Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 is a United States Navy Construction battalion , otherwise known as a Seabee Battalion , based out of Naval Construction Battalion Center ( Gulfport , Mississippi ) . Early history . The unit was commissioned on September 17 , 1943 as Naval Construction Battalion ( NCB ) 133 . The Kangaroo symbol and " Kangroo Can Do " slogan were chosen as it was to be deployed Australia , however the first deployment was actually at Naval Air Station , Honolulu . NCB 133 accompanied the invading forces on Iwo Jima on February 19 , 1945 ; with a primary goal of maintaining a constant supply to the forward lines of Marine forces . As soon as the Japanese were driven from their airstrips , the Seabees went to work and in just seven days the northeast - southwest runway had been made operational and was in use by American planes . Over the 26 days the battle for Iwo Jima waged on , NCB 133 endured 245 casualties , including 3 officers and 39 enlisted men killed in action . This was the highest number of casualties for any Seabee unit in history . Over the next five months that the Battalion spent on Iwo Jima , over 100 , 000 tons of rock was crushed , over a million cubic yards of earth moved , 5 , 900 feet of drainpipe was laid , 4 , 000 feet of conduit was installed and 725 cubic yards of concrete was placed . NCB 133 was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for its part in the Battle of Iwo Jima . In December 1945 , following the end of World War II NCB 133 was decommissioned due to the reduced need to maintain Construction Battalions . On August 12 , 1966 , Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 was commissioned at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport , Mississippi . NMCB 133 in Vietnam . Following a period of training , Vietnam was the site of the newly recommissioned Battalion ' s initial deployments . During their first deployment to Da Nang , Vietnam in 1966 , projects for the Battalion ranged from final construction of a prisoner - of - war camp to building a staging area for significant amounts of stone to be displaced . NMCB 133 received its second Navy Unit Commendation for its enduring support of friendly forces during its deployment to Vietnam . Phu Bai was the site of the Battalion ' s second Vietnam deployment in 1968 . The major project at Phu Bai was the monumental task of overlaying the Hue - Phu Bai airstrip with over 10 , 000 individual sheets of matting . A third deployment was made to Vietnam in 1969 . The Runnin ' Roo ' s were based at Camp Wilkinson , about six miles southeast of Hue , the country ' s ancient imperial capitol . One of the major projects was the reconstruction of a 286 - foot length of highway , including a bridge , at Hue . All of which had been badly damaged during the 1968 Tet Offensive . The most extensive project undertaken by the Kangroo Battalion was the upgrade and maintenance of 70 miles of paved highway . Among other projects , they were also tasked with extending 96 culverts and repairing dozens of bridges . 2005 – Present . On August 29 , 2005 Hurricane Katrina came through the central Gulf Coast , taking many lives and causing catastrophic damage to the homes and businesses of countless residents . Within a day , the Seabees from Battalions of NMCB 1 , 7 , and 133 rushed out to clear roads so emergency workers could access hard hit areas . In the ensuing weeks , 133 provided extensive humanitarian aid around the area including the critical repair of lift stations , cleaning and repair of government buildings and schools and the distribution of food , water and clothing to local residents in need . As these important projects were going on , teams from the Battalion were deployed to assist Seabees who were affected by Katrina . In NMCB 133 , 118 out of 659 people either lost their homes entirely or had them damaged so badly they were unliveable . Those Seabees and their families either sought refuge in warehouses on base or with friends and family . Only two months later , the Roo ' s were ready to deploy in November 2005 . NMCB 133 deployed to numerous sites throughout Southwest Asia , with additional details in Guam and Whidbey Island . In Iraq , the Runnin ’ Roo ' s of NMCB 133 supported Marines , Special Operating Forces and Iraqi Security Forces . The NMCB 133 2007 deployment , covered four continents . The Battalion worked in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa ( CJTF - HOA ) building schools in remote villages and making clean water available to locals . A detail assigned to “ New Horizons ” built schools in rural Belize . NMCB 133 also had presence in São Tomé , working in cooperation with Underwater Construction Team ONE ( UCT 1 ) to rebuild the only boat launch available to the country ’ s Coast Guard . Over the next few years the Battalion made two separate deployments to Iraq and Okinawa , Japan . NMCB 133 ' s Seabees built the foundation for new buildings on White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa , and restored running water to a village in Kemaman , Malaysia that had not had such a luxury in over three years . A 35 - foot wind - powered turbine and solar panel were installed to provide power to the pump . Following the end of the PACOM tour , the Roo ' s redeployed to Gulfport , MS for a 15 month homeport and training cycle . In March 2010 , the Battalion deployed over 600 Seabees from Gulfport to Afghanistan in support of the 30 , 000 troop surge . NMCB 133 successfully set up a site on Kandahar Airfield ( KAF ) , Afghanistan which was used as their mainbody site . The site consisted of nothing more than a bed of gravel when they arrived . Within a month the Battalion had a fully operational Seabee Camp . They constructed buildings , set up tents , and worked with an adjacent Army unit to supply power . Among the list of accomplishments completed by NMCB 133 ' s Runnin ' Roo ' s the following were most noteworthy : In October 2010 , NMCB 133 received the Atlantic Fleet Best of Type Battle " E " award for its outstanding efforts during the CENTCOM deployment . In March 2011 , the Battalion once again deployed to Camp Shields , Okinawa , Japan where it is was involved in many projects , including the renovation of a new galley facility , the construction of a 207 square meter concrete storage building at White Beach Naval Facility , installation of concrete drainage ditches , and camp improvement projects on Camp Shields . In September 2012 , NMCB 133 deployed to Afghanistan to become the last Active Duty Battalion to deploy to the country . During the course of this deployment the Battalion completed the longest convoy in the Naval Construction Force ' s history ; they would eventually complete an even longer convoy later in their deployment . Awards . During the battalions history in the Naval Construction Force , it has received several unit citation s and commendations . Members who participated in actions that merited the award , are authorized to wear the medal or ribbon associated with the award on their uniform . NMCB 133 has been presented the following awards : NMCB 133 has been the recipient of the U . S . Atlantic Fleet Naval Construction Force Best of Type Battle " E " a total of 11 times . The battalion has received the Peltier Award ( given to the best active duty Seabee Battalion in the Naval Construction Force ) on ten occasions .