11 time zones. NMCB 11’s 

Detachment Horn of Africa (Det HOA) is conducting missions in conjunction with Combined Joint 

Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) – winning the hearts and minds of the African people, 

building and strengthening these relationships through humanitarian assistance, and

keeping ELEVEN's motto – “Constructing the Future, Remembering the Past” – close at hand.

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 3

HORN of
By MC2 Erick S. Holmes, NMCB 11 Public Affairs

Winning Hearts and Minds...

NMCB 11 Gets to Work in Africa

Since its historic recommissioning on Sept. 14, 2007, Naval 

Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 is on its first 

deployment in almost four decades. NMCB 11’s Detachment 

Horn of Africa (Det HOA) is now conducting missions in 

conjunction with Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa 

(CJTF-HOA). Projects include repairing and building schools, constructing bridges and digging wells in Djibouti, Comoros, Ethiopia 

and Uganda.

This tasking supports CJTF-HOA’s mission of winning the 

hearts and minds of Africa, as well as providing humanitarian assistance to regions in need.

With 118 Seabees scattered to the four winds, planning plays 

a major role for these missions. “We’re spread over colonial, tribal 

and geographic boundaries,” explained LCDR Stephen S. Legg, 

NMCB 11 Det HOA officer in charge. “This creates logistical challenges due to things like country clearances to the forward operating locations.”

Builder 2nd Class (SCW) Craig A. Kresge is a crew leader for the Hamaramba School project in Comoros, and 

couldn’t be more excited. “This deployment is important to me because it is my first one as a crew leader and a petty 

officer second class,” BU2 Kresge explained. “I’ll get to polish my skills as a leader.” 

And yet all the challenges ahead of the newest battalion in existence cannot break their faith. “We have a lot of 

junior personnel,” LCDR Legg said. “But all the training [from NMCB 11], both professional and military, makes them 

prepared for any mission with the CJTF-HOA objective of ‘Helping Africans Solve African Problems.’”

NMCB 11 is scheduled to be in U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) until August 2009.

BU3 Jonathon Johnston, NMCB 11, drills a battalion 

"BEEP" sign into place at the Builder/Steelworker

Shop, Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, Feb. 5. 

CM3 Mark Paystrup, 

NMCB 11, 

applies grease to 

the axel of a Medium 

Tactical Vehicle 

Replacement (MTVR), 

Camp Lemonier, 

Djibouti, Feb. 18, 

during the battalion's 

six-month deployment in support of 

Combined Joint Task 

Force-Horn of Africa 

(CJTF-HOA). 

Photos by 

MC2 Erick S. Holmes

4 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009

 CAMEROON • COMOROS • DJIBOUTI • ETHIOPIA • SENEGAL • UGANDA

HOA

4 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
Building a Future 

for Comoros

By MC2 Erick S. Holmes, NMCB 11 Public Affairs 

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 

Seabees built new facilities at the Hamramba Primary 

School in Moroni, Comoros, earlier this spring. It is 

the second primary school for the children of Moroni. 

“No matter how long the hours or hard the work, it's worth 

it in the end,” said Builder 3rd Class Roylander J. Williams Jr., 

project crew member. “The education will change the lives of 

the youths in Moroni.”

Working from sunup to sundown, in heat and rain seven 

days a week, crew members kept motivated since their hard 

work would benefit the Comorans.

“We asked for help and the Americans were the first to 

respond,” said Mohamed Ali Mgonri, headmaster, Hamramba 

Primary School. “It's great having people help. The impact of 

the work is [of] much value to the Comoran people.”

“The Comorans I have spoken to are excited to have this 

school,” said Builder Constructionman Benjamin B. Highfield, 

project crew member. “After they finish their schooling here, 

they want to go to the United States or to France to continue 

a higher education.

“Part of the Seabee [ethos] is we build with compassion 

for others,'” Highfield explained. “We’ve got to get out there 

and do the job, even if it means getting dirty and staying late.”

While NMCB 11 focuses on pouring concrete and bringing columns and walls to life for the schoolhouse, Comoran 

engineers have begun working side-by-side with the Seabees in 

a mil-to-mil training program.

“The experience with Seabees and with the way they work 

is valuable,” said Mgonri. “I feel help should always be like this. 

This will be the model of all schools on the island, with a new 

perspective and look on reality and education.”

BU3 Joseph Eberhart, NMCB 11, drills temporary frames into place 

at the Hamramba School Project, Moroni, Comoros, March 9. 

(Left) BU2 Brian Monroe, NMCB 11, pours concrete into 

place as the battalion constructs a dining facility for the 

Ecole de Douda Primary School, Grande Douda, 

Djibouti, April 11. 

Photos by MC2 Erick S. Holmes

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 5

HORN of

MARITIME STRATEGY AT WORK: 

NMCB 11 IN THE

africa

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 5
Seabees assigned to NMCB 11 clean and prepare an auditorium floor for laying tile at Dire Dawa Secondary School, 

Ethiopia, March 6, during the first part of its deployment to CJTF-HOA. 

Photo by MC2 Erick S. Holmes

’Bees Renovate Ethiopian School 

From Floor to Roof

By MC2 Erick S. Holmes, NMCB 11 Public Affairs

Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 renovated an auditorium for the Dire 

Dawa Secondary School, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, this past spring. 

The Seabees literally worked from the ground up, laying tile across the 4,300- square-foot-floor 

and working their way up to replacing the roof. 

The crew hit some speed bumps during the renovation, ranging from having no electricity to working 

with mismatched tile sizes. 

 “According to the computer program we use to track our project's progress and calculate man-hours, we 

did 14 days of work in three days,” said Builder 3rd Class John Vetter, crew member.

The Sailors’ success came from their focus and determination to finish the school on schedule, according 

to Builder Constructionman Apprentice Scott Bishop, another NMCB 11 crew member.

“We have worked late and through lunch multiple times without even realizing it,” said BUCA Bishop. 

“All of us just want to see the project to the end that much.”

The completed auditorium will provide a large location for school plays, public speeches and other 

gatherings. 

6 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009

 CAMEROON • COMOROS • DJIBOUTI • ETHIOPIA • SENEGAL • UGANDA

HOA

6 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
Seabees from NMCB 11’s Det Cameroon teamed up with Africa Partnership Station (APS) 

and USS Nashville (LPD 13) to deliver medical, hygiene and school supplies to local organizations in Limbe, Cameroon, in April.

APS began in 2006 with a goal to improve maritime security and development in Africa’s coastal 

nations. Ships assigned to this mission travel to ports where U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel train local forces in law enforcement, medical readiness, seamanship and boat maintenance. 

In addition, essential supplies are delivered and construction projects are undertaken to improve 

conditions for organizations in need. 

In early April, Seabees, Sailors, Marines and representatives from the Spanish, Portuguese and 

Brazilian militaries joined APS to transport more than three loads of supplies via a Medium Tactical 

Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) vehicle.

First stop was the Regional Hospital in Limbe with necessities such as syringes, hand soap and 

sterile pads. The regional hospital houses a staff of approximately 200 and serves a region with 

almost 10 million people, 30-40 percent of which are unable to pay medical fees.

The group then headed to the Open Door Medical Development on the outskirts of town. 

Dr. John Hibbert, U.S. Air Force retired and a former member of the U.S. Navy, and his wife, 

Omelda, a registered nurse, opened this clinic and school to provide free medical, dental and optical care as well as teach the profession to local students. As Equipment Operator 1st Class Joshua 

Brand pulled the MTVR cargo truck in, the Hibberts and their students welcomed the service members with smiles and open arms. 

Hibbert spoke of the impact American military humanitarian efforts have on citizens in underdeveloped countries. “This non-combative, compassionate side of the armed forces builds important, positive relationships with people in need around the world,” he said.

The last two destinations were the Save the Children Alliance Orphanage and the Ecole 

Matronelle Children’s School where Seabees and other military members handed out first aid 

supplies, school items and toys. Construction Mechanic 3rd Class David Voss, the driver delivering 

the supplies, said, “It felt good to go out, help the community and watch the kids light up when 

they saw the toys.”

NMCB 11 Seabees also worked on improvements at the Ecole Matronelle Children’s School. 

They repaired leaky roofs, added office spaces, painted and ran electricity to multiple classrooms. 

Seabees also teamed up with Marines to repair parts of the Limbe Wildlife Refuge. Working 

at the refuge, the Seabees and Marines interacted with baby monkeys while on the jobsite, 

quite a unique experience for these service members. 

NMCB 11 Supports Africa Partnership Station 

By EA3 Christopher Kelly, NMCB 11 Public Affairs

(Above) Children and staff at 

Save the Children Alliance 

Orphanage in Limbe, Cameroon, 

benefit from toys, school 

items and first aid supplies 

delivered by NMCB 11 Seabees 

in April, embarked onboard 

USS Nashville (LPD 13) in support 

of Africa Partnership Station.

(Below) EO1 Joshua Brand (left) 

and CM3 David Voss, NMCB 11,

unload supplies at Save the 

Children Alliance Orphanage in 

Limbe, Cameroon, in April. 

Photos by EA3 Christopher Kelly

Seabee eabee Magazine agazine SUMMER2009 7

HORN of

MARITIME STRATEGY AT WORK: 

NMCB 11 IN THE

africa
HOA

BU3 Gwennette Jamerson, NMCB 11, 

and a fellow Seabee use a machine to 

settle concrete for a new pad at the 

Douda de Ecole Primary School, Grande 

Douda, Djibouti, in April. The pad will 

support a new water storage tank, 

providing the school with 1,500 liters 

of water per day. 

 Photo by MC2 Erick S. Holmes

Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 

(NMCB) 11 Det Horn of Africa participated in a cultural 

celebration at the Ecole de Douda Primary School, Grande 

Douda, Djibouti, April 2. The celebration welcomes the spring season in Djibouti and is the start of the school’s spring break. 

NMCB 11 began work at the school installing a 1,500-liter 

water storage cistern, and added a new dining facility enhancing 

cleanliness to the school. With the crew of Seabees working six 

days a week, the school wanted to thank them with a celebration, 

according to Moussa Guedi Idriss, a fifth grade teacher at the 

school. 

“Americans help and always do anything for the school we 

ask,” explained Idriss. “And we are friends – we wanted them here 

today.” The crew members took a break from work and watched 

the students sing, dance and laugh on their last day of school. 

“They asked us to join them the day before the event and we 

decided to share [our culture] with them,” explained Builder 2nd

Class Randall Davis, project crew leader. 

Sharing cultures is an example of the positive relationship 

Americans are building with Djiboutians, said Idriss. 

“I like other cultures and participating in unique [opportunities] like this,” said BU2 Davis. “I'm glad we had the chance.”

In Between “School Work,” 

Celebration in Djibouti

By MC2 Erick S. Holmes, NMCB 11 Public Affairs

Students watch BU2 Randall Davis (left) and BUCN Leslie Keen, NMCB 11, edge a concrete pad at the Douda de Ecole Primary School, Grande 

Douda, Djibouti, April 2. 

Photo by MC2 Erick S. Holmes

 CAMEROON • COMOROS • DJIBOUTI • ETHIOPIA • SENEGAL • UGANDA

8 Seabee eabee Magazine agazine SUMMER2009
Seabees from NMCB 11 inspect and remove debris from a bridge project in Aromo, Uganda, March 3. The original structure was destroyed during 

a flood. 

Photo by MC2 Erick S. Holmes

Seabees Engineer Water Crossing in Uganda

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 9

T he Walela Low Water Crossing, completed May 7, now 

provides Uganda’s Walela Village residents with easy access 

to the entire village, including primary schools and health 

care centers – thanks to Naval Mobile Construction Battalions 

(NMCBs) 4 and 11, in partnership with local engineers from the 

Ugandan People’s Defense Force (UPDF). 

 “I [was] very excited to take part in such an important and 

challenging project,” said Builder 2nd Class Robert Gurin, NMCB 4.

 “I believe establishing relationships between the local populous, 

UPDF and the Seabees will allow us to show how skilled and versatile the [we] are, while building a friendly image for U.S. forces.”

“This is a great development for the people of Uganda and 

this region and a great achievement for the U.S. Navy and the 

UPDF," Lieutenant B.Y. Gala, UPDF, said. Gala led a group of 

UPDF engineers who worked alongside the Seabees. Another 

group of Ugandan soldiers served as force protection for the joint 

camp. 

“We’ve been able to pass on a lot of technical knowledge to 

them, instead of coming in with a show of force,” Chief Builder 

(SCW) Jonathan Poellot, NMCB 11, said. “We've formed good 

relationships, and we're teaching them to do construction (and) 

perform maintenance on the roads. Sharing our knowledge with 

these guys...will greatly improve their engineering ability.”

Many of the Seabees have befriended local residents, who 

have watched the construction every day. They said it means a lot 

to them that they can make a positive impact on people in need.

“When we leave here, [we’ll know] we’ve made a difference 

in their day-to-day lives,” said Builder 2nd Class (SCW) Peter 

Belcastro, crew leader. “We live in pretty rugged conditions, with 

the tents and the outhouses, but anytime you look outside the 

concertina wire, you know the people out there have it so much 

worse, so it's a very humbling experience.”

Poellot praised their performance and dedication.

“They [the Seabees] took the nothing that was there and built 

a 150-foot bridge,” Poellot said. “Any time you can do something 

like that without getting hurt, it's a good evolution.”

By PO1(SW) Dustin Q. Diaz, CJTF-HOA Public Affairs, 

and CE3 Jennifer McGhee, NMCB 4, Det-Horn of Africa

Local residents of Aromo, Uganda, look 

on as NMCB 11 Seabees grade the area 

surrounding the Walela Cultvert Bridge, 

May 5. This was the final construction 

phase of a bridge that connects the main 

Lira road to the Aromo sub-county.

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn Price, CJTF-HOA

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009

HORN of

MARITIME STRATEGY AT WORK: 

NMCB 11 IN THE

africa
AWARDS & COMMENDATIONS

Seabees from 

NMCBs 3, 4 

and LOGSU 1 

Receive 2008 

Stethem, Combs 

and Shields 

Awards

The Chief of Civil Engineers 

RADM Greg Shear announced 

the recipients of the 2008 

Stethem, Combs and Shields 

awards. These annual awards 

are presented by the Civil Engineer 

Corps and Seabee Historical 

Foundation to recognize individual 

contributions to the legacy of the 

Seabees and CEC. 

Steelworker 2nd Class Robert D. Stethem Award

UT1 Leslie Cowan, NMCB 4

UT1 Leslie Cowan is the 2008 recipient of the Stethem Award in 

recognition of his moral courage during CENTCOM deployment in 

Afghanistan, as well as his contributions to NMCB 4 during the battalion’s homeport. During this period, he proved himself a superb 

professional with unparalleled leadership and superior technical 

competency while serving in numerous key roles for the battalion 

and Joint Detachment Afghanistan, including platoon commander, 

project supervisor, quality control officer and safety officer. 

Within weeks of the battalion’s CENTCOM deployment, 

NMCB 4 was tasked with a short-fused Afghanistan priority engineering support mission. Cowan was hand-picked by the chain 

of command to assist in the execution of this critical mission. His 

phenomenal efforts during this period enabled the detachment to 

deploy into an active war zone in preparation for crucial tasking at 

four forward operating bases.

Cowan was one of the key construction subject matter experts 

in Afghanistan, assisting in the completion of both a brigade and 

battalion tactical operations center, two fuel points (900K+–gallon 

capacity), three helicopter landing zones, four 155 MM firing points, 

an ammunition transfer and holding point, supply support activity, 

battalion and unit motorpools, an entry control point, and more 

than 15,000 meters of HESCO barriers.

Named for Steelworker 2nd Class (DV) Robert Dean Stethem, the award 

recognizes outstanding individual moral courage in support of the 

traditions of the Seabees while in the course of actual operations. 

Petty Officer Stethem was a victim of the hijacking of TWA Flight 

847 in June 1985, after being singled out from passengers as a 

U.S. Navy Sailor and killed by members of the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah when their demands to release 766 Lebanese and 

Palestinian prisoners held by Israel were not met. He was returning home 

with fellow members of UCT 1 after completing a routine assignment in 

Greece. Stethem was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star.

RADM Greg Shear (center), Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering 

Command and Chief of Civil Engineers, presents the Stethem Award to 

UT1 Leslie Cowan (right), NMCB 4, during the Seabee Ball, Arlington, Va., 

March 21. 

Photo by MC1(SW) Kurt Riggs

10 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
AWARDS & COMMENDATIONS

Rear Admiral Lewis B. Combs Award

Chief Builder(SCW) Hugh Callahan, NMCB 3

BUC(SCW) Hugh Callahan is the recipient of the Combs Award 

for meritorious achievement while serving as Naval Mobile 

Construction Battalion’s (NMCB’s) operations chief and 

assistant officer-in-charge (AOIC) of Task Force Sierra 

Detachment 4 supporting Combined Joint Special Operations 

Task Force Afghanistan from January–December 2008. 

Chief Callahan flawlessly coordinated the expedient construction of 

more than 30 projects on Bagram Airfield and various remote firebases throughout Afghanistan. He displayed impressive leadership, 

poise and decisive judgment when a minefield fire threatened the 

detachment’s equipment yard. As AOIC, he also maintained impressive focus on warfare qualification, professional advancement and 

jobsite safety. Chief Callahan's troops flourished under his leadership 

and, as a result, two Det 4 members were selected NMCB 3 Seabees 

of the Quarter, in addition to four selections as Bagram Airfield Sailors 

of the Month. 

Under his leadership, Det 4 Seabees earned 28 Seabee Combat 

Warfare pins (more than any other Det in the battalion), advanced 

18 of 46 troops eligible to sit for the Fall 2008 exam and achieved 

the best safety record of any detachment during the battalion’s 

CENTCOM deployment.

This award is named in honor of RADM Lewis B. Combs and is presented to an 

individual who has made the most outstanding contribution in perpetuating the 

legacy of the Seabees and the Civil Engineer Corps. Combs served as chief deputy 

to Admiral Ben Moreell, founder of the Seabees, and helped create the “fighter 

builders” and the Civil Engineer Corps. He was active with the Seabee Memorial 

Scholarship Association from its inception in 1970, first as Chairman of the 

Board of Directors and later as Chairman Emeritus, until his death at age 101. 

BUC(SCW) Hugh Callahan, NMCB 3, receives information inside the 

Electronic Combat Operations Center during a Chiefs and Officers Field 

Training exercise, Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 28. 

Photo by LT Martin Ranalli

Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Marvin G. Shields Award

Utilitiesman 1st Class(SCW) 

Jesse Scherer, LOGSU 1 

UT1(SCW) Jesse Scherer is the recipient of the 2008 Shields Award 

for his superb leadership, unmatched contingency construction 

expertise, loyal devotion to duty and unwavering commitment to the 

mission of the Navy and Naval Construction Force. A former member 

of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3, he provided superior service while deployed for seven months as part of Task Force 

Sierra, which supported engineering operations to multiple Joint 

Task Forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Serving as project officer 

in charge with Task Force Sierra Detail 4 in Afghanistan, Scherer led 

two teams of 42 Seabees and 15 local nationals in the construction of 

36 facilities for two critical forward operating bases, allowing Afghani 

forces to take the fight directly to the Taliban insurgency. Scherer 

also served with distinction as the detail’s safety and quality control 

program manager. 

Scherer’s intrusive and energetic leadership style motivated 

and focused his troops. Ensuring safe construction practices while 

deployed to an austere, high-threat combat environment, he consistently delivered the highest quality craftsmanship under demanding 

conditions, despite material and logistical challenges. Now part of 

Naval Special Warfare (NSW), Scherer's inspirational leadership and 

stalwart dedication to those he serves continues.

This award is presented for outstanding technical and leadership ability, and is 

given in honor of Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Marvin Shields, a 26-yearold Seabee serving in Vietnam with NMCB 11 in 1965. Shields’ unit, along 

with Army Special Forces and South Vietnam Defense personnel, came under 

attack by 2,000 Viet Cong and, although greatly outnumbered, withstood intense 

close-range combat for almost three hours. Shields and an Army lieutenant volunteered to man a rocket launcher, destroying an enemy machine gun position. 

Despite repeatedly being hit, Shields fought on until he was mortally wounded; 

he died the following day while being evacuated by helicopter. For these heroic 

actions that cost him his life, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor 

-- becoming the first (and so far only) Seabee to win the nation's highest award, 

and also the first Navy man to be so decorated for action in Vietnam

UT1(SCW) Jesse Scherer (right), NMCB 3, calls cadence to keep his 

company in step during a two-and-a-half-mile march, Port Hueneme, 

Calif., Nov. 7. 

Photo by MC1 Carmichael Yepez

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 11
AWARDS & COMMENDATIONS

Shephard Receives 2008 Moreell Medal

As the recipient of the 2008 Moreell Medal, CDR Glenn Shephard is recognized 

for his superior performance as director, Logistics and Infrastructure Division, 

Directorate of Defense Affairs, Multi-national Security Transition Command-Iraq. In 

this capacity, he defined and programmed critical requirements, and then awarded 

construction contracts for a $642 million program at 28 regional logistics bases that enables the sustainment of 275,000 Iraqi troops. In addition, Shephard led the development of a $1.5 billion annual 

base operation and maintenance budget, and a $760 million national maintenance contract, which 

established 15 regional work centers. Most significant were his direct contributions to the long-term 

viability of the democratically elected Iraqi government. He mentored Iraqi logistics and infrastructure 

advisors on actionable metric development, enabling successful Iraqi-led counterinsurgent operations in Basra, Mosul, Sadr City, Diyala and Al Amarah. Additionally, he was the driving force in the 

development of a comprehensive lifecycle facilities management training program for Iraqi leadership, enhancing governing capability. His tireless efforts and devotion to duty have directly and 

significantly advanced the transition of facilities and logistics operations from multi-national to Iraqi 

government control. U.S. Navy photo

The Moreell Medal is given annually by the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) to an officer of the Navy Civil Engineering Corps, active or reserve, 

or to a civilian employee of the naval engineering command in recognition of outstanding contributions to military engineering. The award is named in honor of 

ADM Ben Moreell, CEC, who served as the first chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks (later known as the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, NAVFAC) 

and chief of the Civil Engineer Corps. Known as the “Father of the Seabees,” ADM Moreell established the Naval Construction Force in 1942. 

NMCBs 5,15 Receive 2008 Peltier, Perry Awards 

By SKC(SCW) Colleen Dickson, NMCB 15, and NAVFAC Headquarters Public Affairs

NMCB 5 “Professionals” Win 

Peltier Award in Afghanistan 

As the most outstanding active component, Naval Mobile 

Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5 men and women distinguished 

themselves in in a variety of venues to earn the Peltier Award. 

While executing a challenging and arduous deployment in the 

Pacific Fleet area of operation, the battalion's span of control 

included 11 detail sites and five exercises. NMCB 5’s success 

was attributed to timely completion of operational tasking, highquality construction products and a safe working environment. 

The Professionals' second-to-none performance and unequaled 

motivation demonstrates the epitome of the “Can Do” legacy of 

the Navy’s Seabees.

NMCB 15 “Bat(s) out of Hell” 

Takes Home Perry Award 

While supporting military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, 

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 15 thrived despite 

exceptionally challenging environmental conditions. The battalion 

also did not have any convoy security mission casualties despite 

executing more missions than any prior battalion. Pulling together 

Seabees from 54 Navy Operational Support Centers, NMCB 15 

embraced the different skills each brought to the table and formed 

a cohesive team of outstanding men and women fully capable of 

operating in the hostile and austere environment of Southwest 

Asia. The battalion’s exceptional accomplishments fully demonstrated the depth of its professionalism, commitment to excellence 

and “Can Do” ethos.

RADM Richard Cellon (left), commander, 1st Naval Construction Division 

(1NCD), presents CDR Scott Hurst, commanding officer, NMCB 5, with 

the Peltier Award at an all-hands call on a project site in Southern 

Afghanistan. The Peltier Award is presented annually to the best active 

duty battalion in the Naval Construction Force. 

Photo by MC2(SCW/AW) Patrick W. Mullen III

Named for two legendary and distinguished CEC/Seabee leaders – Rear Admiral Eugene J. Peltier and Rear Admiral John R. Perry – the Peltier and Perry 

awards recognize the most outstanding Naval Construction Battalions in the active and reserve components. Units selected for this prestigious award are 

recognized in the Naval Construction Force for leadership, readiness, construction accomplishments, equipment management, logistics programs, retention 

and safety.

CAPT S. L. Young (center), commodore, 9th Naval Construction Regiment 

(9NCR), presents the 2008 Perry Award pennant to NMCB 15 Seabees 

at their headquarters in Belton, Mo., May 16. Reserve Battalion as 

LCDR Jeff Gerken (left) and LT Jim Zeiger (right) look on. The Perry 

Award is presented annually to the best reserve battalion in the Naval 

Construction Force.

Photo by YN1 Shannon Murray

12 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
AWARDS & COMMENDATIONS

(Above, left to right) Dr. John Winkler, principal deputy assistant 

secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs; H.C. “Barney” Barnum Jr., 

assistant secretary of the Navy (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) Acting; 

CAPT Donald Hedrick; Renee White; CMDCM John T. Bonaccorso; 

VADM Dirk J. Debbink, chief of Navy Reserve Commander, Navy 

Reserve Force; and VADM Norb Ryan (Ret.), president, Military 

Officers Association of America (MOAA).

U.S. Navy photo

“No Family Left Behind”... NMCB 24 

Honored with Readiness Award

By CM2 Nicole Harmon, NMCB 24

In recognition of its outstanding Ombudsman Program, 

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 24 received the 

Department of Defense 2009 Reserve Family Readiness Award 

at a ceremony held in the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon in 

Washington D.C., Feb. 13. Accepting the award on behalf of the 

battalion were Renee White, command ombudsman, Command 

Master Chief John T. Bonaccorso, and CAPT Donald Hedrick, 

commodore, 3rd Naval Construction Regiment (NCR). U.S. Navy photo

Kuriatnyk Selected as 

Navy Spouse of the Year

By MCSN Michael Wright, 

22nd NCR Public Affairs 

After 12 weeks of online voting and 100 Navy spouse 

nominations, Military Spouse 

Magazine selected Christy 

Kuriatnyk, Ellerslie, Ga., as 

the 2009 Navy Spouse of 

the Year. Kuriatnyk is the 

wife of LCDR Alex Kuriatnyk, 

22nd Naval Construction 

Regiment (NCR), Gulfport, 

Miss., and mother of three.

Kuriatnyk, the daughter of a Korean War veteran, 

has always had a sense of 

pride and patriotism for her 

country. “It started with my 

father, he was in the Army. He 

always supported the military in any way he could,” she said. 

“Growing up, supporting the military became very important to 

me.”Now as an adult, Kuriatnyk not only supports the military, 

but the spouses and children of deployed service members. 

Kuriatnyk, a certified child passenger safety technician 

and a certified lead poisoning inspector, created several successful safety awareness programs for children throughout 

Georgia. 

Seabee Recognized with 

DoD African American 

History Award

By Linda Wadley, Public Affairs Officer, 

Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center

Master Chief Utilities Constructionman(SCW/FMF) Delbert 

Terrell, Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center 

(NFELC), received the Department of Defense (DoD) African 

American History Month Recognition Award at a ceremony at 

Alabama A&M University, Normal, Ala., Feb. 25. 

“This award is a culmination of my troops, fellow chiefs 

and senior leadership taking care of me, and of course my 

family for being so supportive,” said UCCM Terrell. “I simply try 

to stay positive, focused and committed to giving 115 percent 

to them and to the Navy.”

Terrell earned the award for his leadership and accomplishments during a seven-month deployment to Camp 

Lemonier, Djibouti, Africa, from April to October 2008. In 

his role as prime power specialist with NFELC’s Mobile 

Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE) Division, a 17-megawatt 

power plant, 600,000-gallon water production facility and a 

200,000-gallon-per-day waste water treatment plant were 

constructed and brought online to service more than 2,400 

personnel at Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTFHOA) and Camp Lemonier. 

“The award honors service men and women who 

have supported the global war on terrorism, demonstrating ‘role model’ qualities and the Navy Core Values,” said 

LCDR Anthony Dapp, NFELC operations and plans officer. “I 

cannot think of anyone who better personifies these qualities 

than Master Chief Terrell.”

Terrell is currently command master chief, Naval 

Construction Training Center, Port Hueneme, Calif.

CMDCM Delbert M. Terrell (center), MUSE Division, NFELC, 

consults with field experts about creating a ramp to release 

camels trapped during a train derailment near Camp Lemonier, 

Djibouti, Africa, Oct. 11. Camp Public Works and NMCB 4 Air 

Det also participated in releasing the camels.

Photo by CEC(SCW) Jim Frando 

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 13
I congratulate you on your successes 

and look forward to the future and the

 challenges we will face 

 together as we continue 

 to build on our proud 

 legacy. — RADM Greg Shear, Commander,

Naval Facilities Engineering Command and Chief of Civil Engineers

happ

y

TH

To mark 67 years of “Can Do” pride and 

heritage, Seabees around the world 

took a moment on March 5, 2009, to 

reflect and remember – and some even celebrated by cutting into big cakes with frosted 

bees on top. There has never been a better 

time to be a Seabee...

(Below) MCPON Rick West cracks a smile 

after telling a joke to the attendees at the 67th

Annual Seabee Ball in Gulfport, Miss., April 4. 

MCPON West served as the honorary guest 

speaker for the ball.

Photo By MCSN Michael D. Wright

(Below) BUCN Amanda Glover (second from 

left) and CNCM Bernard Davis (third from 

left) cut the birthday cake at the Seabee Ball, 

Kandahar, Afghanistan, March 15, while CAPT 

Jeffrey T. Borowy (far left), commander, 25th

Naval Construction Regiment (NCR), and 

CMC Sean Libby look on. It is tradition for the 

youngest and oldest Seabees at the ball to cut 

the cake. 

Photo by MC2 Dale Miller

(Above left) Seabees assigned to Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest, Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1, 

Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit (CBMU) 303, Naval Special Warfare Group (NSWG) 1 Logistics Support Unit and various other local San 

Diego commands celebrate the 67th Seabee and 142nd Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) anniversary at the Seabee Ball, Sheraton Hotel and Marina, 

San Diego, Calif., March 14. Cutting the ceremonial cake are (from left to right) RADM Mark A. Handley, deputy commander, Navy Installations 

Command, and director of Shore Readiness for Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Logistics) Washington; CEC Ed Lindstrom, the oldest Seabee 

at the event; CECN Jamie Rotarius, the youngest Seabee at the event; and CAPT Steve Wirsching, commanding officer, NAVFAC Southwest.

Photo by MC2 Brian Morales

14 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
COMMAND NEWS

Handley and Mossey 

Selected for Second Star

By NAVFAC Headquarters Public Affairs

R DML Christopher J. Mossey has been selected for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. 

Mossey is currently serving as commander, Naval 

Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic, Norfolk, Va.

RDML Mossey will be assigned as director, Ashore Readiness 

Division, N46, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations/deputy 

commander, Naval Installations Command, Washington, D.C.

RDML Mark A. Handley has also been selected for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Handley is currently serving 

as director, Ashore Readiness Division, N46, Office of the Chief 

of Naval Operations/deputy commander, Navy Installations 

Command, Washington, D.C. RDML Handley will be assigned 

as commander, First Naval Construction Division/commander, 

Naval Construction Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.

CAPT Katherine L. Gregory and CAPT Kevin R. Slates 

have been selected for appointment to the rank of rear 

admiral (lower half).

CAPT Gregory is currently serving as chief of staff, First 

Naval Construction Division, Norfolk, Va., and previously 

served as commander, 30th Naval Construction Regiment, 

Port Hueneme, Calif. Following Senate confirmation, Gregory 

will become the first female flag officer in the Civil Engineer 

Corps.

CAPT Slates is currently serving as chief of staff, Naval 

Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Washington, 

D.C., and previously served as the commanding officer of 

NAVFAC Washington and Naval District Washington Regional 

Engineer. In his new position, Slates will be assigned as commander, NAVFAC Atlantic, Norfolk, Va.

Gregory and Slates 

Selected for Flag

By 1NCD Public Affairs, and 

NAVFAC Headquarters Public Affairs

RDML (sel.)

Katherine L. Gregory

U.S. Navy photo

RDML (sel.) 

Kevin R. Slates

U.S. Navy photo

RADM (sel.) 

Christopher J. Mossey

U.S. Navy photo

RADM (sel.) 

Mark A. Handley

U.S. Navy photo

In a ceremony attended by battalion members and personnel from other coalition 

units deployed in support of Operation 

Iraqi Freedom, Naval Mobile Construction 

Battalion (NMCB) 27 transferred authority 

to NMCB 24 at Al Asad Air Base, March 28. 

Participating in the Transfer of Authority 

ceremony were (from left to right) 

Lieutenant Douglas Orr, chaplain, NMCB 

24; CDR James Robbins, commanding 

officer, NMCB 27; CAPT Arthur Edgar, 

Commander Task Group 56.2; and CDR 

Craig Scharton, commanding officer, 

NMCB 24. NMCB 27 is headquartered at 

Brunswick, Maine, while NMCB 24 is headquartered at Huntsville, Ala. Both deployed 

battalions are comprised of naval reservists from more than 30 different states.

Photo by CM2 Nicole Harmon

NMCB 27 Transfers Authority to NMCB 24 in Iraq

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 15
Year of the Seabees • Civil Engineer 

By NAVFAC Headquarters Public Affairs

(Above) Dawn French, a resident of College Park, Md., studies uniforms from past and present during the exhibit's open day at the Naval Heritage 

Center. The Purple Heart Memorial can be seen in the background at left.

(Below) Children pose on a simulated fighting position built in the Naval Heritage Center by CBMU 202, which even features a try-on trunk of 

Seabee gear and equipment.

U.S. Navy photos by Mason Lowery

(Above) Museum visitors are greeted by the Seabee mascot (at left) and a largerthan-life-size cut-out of BUCN Prince Anumah, NMCB 7. In the photo cut-out, BUCN 

Anumah drills holes in lumber for concrete forms for a military working dog kennel 

facility in Baharia, Iraq, Nov. 2008.

16 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009

The Year of the Seabees and Civil Engineer Corps: 

Can Do!” exhibit opened April 4 at the Naval 

Heritage Center in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the Navy Memorial’s Annual Charging of 

the Fountains and Blessing of the Fleets. Commander, Naval 

Facilities Engineering Command and Chief of Civil Engineers 

RADM Greg Shear spoke at the 18th annual event. 

“We are extremely proud to be part of this annual fleet 

blessing, and welcome the public to the Heritage Center to 

learn about the role of the Seabees, Civil Engineer Corps and 

the Naval Facilities Engineering Command,” RADM Shear 

said. “To be part of a naval tradition so steeped in history and 

rich in heritage is just a tremendous honor.” 

The exhibit features the history of the Seabees, Civil 

Engineer Corps and NAVFAC, training and readiness, static 

displays, WWII and current-day uniforms, and a simulated combat outpost, as well as graphics and storyboards highlighting 

support provided to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps around 

the world. The year-long exhibition is free and open to the 

public. 
(Left) 

A lifesize Underwater 

Construction Team 

diving suit depicts the 

work of ’Bees under 

the sea. 

U.S. Navy photo 

by Mason Lowery

 Corps: “Can Do!” is Underway

(Left) A lifesize Underwater Construction Team diving suit depicts 

the work of ’Bees under the sea. 

U.S. Navy photo by Mason Lowery

A mong the exhibits at the Navy Heritage Center paying 

tribute to the men and women of the Naval Construction 

Force and Civil Engineer Corps, a structure fills a corner 

across from mannequins displaying various uniforms of 

Seabees and CEC officers through the years. 

Built by Senior Chief Builder (SCW) Don Bankey, Construction 

Battalion Maintenance Unit (CBMU) 202, and faced with purple 

heartwood, the monument is a tribute to fallen Seabees and CEC 

officers from the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is 

a small box, representing the Purple Heart Medal, and atop it is a 

piece of glass. 

Etched with the names of those fallen, this glass is already finding a place among Seabee/CEC lore. The craftsmen were provided 

a list of names for use in creating the piece, but the glass cracked 

during delivery. That day happened to be the same day LTJG Francis 

(Frankie) Toner, CEC, was killed by an insurgent in Afghanistan, the 

first CEC officer killed in action since the Vietnam War. 

LTJG Toner was killed during PT, when a local national, masquerading as a member of the still-under-construction Afghan army, 

began firing his weapon. Toner, a running back for his high school 

football team, began charging the gunman, only to be cut down with 

a mortal wound. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in 

April, with full military honors. 

With the exhibit featuring the Purple Heart monument due to 

open and with just enough time remaining, the glass was updated 

to reflect this most recent warrior’s sacrifice and solidify his place 

among those heroes immortalized on the glass.

Editor’s Note: CDR Duane G. 

Wolfe, CEC, killed May 25 

in Iraq has been added to the 

Purple Heart Memorial at the 

Heritage Center. For more infor- mation, please see page 21. 

CBMU 202 Senior Chief Builds Memorial 

as Labor of Love...and Respect

By MC1(SW) Kurt Riggs, NAVFAC Headquarters Public Affairs

(Right) The Purple Heart 

Memorial at the Heritage 

Center provides a quiet 

place for reflection and 

remembrance. The memorial 

was created by BUCS(SCW) 

Don Bankey, CBMU 202, in 

support of the "Year of the 

Seabees/CEC" Exhibit.

U.S. Navy photo 

by Mason Lowery

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 17
18 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009

heritage

Article submitted by Lara Godbille, Director, U.S. Navy Seabee Museum

A B rief H istory

Seabees in Vietnam

Completed in 1967, the bridge was 

2,040 feet long and towered 32 feet 

above the low water level. Today, 

only remnants of the bridge pilings 

remain.

NMCB 4 dedicated Liberty Bridge in 1967.

The structure was the largest timber bridge 

construction of its kind and the largest construction of any type during the Vietnam War. 

A Seabee from NMCB 4 works on Liberty Bridge, designed to 

sustain 60 tons and serve as a passageway for the heaviest of 

military equipment through an area with a high concentration 

of enemy forces. (Background) One of the most impressive 

accomplishments of the Vietnam War, 

Liberty Bridge spanned the Thu Bon River 

and was built to withstand the expansion of 

the river during monsoon season.
Beginning in 1964, the United States military escalation in South Vietnam interrupted the normal peacetime deployment pattern of the Naval 

Construction Force (NCF). Due to their unique 

mission, the Seabees were slated to play an important and historic role in the growing American involvement in Southeast 

Asia. By the fall of 1968, when requirements in South Vietnam 

reached their peak, worldwide Seabee strength grew to more than 

26,000 men, serving in 21 full-sized Naval Mobile Construction 

Battalions (NMCBs), two Construction Battalion Maintenance 

Units (CBMUs) and two Amphibious Construction Battalions 

(ACBs).

Although Seabees first began serving as advisors in South 

Vietnam as early as 1955, the first units to deploy regularly in 

Southeast Asia were the newly formed 13-man Seabee Teams. In 

1963, Seabee Teams deployed to Thailand to assist in the Royal 

Thai government’s Accelerated Rural Development Program. 

Deemed a success, Seabee Teams were soon sent to South Vietnam 

where they continued to deploy until 1972.

The first full Seabee battalion to serve in 

Vietnam arrived on May 7, 1965, to build an 

expeditionary airfield for the Marines at Chu 

Lai. Others soon followed causing the Seabee 

community to grow from 9,400 in mid-1965 to 

almost three times that number by 1969.

Accomplishments in Vietnam were 

impressive. Seabees built roads, airfields, 

cantonments, warehouses, hospitals, storage units, bunkers and other facilities 

needed to support the combatant forces. 

In 1965, the Seabee portion of the Vietnam 

Construction Program was concentrated at 

three northern coastal ports: Danang, Chu 

Lai and Phu Bai. As they had throughout 

the South Pacific during World War II, the 

Seabees had “contributed mightily to constructing the vast infrastructure necessary for 

fighting a major war in a primitive, remote 

area,” according to Secretary of the Navy Paul H. Nitze. In 1966, 

the Seabees continued to expand these bases, erecting more permanent structures for personnel and equipment.

Among the numerous construction projects completed in 

1967 was an alternate airfield at Dong Ha and the famed Liberty 

Bridge, located 80 miles southwest of Danang. Even though the 

monsoon season had already begun, the airstrip was completed 

in only 38 days. Built to withstand the incredible expansion of 

the Thu Bon River during monsoon season, Liberty Bridge was 

2,040 feet long and towered 32 feet above the low water level. 

While construction of such a large bridge 

would have been difficult under normal circumstances, the Seabees were required to 

work in a remote area in South Vietnam 

known to contain large concentrations of 

enemy forces and still completed the project 

in only five months.

During the bitter struggle of the Tet 

Offensive in February 1968, the Seabees built 

and fought in direct support of the Marine 

Corps and Army. The NCF reached its peak 

shortly after Tet during which there were 

more than 11,000 Seabees serving in South 

Vietnam. Although Seabees continued to 

labor in the Northern provinces after Tet, 

the changing priorities of the war began to 

demand more of their construction skills in 

the southern Mekong Delta. In 1969, Seabees 

built a string of coastal bases and radar sites allowing the 

Vietnamese navy to completely take over surveillance of “brown 

water” warfare.

With the de-escalation of U.S. activity in Southeast Asia 

underway, Seabee strength was once again reduced. By September 

1970, NMCBs were down to the planned post-Vietnam level of 

10 full-sized battalions from the war peak total of 20 units. By 

the end of 1971, most Seabees were employed outside Southeast 

Asia and had returned to a more regular peacetime rotational 

deployment schedule. 

...the Seabees were 

required to work in 

a remote area in 

South Vietnam known

to contain large 

concentrations of 

enemy forces and still 

completed the project 

in only five months.

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 19

(Right) Tasked with one of the most impressive undertakings of the Vietnam 

War, NMCB 4 constructed Liberty Bridge during monsoon season. With the 

help of 26 Seabees and minimal use of equipment, the bridge was built in 

just five months.

Sources: “History of the Seabees,” NAVFAC Historian’s Office (1997), U.S. Navy Seabee Archive, U.S. Navy Seabee Museum, Port Hueneme, Calif., 

Naval History and Heritage Command and Terry Lukanic, MCB 74 Quang Tri, RVN ’69-’70. Photos courtesy of Fabio “Fred” Allodoli, Joseph Marone 

(dec.), Tom Marone and Hugh “Mack” McCauley. 
U.S. Navy 

Honors 

North 

Pole 

Explorers 

RADM Robert E. Peary 

By Sue Brink, Public Affairs Officer, NAVFAC Southeast 

&Matthew A. Henson 

F

or the first time, members of two families attended 

an event on April 6 honoring two men who made an 

important discovery 100 years ago. To commemorate 

the discovery of the North Pole by RADM Robert 

E. Peary, a U.S. Navy 

Civil Engineer Corps officer, and 

Matthew A. Henson, an explorer 

and Maryland native, the Naval 

Facilities Engineering Command 

(NAVFAC) held a wreath-laying 

ceremony at Arlington National 

Cemetery, Arlington, Va.

Guest speakers at the 

ceremony included RADM 

Greg Shear, commander, Naval 

Facilities Engineering Command, 

and Chief of Engineers; CDR 

Edward Peary Stafford (Ret.), 

RADM Peary’s grandson; and 

Gilbert Grosvenor, chairman, 

National Geographic Society 

Board of Trustees. Diane Savoy, 

great grandniece of Matthew 

Henson, and Robert E. Peary III, 

grandson of Peary, participated in the ceremony by laying wreaths 

at both gravesites. 

“It is a great day and an honor to host this ceremony on such 

hallowed grounds,” said RADM Shear. “It is a fascinating story of 

two pioneers, one a naval officer and one a local man, who struck 

up a friendship here in Washington, D.C., both from very different 

walks of life, but who shared a common passion for adventure and 

exploration.”

Peary accomplished what 

others centuries before dreamed 

of, doing so without modern 

technology or transportation. He 

believed that those who lived off 

the land (the Inuits) were survivors and he learned from them 

which ultimately made Peary successful, according to Stafford. 

Stafford spoke highly of 

Mathew Henson citing that “he 

was an indispensable assistant 

on that exploration as he had 

been on four previous.” Peary and 

Henson were a great team that followed their ambitions to continue 

at all costs until they achieved their 

goal – the North Pole.

“Their enthusiasm to continue after seven disappointed attempts is considered the greatest 

exploration achievement of all times,” said Grosvenor, of their 

dedication and commitment as explorers. 

Robert E. Peary Photo courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administratino (NOAA) Library, Matthew Henson photo courtesy of Library of Congress.

Family members of the two men who discovered the North Pole, 

along with NAVFAC and Civil Engineer Corps personnel, and the 

U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard honor the discovery on its 100th anniversary in a wreath-laying ceremony at their gravesite at Arlington 

National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., April 6.

U.S. Navy photo by Mason Lowery

20 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
By U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Affairs Office, Gulf Region Division 

Coalition Forces, State 

Department representatives and 

Iraqis gathered together May 

28 at an afternoon memorial in 

Baghdad’s International Zone 

honoring the life and service 

of CDR Duane G. Wolfe, CEC. 

CDR Wolfe was among three 

people killed by a roadside 

bomb in Fallujah, Iraq, May 25.

Wolfe was the officer in 

charge of the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers Gulf Region 

Division’s (GRD’s) Al Anbar 

Area Office. At the time of his death, Wolfe was conducting 

site visits at construction projects in the Fallujah area. The 

team he led is responsible for overseeing nearly $300 million in planned and ongoing construction projects, many 

of which are providing essential services to the Iraqi people. 

In his remarks during the service, Maj. Gen. Michael R. 

Eyre, GRD’s commanding general, remembered CDR Wolfe 

as a man who served his nation with honor and devotion. 

“Commander Wolfe represented the very best of our 

American military forces,” Maj. Gen. Eyre said. “He was a 

Navy Reserve officer who loved his country and he knew that 

the work he and his team at the Al Anbar Area Office were 

accomplishing was making a difference for the citizens of 

Iraq. “As we mourn the loss of our teammate, we also mourn 

the loss of a loving husband and father. Our thoughts and 

prayers are with his family back home,” Eyre said. 

Wolfe resided in Los Osos, Calif. He began his military 

career with the Navy in 1972 and served on active duty for 

five years. In 1978, he joined the Navy Reserves, and served 

in various reserve units attached to Naval Operational 

Support Center, Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme, 

Calif. In addition to his military service, he was an employee 

for the Department of the Air Force, working at Vandenberg 

Air Force Base as the civilian deputy 

commander of the 30th Space Wing 

Mission Support Group. 

CDR Duane G. Wolfe, CEC, Killed in Iraq

Service members in Baghdad, Iraq, render military honors to CDR Duane G. Wolfe, CEC, during a memorial ceremony held in the 

International Zone, May 28. CDR Wolfe was killed May 25 in Fallujah when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. 

USACE photo courtesy of F.T. Eyre

Originally created by President George Washington, the Purple Heart is awarded to U.S. service members wounded by an 

instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are 

killed in action or die of wounds received in action. Fifteen Seabees and two CEC officers have been killed since the 

start of the current conflicts.

U.S. Navy photo

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 21

FORWARD PRESENCE
Forward Presence

Navy Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 24, completed design and construction of a boat ramp at 

Lake Thar Thar, Iraq, in May for RIVRON ONE 

Detachment 1, assigned to Navy Expeditionary Combat 

Command (NECC). 

NECC’s Riverine squadrons are considered members of 

the “brown-water” Navy, patrolling inland waters versus the 

vast open oceans. RIVRON ONE Detachment 1’s main tasking is to assist coalition forces with securing the local Thar 

Thar Lake Dam and provide local Iraqi police with patrol boat 

training. 

After a drought caused Lake Thar Thar to recede, leaving 

only mud at the shoreline, NMCB 24 built a boat ramp so that 

launch of the high-speed Small Unit River Craft (SURC) used 

by the riverine unit would not be hindered. The SURC, used 

to patrol Lake Thar Thar, is a heavy-water craft, even without 

the added gear and personnel. Mud, low-water levels, boat size 

and weight are all of the factors that challenge RIVRON ONE. 

Following site assessment and security establishment, NMCB 

24’s team began construction on a dirt road, turnaround area 

and the actual boat ramp. 

Seabees Design and Construct Boat Ramp for Riverines in Al Asad

By ENS Donald Bowen, NMCB 24

Riverines from RIVRON ONE Detachment 1 test a boat ramp, constructed 

by NMCB 24, with a Small Unit River Craft (SURC) at Lake Thar Thar, Iraq, 

April 22. 

Photo by EOCS Jerry Carter II 

NMCB 15 

Modifies 

Culverts 

to Deny 

Insurgents

CMCN Leo Pluhar, NMCB 15, 

grinds field modifications to a 

36-inch steel grating late last year 

in Fallujah, Iraq. The work, part 

of the Culvert Denial Program, is 

designed to deny insurgents from 

placing Improvised Explosive 

Devices (IEDs) inside drainage 

culverts along Main Supply 

Routes in Iraq. 

Photo by EO2 Darren Hagen

22 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
FORWARD PRESENCE

Builder Constructionman Eric Kraninger, Naval Mobile 

Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11, shrugs and smiles 

through the constant teasing by his fellow Seabees. 

Everyone at Kuwait's Camp Moreell knows that his father is the 

highest ranking enlisted leader of NMCB 5 – Command Master 

Chief Mark E. Kraninger. “With a name like Kraninger, people 

make the connection and if they don’t, they ask,” said CMDCM 

Kraninger. 

Although the Kraningers 

are in different battalions and 

stationed on opposite sides of 

the country, they briefly crossed 

paths at Camp Moreell in the 

Kuwaiti desert in March. While 

spending this past Christmas 

together, the Kraningers discovered they were both being 

deployed. However, they had 

no idea they would be in the 

same camp at the same time. 

Master Chief Kraninger 

was touring the camp with the 

battalion commanding officer 

when he saw his son. Not missing a beat, the tough Seabee 

master chief demanded to 

know, “Where’s your SCWS (Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist) 

pin?” Father and son shook hands while the young Seabee tried 

to give the master chief a good explanation as to why he had not 

earned the pin yet.

Construction is obviously in the Kraninger’s blood. BUCN 

Kraninger spent a few summers working for his grandfather, a 

general contractor in Nora Springs, Iowa. Still, the idea of becoming a Seabee wasn’t originally part of his plan. “At first I was never 

going to join the military, but about halfway through my senior 

year of high school I started to think about it,” he said. 

True to form, Master Chief Kraninger let his son make his 

own decision. “Eric knew a lot of what I went through,” he said. “I 

had a few other Seabees sit down with him and [share] their perspectives.” Ultimately, Eric joined the Navy as a builder. As a surprise during “A” school graduation, Master Chief Kraninger took 

off the Navy-issued ball cap and replaced it with his Navy cover. 

BUCN Kraninger then joined 

his new Seabee shipmates in 

Gulfport, Miss.

CMDCM Kraninger’s advice to his son has been 

simple from the beginning. 

“Keep yourself squared away 

and know your job.” BUCN 

Kraninger remembers another 

piece of advice – “My dad jokingly said, ‘If you get in trouble, I don’t know you!’” 

Master Chief Kraninger 

keeps a respectful distance 

to let his son learn to deal 

with challenges like any other 

Seabee. “I try to keep a handsoff approach,” he said. “I stay 

out of his business. We’re professionals, so we do our jobs; but when we’re off duty we talk about 

things.”

When the teasing and taunts subside from his fellow Seabees, and the family reunion comes to an end, 

BUCN Kraninger realizes his father will soon transfer to 

Afghanistan for a six-month tour. As Master Chief Kraninger 

leaves Camp Moreell, BUCN Kraninger transitions back to being 

another young Seabee far away from home – yet he realizes how 

lucky he is to have seen his dad half a world away.

Father and Son Seabees Reunite in Kuwait 

By MC1 Kelli Roesch, Media Transition Team, Kuwait 

CMDCM Mark E. Kraninger (left), NMCB 5, and BUCN Eric E. Kraninger, 

NMCB 11, share a laugh before the master chief departed for Afghanistan. The Kraningers had the opportunity to spend a little quality 

father-son time together in March prior to NMCB 5’s deployment. 

Photo by MC3 Jorge Saucedo

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 24 welcomed RADM T.C. Cropper, deputy commander, 

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, to Al Asad Air 

Base, Iraq, April 20. 

During the visit, NMCB 24 members briefed RADM 

Cropper on current and future construction projects, including road assessments, camp maintenance and an extensive 

supply inventory. Cropper also toured the Alfa Company work 

spaces and Battalion Aid Station of Camp RJ, speaking with 

several Seabees.

RADM T.C. Cropper (right), deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces 

Central Command, shakes hands with CM2 Patrick Tibai, NMCB 

24, while meeting with Seabees at the battalion’s Alfa Shop, 

Al Asad Air Base Iraq, in April. 

Photo by CM2 Nicole Harmon 

Deputy Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Visits Al Anbar 

By CM2 Nicole Harmon, NMCB 24

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 23
Forward Presence

As local nationals arrived at 

Kandahar Airfield (KAF), Afghanistan, to deliver cargo to other 

Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in April, 

they waited in a holding area until their 

escort arrived. 

“I think it plays a big role in their wellbeing because they have nothing, and this 

offers them a job opportunity that normally wouldn’t be available in this country,” 

said Steelworker 2nd Class James Mendryga, 

25th Naval Construction Regiment (NCR).

SW2 Mendryga searched the crowd 

looking for his driver to start the logistics 

process, and asked if anyone had papers 

authorized to transfer cargo. He found 

two drivers, Abdul and Aziz, with papers 

to transport lumber to other FOBs in 

Afghanistan. 

At first, there was a language barrier 

between Mendryga and the two locals, but 

they worked out their differences and proceeded to a checkpoint where all paperwork was verified. The Afghan nationals 

were then escorted to their trucks. 

The trucks were located in the Class IV 

Yard where building materials are stored. 

Abdul and Aziz prepared their trailers to 

transport the lumber. While waiting for the 

lumber, Abdul shared with Mendryga how 

the Taliban had tried to steal the loads he 

delivered, and pointed out the bullet hole 

in the windshield of his truck.

“The most common 

threats to the cargo 

we ship by ground 

are the Taliban.”

— SW2 James Mendryga, 25th NCR

Abdul then described how he sometimes had to bribe the Taliban so he could 

deliver the goods safely to the FOBs. He 

shared that other drivers have died and 

have been wounded during the transport; 

he also said that four of these men have 

died in his own truck.

“In my experience, the local nationals are like any others who work for a living, and generally have a positive attitude 

toward Americans,” said Mendryga.

Finally Abdul and Aziz’s cargo was 

loaded. “We normally use air support for 

the movement of cargo, but driving is the 

best means of delivery,” he said. “We hire 

them [local nationals] for ground deliveries because they speak the language, and 

know the routes that take the least amount 

of time. They are also able to blend in 

with the locals, causing less danger for our 

troops.”

25th NCR Special Deliveries Help Local Afghans

By MC2 Dale Miller, 25th NCR Public Affairs

NMCB 11 Pushes Outside the Wire in Afghanistan

By BU3 Amy Higgins, NMCB 11 Public Affairs

The Seabees from NMCB 11 Air Detachment Afghanistan 

pushed outside the wire to support U.S. Army Special Forces 

by making improvements to the new staging compound at 

Camp Lindsay and Camp Simmons, earlier this spring. 

The battalion’s detachment is deployed to Kandahar Air Field 

(KAF), but the work at the Special Forces camp was conducted 

outside the air field perimeter. Given the small window allotted for 

construction since Army Special Forces had to occupy the camp 

immediately, the Seabees were tasked to work with Afghani local 

national contractors to create a functional sanitary sewer system, in 

addition to other improvements, in six days. 

The Seabee crew of five consisted of three electricians and two 

utilitiesmen, later augmented with two welders. Prior to the movein date, a multitude of tasks had to be completed. One of the tasks 

required the utilitiesmen to tap into the main sewage discharge line 

from a newly constructed building and connect it to an existing lift 

station. The local contractors trenched nearly 300 yards in order 

for the Seabees to install the four-inch PVC pipe. Electricians placed 

pre-cast concrete pads, installed two 100-KVA generators and wired 

two B-huts with lights, outlets and HVAC units. They also installed a 

400-amp distribution panel, a manual transfer switch and 150 yards 

of direct burial cable in order to establish the power distribution 

system for the camp. The welders fabricated and installed a steel 

access gate into an existing HESCO barrier wall to allow access 

between both camps. 

All crew members agreed they gained a lot of in-rate knowledge. “It was a great experience to go help fellow soldiers in need,” 

said Construction Electrician 3rd Class Lucas Vanwhy, NMCB 11.

Seabees from NMCB 11 board a military transport helicopter to move 

forward to several locations and build a Special Forces Camp in an 

undisclosed location in Afghanistan, earlier this spring. 

Photo by LT Richard L. Li

24 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
FORWARD PRESENCE

Seabee battalions will now have 

a new communications system 

when they deploy to locations 

such as Afghanistan and Iraq. The 

ruggedized deployable satellite communication (RDSAT) system allows classified and unclassified e-mail, phone and 

video teleconference communication 

for Seabee battalions, even in remote 

locations. 

“This is a huge achievement,” 

said LCDR Avonna Ramsey, information technologies officer for First Naval 

Construction Division (1NCD). “To be 

self-sufficient is really a big deal for us.”

Previously, Seabee units had to rely 

on other units’ communications systems while in remote areas. Relying on 

other units makes Seabees risk having 

no communications if the other units 

redeploy elsewhere, Ramsey explained.

Mirroring the system used by the 

U.S. Marine Corps, the new systems have 

been approved for the P-25 Table of 

Allowance for Seabee battalions. There 

are currently four RDSATs in the Naval 

Construction Force inventory, with a 

total of 16 systems planned. The cost for 

all 16 units is approximately $30 million. 

Although the requirement for the RDSATs had been identified nearly five years ago, and plans had been underway to gain 

approval to purchase them, the redeployment of Seabee battalions to Afghanistan early this year added a special urgency to 

the request. The First Naval Construction Regiment (1NCR) 

determined in late December 2008 that there was no network connectivity where the Seabees would be located, so it was necessary 

for them to have their own system. The 

first unit was packaged and shipped by 

mid-February 2009, only six weeks after 

the request was received.

Getting the first unit delivered, 

set up and operational in Afghanistan 

was a landmark achievement for the 

Seabees, and required teamwork and 

coordination. 

The unit was packaged and 

shipped by the 22NCR and 1NCD, 

and shipped off to Naval Mobile 

Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 

in Afghanistan by civilians including 

John Harrington, Scott Chauncey and 

Robert Diaz. Once in country, it was set 

up at the Seabee camp by ITC Rodney 

Sowers, ETC Shane Stanford and IT2 

Christopher Traver. “While we were 

working 20-hour days in Afghanistan, 

they were working the same 20 hours 

here in Gulfport [Miss.] to assist us in 

completing the mission,” ITC Sowers 

said of his civilian counterparts.

“It’s a big step forward for us,” 

said LT Michael Janssen, NMCB 7’s 

communications officer. “The RDSAT 

provides us the ability to maintain 

our own information infrastructure, 

no matter where we go.” 

Key to the system are two Expeditionary Network Operations 

Centers (ENOCs), one in Gulfport, Miss., and the other in Port 

Hueneme, Calif. Signals from the RDSAT are bounced off a satellite and sent through the Navy network to one of the ENOCs. 

Two six-week courses are currently provided to train personnel 

in operating the new system, and more are planned for the future.

IT1 Alan Decker, NMCB 7, inserts a cord into 

the transmitter dish of a Ruggedized Deployable 

Satellite Communications (RDSAT) system, 

while performing routine maintenance checks in 

Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Feb. 17.

Photo by MC2 Michael B. Lavender

After years of wearing the traditional green hardhat, Navy 

Seabees are now shifting to a tan hardhat for E6 and below. 

The new hardhat reflects light better than before and since it 

remains cooler, tests have shown it remains in better condition and 

provides better head protection. 

The new hardhat also blends better with the desert camouflage 

uniform, along with the tan belt and boots, and is currently being 

distributed to the entire Naval Construction Force.

(Right) NMCB 3, Afghanistan, 2008

Photo by MC2 Eli J. Medellin

(Far right) NMCB 11, Moroni, Comoros, 2009 

Photo by MC2 Erick S. Holmes

THEN

’Bees Shift from Green to Tan Hardhat By Daryl C. Smith, Public Affairs Officer, 1NCD

NOW

New Communications Gear Keeps Seabees Connected 

By Daryl C. Smith, Public Affairs Officer, 1NCD

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 25
NCBC Gulfport Gym Facility Sustains Damage in Strong Winds

A severe storm blew through South Mississippi on April 2, sending strong winds, tornados, rain and hail through the area. After the 

roof of the Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport fitness facility blew off during the storm (above), the 20th Seabee 

Readiness Group (SRG) was on hand to remove debris (below).

Photos by MC1(SW) Terry Spain

Forward Presence

26 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
As UCT 1 performed underwater 

assessments during SOUTHCOM's 

disaster relief efforts following hurricanes in Haiti, a children’s school collapsed in Port-au-Prince. Six Seabees were 

soon on their way to assist in recovery 

efforts at the school late last year. 

According to Chief Construction 

Electrician Dennis Bergman, UCT 1, 

Lt. Col. Andy Woolwine, UCT 1’s liaison 

officer from U.S. Southern Command, 

received a call from the U.S. Agency for 

International Development (USAID) asking 

for help in recovery efforts at the school.

“Once it was clear that there was a situation that may benefit from our dive team 

members who were already in country, we 

quickly discussed it and decided we would 

operate at whatever capacity our chain 

of command would allow,” said Hospital 

Corpsman 1st Class Michael C. Cleaves. 

The UCT 1 team soon made it near the 

scene, the Seabees made some initial assessments and then performed some identification work for emergency operations. 

According to HM1 Cleaves, the team 

coordinated communication with locals 

through their interpreter to maintain scene 

integrity, as well as helping Haitian firefighters set the pipe shores. Once they were in 

place on two slabs identified as most threatening, the team worked its way to the back 

of the collapsed school. 

“We carefully made our way up over 

the rubble, clearing any loose debris with 

shovels and listening for anything that could 

be a potential trapped victim,” Cleaves said. 

“It was decided that for the time-being we 

would clear what debris and rubble we 

safely could and await the search and rescue 

(SAR) dogs that would arrive shortly.”

During the early morning hours a void 

was found with four survivors in it, and they 

were quickly whisked away to receive medical attention.

“We returned the next morning to 

continue our efforts in whatever capacity we 

could offer,” Cleaves said. “Most of the day, 

we were employed in a consultant capacity 

and as safety observers to the indigenous 

work crews.”

“Our personnel were deployed to 

Haiti...as part of SOUTHCOM’s [hurricane] 

disaster relief efforts,” LCDR Greg Miller, 

commanding officer, UCT 1, said. “When 

the school collapsed in Port-au-Prince, 

they were immediately redirected to assist 

with the search and recovery efforts. 

“I am proud of each individual’s professionalism as [the team] quickly shifted efforts to respond to this tragedy,” he 

added, “[as well as] their demonstration of 

the Seabee “Can Do” spirit of UCT 1.” 

UCT 1 Assists in Recovery Following Haiti School Collapse 

By MCC(SCW) Jeffrey J. Pierce, 22nd NCR Public Affairs

When a children's school collapsed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, six members of UCT 1 took leave from performing underwater assessments following hurricanes late last year and assisted in recovery efforts. The Seabees' help was requested by the U.S. Agency for International Development 

(USAID). 

Photo by UCT 1

DISASTER RELIEF

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 27
HUMANITARIAN

...the number of people receiving clean water, new schools and better roads

 can’t be counted because it will reach across generations.

– LCDR Tres Meek, operations officer, Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force

“

”

U.S. Navy Seabees and Marines, along with Philippine Navy Seabees, work together to raise and secure a supporting beam for a roof on a new 

high school in Sorsogon, Republic of the Philippines, April 14.

USMC photo by Cpl. Heather Golden

When the Third Marine Expeditionary Force was looking 

for a unit to conduct command and control of Civil 

Military Operations (CMO) for Balikatan ‘09 (BK 09) 

in the Bicol region of the Philippines, it came to the Seabees of 

the 30th Naval Construction Regiment (30NCR), who have extensive experience with joint military operations in expeditionary 

environments. Commanded by CAPT Kelly Schmader, the regiment received the tasking for Balikatan in December and immediately began planning.

Balikatan 2009 is a bilateral humanitarian assistance and 

training activity that promotes unity and readiness between the 

Republic of the Philippines and the United States. 

After command and control missions in Iraq in 2005 and 

2007, as well as a pending deployment to Afghanistan later this 

year, 30NCR is experienced in managing tasks for units in the 

Marine Corps and Army; however, the new challenge during BK 

09 would be to conduct the same command and control for CMO 

projects, while at the same time working bilaterally with Seabees, 

Marines and Army forces of the Philippines.

“The task organization developed for command and control 

of CMO projects has been extremely effective,” said LCDR Tres 

Meek, Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force (JCMOTF) 

operations officer. “Leveraging the capabilities of civil affairs, psychological operations, counter intelligence and combat camera, 

we have been able to positively influence the operational environment by our conduct, words and projects. The Marine air wing 

has also been critical to mission success by moving people and 

equipment wherever it is needed in the region. All of these things 

have given us the opportunity to work shoulder to shoulder with 

our AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] counterparts and at 

the same time provide critical engineering and medical needs to 

the people of the Bicol region.”

“Shoulder to shoulder,” the Tagalog meaning for “Balikatan,” 

has been embraced by both members of the U.S. and Philippine 

armed forces conducting CMO operations in this region. The 

task force is divided into two types 

30th NCR Seabees Provide 

Command and Control for Balikatan ’09 

By MCC(FMF/SW/AW) Shane Montgomery, Public Affairs Officer, Pacific Fleet Seabees

(Continued on following page)

28 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
Humanitarian

EOCA Tiffany Williams, NMCB 40, uses a transit to survey a drainage project at the Hario Shima Ammunition Storage Area, Sasebo, Japan, 

March 6. 

Photo by MCC(AW/SW) Anthony Briggs Jr.

of CMO projects: Engineering Civil 

Action Projects (ENCAPS) and Medical Civil Action Projects 

(MEDCAPS).

“We are conducting six ENCAPS and 16 MEDCAPS in the 

Bicol region,” said LCDR Meek. “With the MEDCAPs, we will 

impact about 15,000 Filipinos; once the ENCAPS are complete the 

number of people receiving clean water, new schools and better 

roads can’t be counted because it will reach across generations.”

Both Seabee and Marine units worked with their Filipino counterparts in three provinces of the Bicol region: Sorsogon, Albay 

and Masbate. In Sorsogon province, Seabees from Underwater 

Construction Team (UCT) 2 built a two-room school house, and 

Marines from Marine Wing Support Squadrons (MWSSs) 171 and 

172 refurbished a 1.3-kilometer market road.

In Albay, Marines are also repairing a stretch of road to 

improve trade and tourism. In the island province of Masbate, 

Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 40 

constructed two solar-powered water wells, and Marines from 

Combat Logistics Battalion 31 built a two-room school house.

“A big part of what we have to do with command and control of all of these units is the movement,” said Chief Equipment 

Operator A. J. Jensen, movement control manager, JCMOTF. 

“With four engineering units, three area teams, two MEDCAP 

teams and a helicopter squadron needing to travel all over the 

Bicol region, it’s a huge task to coordinate movement.”

EOC Jensen describes the movement piece as a team effort 

that includes support from operations, supply and local transportation officials.

“It’s a difficult task, but so important to the overall mission,” 

said Jensen. “I hope when we are done here, we help leave people 

a little happier and better off than when we arrived.”

A large part of the CMO is the MEDCAP portion of the 

exercise, which required a tremendous amount of command and 

control coordination. 

“We just have to take it a day at a time,” said Chief Engineering 

Aide Josemaria Collado, watch officer, JCMOTF. “The hard part 

is always the planning, but it’s rewarding to see how the mission 

unfolds and watch the people from the country where I was born 

get so much help and support.”

The JCMOTF and its units have received overwhelming 

support from the local Philippine people. During an official ceremony, Sorsogon Mayor Maria Teresa Guab-Fragata addressed the 

Juban community on welcoming the U.S. service members and 

the progress of the construction.

“We are thankful for the U.S. military bringing their services 

while here for Balikatan,” said Mayor Guab-Fragata. “Due to our 

economic crisis, this project is a great benefit to the people and 

the students here.”

(Continued from previous page)

NMCB 40 Surveys Construction Support in Sasebo

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 29
HUMANITARIAN

Gen. William E. Ward, commander, U.S. Africa Command 

(AFRICOM), stopped by the Hamramba School Project, 

Moroni, Comoros, in January to take a look at the work of 

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 Seabees and meet 

with troops on the ground. 

After arriving on site, Gen. Ward and AFRICOM Command 

Sgt. Maj. Ripka received a tour from Builder 1st Class (SCW) Adam 

Beardsley, project supervisor. 

“[General Ward] was extremely down to earth and easy to talk 

to,” said BU1 Beardsley. “I was tremendously impressed that he 

took the time to visit our det site.” 

“With someone of his rank to come and say the work looks 

good and that we are making a difference really makes you feel 

good about what you are doing,” said Builder 3rd Class Lance Shaw, 

project crew leader. 

Ward was only scheduled to be onsite for 30 minutes, but 

ended up spending two hours with the crew. He spent time speaking to each Seabee, shaking hands and sharing jokes. Ward even 

spent time with the crew laying CMU block for one of the classroom buildings. 

Before leaving, Ward personally thanked all the crew members for the outstanding work they have been doing and gave each 

of them his Command Coin. 

Gen. William E. Ward (right), commander, U.S. Africa Command 

(AFRICOM), meets Seabees from Combined Joint Task Force - Horn 

of Africa, who built a six-classroom schoolhouse in Moroni, Comoros, 

Jan. 21. Gen. Ward and U.S. AFRICOM Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Ripka 

(far right) thanked the Seabees for their work and toured the construction site. “You’re here to help in an area that makes the greatest difference for the children,” Ward told the Seabees. 

U.S. Navy photo by Kenneth Fidler, AFRICOM

AFRICOM Commander Visits Seabees in Comoros 

By LT Eric L. Martens, Assistant Officer in Charge, NMCB 4 Detachment Horn of Africa

NMCB 4 Paves 

Way in Djibouti

NMCB 4 Seabees finish concrete during a sidewalk 

construction project at the surge tent area at Camp 

Lemonier, Djibouti, in January. This project is one of 

several Public Works projects Seabees conducted 

onboard Camp Lemonier.

Photo by MC2(SCW/SW/AW) Ronald Gutridge 

30 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
NMCB 1 Takes Fighting Position for Winter Talon

BU3 Brian Williams (left) and BUCN David Harris, NMCB 1, keep watch of the camp perimeter from a concealed fighting position, Camp Shelby, 

Miss. in March. More than 200 Seabees, most new to the battalion, participated in Operation Winter Talon, a field exercise which tests their combat and contingency construction capabilities in a field environment. 

Photo by MC1(SCW) Demetrius Kennon

NMCB 3, UCT 1 Bridge the Gap

By ENS Joshua A. Senecal, NMCB 3

S

eabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 and 

Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 1 completed “Bailey Bridge 

Construction and Maintenance,” a course taught by the 31st Seabee 

Readiness Group (SRG), Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), Calif., Jan. 5.

The course included classroom and field instruction, as well as a final exam. 

Many of the participants were members of NMCB 3’s Bridge Detachment. 

“A few individuals had never put a bridge together; it was great experience 

for everyone,” said Builder 1st Class (SCW) Gabe Nuejahr, one of four bridge 

crew leaders. “Many of the people in my team [were] from different companies, and this was our first opportunity to work together. The time spent building the bridge was a good time for me to see my team in action.” 

Though it is constructed without special tools, the Bailey bridge can be 

configured to suit just about any requirement, and is erected with nothing more 

than the hard work and sweat of the Seabees. The bridge has more sea time 

and miles spanned than any other item used by the Naval Construction Force. 

From 1944 to present day, the Seabees have used the Bailey bridge as a 

staple of field construction. While the Mabey Johnson bridge and medium 

girder bridge are becoming the standard, the Bailey bridge has proven to be a 

quick and effective answer for “bridging” a gap.

BU2 Christopher Farmer (left) and SW3 Christopher Hightland install a launching 

nose onto a Bailey bridge panel during a hands-on course at NBVC, Calif., Jan. 11. 

Photo by ENS Joshua A. Senecal

READINESS

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 31
READINESS

S

eabees from Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 2 

trained with Korean divers in Exercise Foal Eagle 2009, 

Chinae, Korea, in March.

UCT 2 trained alongside divers from the Republic of 

Korea (ROK) Navy’s Ship Salvage Unit (SSU). With the 

opportunity to teach each other, both groups traded skills on 

diving practices, underwater demolition and construction. 

The Korean SSU divers historically have performed 

underwater ship husbandry, submarine rescue, clearing of 

harbor debris and sunken wreckage, saturation diving and 

other missions similar to those of UCT 2. 

“We have come here to familiarize SSU divers with the 

requirements of performing underwater and waterfront 

engineering, battle damage assessment, inspections and 

repairs,” said Chief Warrant Officer Frank Iusi, operations 

officer, UCT 2.

Becoming a Seabee diver requires rigorous training, 

as well as dedication. At a minimum, the diver candidate must complete 130 days of Basic Underwater 

Construction School training. To help candidates succeed, 

Seabees from Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 2 

created an apprenticeship called the “Mudpup Program.”

Through the program and with parent command 

approval, Seabees interested in becoming Navy divers are 

temporarily assigned to UCT 2 and train until detaching for 

Basic Underwater Construction School.

“The next step before dive school is an interview with 

the UCT Master Diver,” said Engineering Aide 3rd Class 

Khiaro Promise, a Seabee enrolled as a Mudpup. “I’m nervous, but I know I want to be a diver.”

According to EA3 Promise, he knew he wanted to be 

a diver when he first saw the UCT dive in the Delta Basin. 

He went on to deploy with UCT 2 to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 

where he saw the unit complete diving operations.

“Basically they’ve adopted me,” said Promise. “They 

take turns and help train me, both physically and mentally.”

Four days a week he and other mudpups exercise with 

UCT Seabees.

“Our typical plan is to prepare all of our Mudpups physically and mentally for dive school,” said Chief Engineering 

Aide (SCW/DV) Blair Mercado. “That includes plenty of 

P.T. [physical training] and also some instruction in the 

diving basics which they will cover in more detail at dive 

school.”

“Besides working out with me they also help me study 

the dive manual,” said Promise. “It’s nice to have a command full of experts on the subject behind you. The firsthand experiences and stories they bring to the topic make 

it much more interesting to learn.”

UCT 2 Pushes “Mudpups” 

to Diving Success

By MCSN Ernesto Hernandez Fonte

Fleet Mooring Repairs in Guam

BU1(SCW/DV) Daniel Renfroe (left) is assisted by BU2(SCW) Charles 

Runyon, UCT 2, during diving operations in Guam, March 15. UCT 2 

divers repaired fleet moorings throughout Guam providing the Military 

Sealift Command, Maritime Preposition Force ships and other Naval 

vessels a place to berth during their visits to Guam. 

U.S. Navy photo UCT 2 Trades Skills and Good 

REMINDER

If you haven’t already, NOW is a good time 

to start studying for September advancement 

exams. For more information, see your 

command career counselor. Can Do!

(Above) NMCB 40 Seabees, Navy-wide Advancement Exam, Camp Foster, 

Okinawa, Japan, March 12. Photo by MCC(AW/SW) Anthony Briggs Jr.

32 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
READINESS

 Spirits with ROK Divers

By UCT 2 Public Affairs

NMCB 4 Hosts Philippine 

Commodore at NBVC

CM1(SCW) John Ledford (top right), NMCB 4, explains the purpose 

of a fighting position to Commodore Robert Noblefranca, commander, Naval Construction Brigade, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, 

Philippines, during the battalion’s Command Post Exercise, April 

28. Commodore Noblefranca visited Naval Base Ventura County 

(NBVC), Calif., to observe operations of the U.S. Seabees. 

Photo by MC2(SCW/SW/AW) Ronald Gutridge 

Several Korean divers are sent to Panama City, Fla., to the 

Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center (NDSTC) to learn 

diving according to the U.S. Navy Diving Manual. 

“There are differences in how they do things as well,” said 

Construction Electrician 3rd Class (DV) Daniel Lehne. “Their 

technique for cutting through steel plating in an underwater 

environment uses equipment that is more compact compared 

to ours and cuts faster. There is a lot of opportunity to share 

and cross train here.”

The exercise was not all work. “In a short time frame, we 

were able to build some solid relationships that will be invaluable in future endeavors,” said Chief Equipment Operator 

(SCW/DV) Emory Cole. “This was a great opportunity and 

opens the doors to much more training in future exercises 

and interoperability.”

Becoming a UCT diver is a path he set to meet his goals 

when he joined the Navy.

“I joined for travel and education,” Promise said. “The 

UCT offers a great chance to travel all over the world. 

Last year, they dove in the Arctic and completed missions 

throughout Southeast Asia and even built schools in the 

Philippines.”

 “[UCT divers] are the best at what they do,” said 

Promise. “I want to be a part of the UCT family and join the 

diver community.”

EA3 Khiaro Promise’s nerves and body are tested in a recompression chamber in Port Hueneme, Calif., in July. The recompression 

chamber tests if prospective dive school students are able to withstand the pressures of diving. Sitting next to Promise is a UCT 2 

diver who checks on his condition.

Photo by MCSN Ernesto Hernandez Fonte

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 33
Community SPIRIT

Submitted by CMCN Martina Goad, NMCB 3

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Three (NMCB) 3 Seabees enrolled 

in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) received their first 

belt at Naval Base Ventura County, Calif., Feb. 12. The belt indicates 

basic comprehension of mental, physical and character discipline, and an understanding of fighting techniques. 

The martial arts program, founded by Gen. James L. Jones, 32nd Commandant 

of the Marine Corps, provides the tools needed to conduct military operations in 

urban terrain. The program is committed to train those willing to learn hand-tohand combat, morale, teamwork and 

the Marine “Warrior Ethos.”

“MCMAP is not required by 

the Naval Construction Force,” said 

Gunnery Sgt. Jose Jaquez, NMCB 3’s 

Marine Advisor. “However, the discipline and confidence it instills helps 

these Seabees in the longrun.

“Seabees face many of the same 

challenges Marines face,” said Gunnery 

Sgt. Jaquez. ”They are our brothers, 

and you can say with confidence that if Marine troops are there the Seabee troops 

are right behind them.”

“What I have learned has gone beyond my expectations,” said Equipment 

Operator Constructionman Kenyon Clark, the first NMCB 3 Seabee to earn the 

MCMAP Tan Belt. For Clark, being the first person to earn a belt is a measurement of pride. 

“I chose to attend this training for practical knowledge,” said Builder 

Constructionman Justin Lieder. “Knowing that I have an added skill to help keep 

a situation under control gives me confidence that I can help protect my team.”

Seabee “Can Do” Spirit 

Showcased on TV Show

By MC2 John Hulle, NMCB 74 

S

eabees from Naval Construction Battalion 

Center (NCBC) Gulfport, Miss., recently 

starred in a popular television show, as Leopard 

Films, a production company contracted by the Do It 

Yourself (DIY) Network, began filming a one-hour 

special about Seabees titled, “Combat Construction: 

Seabees, They Build, They Fight.” 

“We do a show called ‘Man Caves’ for the DIY 

network,” said Julian Locke, producer for Leopard 

Films. “We were in Kuwait doing a man cave, or a 

troop cave – basically transforming a USO for the 

troops at Camp Virginia – we met the Seabees from 

NMCB 74 and they dug us out of a hole. We could 

have never completed the project without them.

”We were so impressed with the way they 

worked,” Locke continued, “we figured they were a 

show [unto] themselves.”

The crew visited NMCB 74 at Camp Shelby Joint 

Training Facility, Miss., in March, as the battalion 

conducted its field training exercise in preparation 

for deployment. 

“It was a little weird to have the film crew here 

at first,” said Builder 2nd Class Joseph Biccum. “But 

after a few days the television crew was able to earn 

the Seabees’ trust. They weren't afraid to get dirty.”

After a while in the field, the film crew was 

happy to return to Gulfport and observe how Seabees 

learn. They visited the Naval Construction Training 

Center (NCTC) and met the newest batch of Seabee 

recruits. Josh Temple, the show’s host, also tried his 

hand at driving large earthmoving equipment, climbing a utility pole and more. “We are vicariously living 

through the Seabees,” said Temple.

After NCTC, the team visited the Expeditionary 

Combat Skills School and learned how Seabees 

defend themselves in any environment. 

When asked about his visit with the Seabees, 

Temple replied, “The more I read [about the 

Seabees], the more respect I have, and honestly, 

it’s a great thing to be doing this [filming] because 

I know there are people out there who don't know 

that Seabees exist.

“We are trying to show that there is more to 

the Navy than sailing around on ships,” said Locke. 

“[The Navy] has this unit – the Seabees – that can go 

anywhere around the world and help people.”

The show is scheduled to air on the DIY Channel 

this fall.

Martial Arts Builds Confidence and Discipline

EOCN Kenyon Clark (left) and BUCN Justin Lieder, NMCB 3, practice techniques 

from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program in February. While hand-to-hand combat training is not part of the Naval Construction Force’s contingency construction 

mission, the program’s discipline and confidence it instills helps the Seabees in the 

long run. 

Photo by CMCN Martina E. Goad

“

”

34 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009

Knowing that I have 

an added skill to help 

keep a situation under 

control gives me 

confidence that I can 

help protect my team.

—BUC Justin Lieder, NMCB 3
Community SPIRIT

By MCC Ryan Delcore, NMCB 133

Builder Constructionman Joe Coyle, NMCB 133, is no stranger to pushing 

himself to get the most out of life and his Navy career.

After graduating from the University of Connecticut with a bachelors 

degree in history and a masters degree in education, BUCN Coyle visited the local 

recruiting center to learn about what the Navy had to offer. After screening, he was 

denied entry into most programs due to color blindness and difficulty with depth 

perception. However, the Seabees were very interested. 

Coyle quickly got into the swing of things, attending a field training exercise at 

the Jungle Warfare Training Center and working at construction sites in Okinawa. 

While working out at the Camp Marvin Shields gym, he saw a flyer for the All Navy 

Soccer Team tryouts. He had been playing soccer since the age of three. 

“I wanted to do something physical and challenging while serving in the Navy,” 

said Coyle. He submitted a package and wowed the coaches during tryouts; they 

soon made him team captain.

The team went to Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas, for a tournament 

where they competed against the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. The All Navy 

Team came in 2nd place, and Coyle received a crystal trophy as one of 11 players in 

the tournament to play for the U.S. All Armed Forces Team. The team took home 

the bronze medal. 

Since returning from deployment and the soccer tournaments, Coyle has 

been studying for the Builder 3rd Class Petty Officer advancement examination and 

plans to put in an officer package in the future. 

BU2 Christine McClure (center), an instructor at Naval 

Construction Training Center (NCTC) Gulfport, Miss., 

speaks with Josh Temple (right) from Leopard Films in 

March.

U.S. Navy photos by Rob Mims

Crew from Leopard Films shoots the raising of a timber 

tower by NMCB 74 at Camp Shelby, Miss., during its Field 

Training Exercise, March 23.

Josh Temple (center), the host for a one-hour special 

titled, “Combat Construction. Seabees: They Build, They 

Fight,” speaks with an NMCB 3 Seabee during filming in 

March. 

NMCB 133 ’Bee Gets a Kick Out of Soccer

BUCN Joe Coyle, NMCB 133, dribbles the ball while playing soccer for the 

U.S. All Armed Forces Team against Canada’s Armed Forces Team in the Consel 

International du Sport Militaire Continental Championship, Dyess Air Force Base, 

Abilene, Texas, Feb. 22. 

U.S. Navy photo

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 35
IN OTHER NEWS

For a complete list 

of reunions, visit 

www.allseabees.com 

or the Seabee 

Historical Foundation 

at www.seabeehf.org.

July-August

JUL 31-AUG 4 Rome, NY

NMCB 19 CPO Assoc

All former members of 

MCB 19 invited

Charlie Alexander

845-565-7599

patcharlsale@hvc.rr.com

September

SEPT 3-6 Natchitoes, LA

56th NCB 

Bill Rosevally

985-867-8198

504-231-7474 cell 

billrosevally@aol.com

SEPT 9 -12 New London, CT 

NAV/MAG 

(Cartagena, Spain) 

Augie Vagnini

203-598-0870

aumadi99vagnini@yahoo.

com

SEPT 10-13 Rosemont 

(Chicago), IL 

NMCB 7 Annual 

Reunion

Alan Nachman

312-810-25665

alan.nac@att.net

SEPT 10-12 Moline, IL

62nd NCB (WWII) 

Joh Johansen

303-949-3944

SEPT 10-12 Lincoln City, OR

MCBs 2, 3, 5, 9, 11

All Cubi Point Seabees 

invited

Don Luther

503-398-5662

SEPT 11-13 Elk Rapids, MI

60th NCB (WWII) 

Marie Veliquette

231-264-8329

SEPT 18-20 Springfield, IL

63rd NCB 

Ginny Connelly Hostetler

217-774-4563

Gh1610@yahoo.com

SEPT 23-26 Omaha, NE

3rd NCB (WWII)

Horace Johnson

512-288-2078

512-970-0784 (cell) 

SEPT 25-27 Westport, MA 

21st NCR, CBC Davisville, RI 

CBMU 202 (Korea Era)

CBU 408

NMCBs 12, 13, 19, 27

All Seabees welcome

Bill Napert Jr.

508-672-2737

bnapert@aol.com

SEPT 26-27 Pittsburgh, PA

119th NCB

Adam Belajac

412-373-6283

abelajac119cb@webtv.net

October

OCT 1-3 Myrtle Beach, SC 

CBDs 1802, 1804

CBMUs 1, 101

NMCB 2

(Korea Era)

Scott Williams

770-456-4246

williash@aol.com

OCT 2-4 Branson, MO 

CBMU 302

Dave Schill

609-410-5969

dwschill@comcast.net

OCT 3 Fountain Valley, CA

NMCB 16

BUC Al Hegney

909-627-34611

hegneyhouse@hotmail.com

OCT 4-7 Newport, RI

33rd NCB 

Paula Ogden

401-722-5208

pogden@massbay.edu

OCT 4-7 Reno, NV

103rd NCB Reunion

Wayne Heple

805-343-2399

nwheple@yahoo.com

OCT 8-11 Las Vegas, NV

NMCB 9

All Seabees welcome 

Bobby Fletcher

702-897-66131

ichibanseabee@aol.com

OCT 9-11 Las Vegas, NV

NMCB 1 (All Eras) 

Peter Dowd

781-837-0393

mcb1reunion@verizon.net

OCT 10-16 Gulfport, MS

72nd NCB 

Robert Adams

859-384-8905

silverscreen@fuse.net

OCT 11-14 Las Vegas, NV 

Seabee Team 0303 & 

Friends (0301-0306)

George Fowler

972-874-7308

gefnbkf@aol.com

OCT 12-16 Gulfport, MS

All Seabee Reunion

LT Jon Scott

757-235-2841 cell 

jon.scott61@yahoo.com

OCT 12-16 Gulfport, MS

107th NCB 

Frank Kullmann

201-825-9465

OCT 12-16 Gulfport, MS

NSVA National 

Convention 

W. R. "Bear" Holland

252-975-0834

bearholland@suddenlink.net

OCT 13-16 Gulfport, MS 

NMCB 62 (Mini 

Reunion)

PWD Edzell, Scotland

Norm Hahn

715-834-4780

nhahnjr@sbcglobal.net

http://nmcb62alumni.org

OCT 15-18 Orlando, FL 

NMCB 3

(All Eras) 

David A. Schofield

508-255-1583

davesc@verizon.net

OCT 15-18 Corpus Christi, TX

11th NCB (WWII) 

NMCB 11 Association 

Larry Hagler 

512-267-8873

mcb11.reunion@earthlink.

net

The Chief of Naval Information (CHINFO) 

announced the 2008 Merit Awards for exemplary 

achievement in internal media and print/broadcast products by Navy commands and individuals. The following Seabees received awards in 

these categories:

2nd Place, Photojournalism 

MC1(SCW) Demetrius Kennon, NMCB 1

Honorable Mention, News Article

MC1(SCW) Chadwick Runge, NMCB 1 

Congratulations...Can Do!

Select CHINFO entries are featured above by award-winning photojournalist MC1(SCW) Demetrius Kennon, NMCB 1. MC1(SCW) Chadwick 

Runge’s award-winning news article, “Transition Course Helps Bring Warriors Home,” which gave readers an update on the Warrior Transition 

Program at Camp Moreell, Kuwait, was featured in the Summer 2008 issue of Seabee Magazine.

Photos by MC1(SCW) Demetrius Kennon 

NMCB 1 ’Bees Win Two CHINFO Awards

By NAVFAC HQ Public Affairs

2009 SEABEE REUNIONS

36 Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009
FINAL WORD

BU3(SCW/AW) Thomas Turner

My tour with NMCB 11 has 

been a pretty good story. When 

I was attending “A” school, I 

thought about what it would 

be like to help start a battalion. When I arrived, I found 

myself surrounded by lots 

of junior troops. They really 

didn’t know what battalion life 

was all about or what NMCB 

11 was about to become. At 

the commissioning, it wasn’t 

necessarily the leadership in 

the battalion that taught 

me to be a Seabee. The 

grandfathers and greatgrandfathers of Seabees 

past in MCB 11 founded a 

tradition, and our leadership 

is passing those values and virtues on in our great traditions. 

As the training phase of homeport slowed down, I found out 

for myself that honor, selflessness, devotion to duty, and 

the courage to stand through 

it all is what makes Seabees. 

Seabees like CM3 Marvin 

Shields showed us what living 

by example is all about – which 

makes my tour in NMCB 11 a 

true honor.

UT2(SCW) Jeffrey A. Napier 

 

In Fall 2006, I was in Crew Serve 

class at Little Creek, Va., when 

my LPO walked in and asked 

for volunteers. Before she even 

explained I raised my hand; 

in no time I was in Gulfport 

Miss., looking for NMCB 11’s 

quarterdeck. Quickly placed in 

the Training Department, the 

people there were ready to 

hit the ground running, either 

by volunteering for classes or 

community service projects. I 

had never seen such enthusiasm coming from a battalion 

and it never stopped. Now, to 

be four months into deployment and see the same drive 

for excellence and determination to get the job done is 

amazing. I am proud to serve 

with the men and women of 

NMCB 11. 

I feel the commissioning 

of NMCB 11 is a strong step 

for the Navy and NCF, proving 

the high demand for Seabees 

around the world. [This] 

makes me feel like NMCB 11 

is setting a standard that every 

battalion in the NCF should 

strive to obtain.

The commissioning ceremony 

day comes to mind when I 

think about being in NMCB 

11. The MCB 11 veterans who 

came from all over the country had such pride on their 

faces that you couldn’t help 

but be proud. [We have pride 

in] what we have accomplished 

in Gulfport, Miss. – building 

walking path bridges in Bayou 

View Park; setting up swing sets 

at Orange Grove Elementary 

School; working on numerous 

Habitat for Humanity projects; and helping local veterans recover from Hurricane 

Katrina. Presently, we’re building bridges connecting local 

Ugandan communities. 

The growing pains that we 

all felt as a command were a 

struggle at times, but we all 

took away valuable lessons...I 

have learned a lot about myself, 

the Seabees and the Navy as a 

whole in the two years that 

I have been with NMCB 11. 

I have learned I have many 

shortcomings, but I have also 

learned that I can overcome 

most of them with a little hard 

work and determination.

YN1(SW/AW) Marshall Kessler

 

When my plane left Brussels, 

Belgium, in March 2007, and 

touched down in Gulfport, 

Miss., I didn’t know what to 

expect. From the moment 

I checked in, I was excited 

and nervous because I had 

never been a Plankowner. 

I jumped on the chance to 

be on the Command Color 

Guard because of my previous experience in boot camp 

and at SHAPE [Supreme 

Headquarters Allied Powers Europe], Belgium. 

I love being in front of 

a crowd of people and 

hoisting the flag proudly. 

Getting a chance to strut my 

stuff with a group of Seabees 

as Color Guard was a major 

highlight in my career, especially marching in front of the 

proud veterans of MCB 11. To 

see them saluting and shouting 

happily at us made me walk 

prouder and sharper. No lie. 

The day we commissioned was 

a proud day for me. I wore my 

leggings and choker a little 

longer that day and was really 

proud when I found out that I 

was in Seabee Magazine. I saved 

that magazine. 

NMCB 11 Writes a New Chapter...

Construimus O Batuimus

BU2(SCW) 

Stephanie A. Johnson

Seabee Magazine SUMMER2009 37

As Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 completes its first deployments in 39 years – throughout Africa, 

Southwest Asia, SOUTHCOM and Europe in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom – four 

Seabees share their perspectives on being a part of the battalion’s newest chapter in its “Can Do” history... U.S. Navy photos
CM2 Trent Thunhorst, NMCB 11, shows a group of children their photos 

on his digital camera in Aromo, Uganda, March 3. NMCB 11 is deployed 

for the first time since being re-established in 2007, and is tasked to 

Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. 

Photo by MC2 Erick S. Holmes