Since the early days of World War II,
Seabees have been building history
Stars and Stripes
Ivana Avramovic / Stars and Stripes
Petty Officer 1st Class William Crispin, left, Constructionman Anthony Piscitelli and
Petty Officer 3rd Class Joel Dooley (foreground) of the Navy Mobile Construction Battalion
40 disconnect a steel casing that was placed in a water well at Forward Operating Base
Morgan in Bosnia. |
One could argue that Navy Seabees are more like soldiers than sailors. The nickname
Seabee is derived from the letters "CB," the acronym for Construction Battalion.
Naval Construction Battalions were first formed in 1941 after the attack on Pearl
Harbor. At the time, the force was comprised of older tradesmen — their average age
was 37 — because the Navy needed to start building on six continents and more than
300 islands during World War II.
Seabees landed shortly after the Marines to build the airstrips, hospitals, bridges and
roads in the Pacific. With a force of more than 300,000 people, the group played a major
role in the war.
During the Korean War, Seabees built causeways and fought along with American assault
troops at Inchon.
In Vietnam, they built schools and orphanages but often had to fight alongside Army and
Marine counterparts.
Their biggest peacetime project started in 1971 on the British Indian Ocean Territory
of Diego Garcia. The $200 million complex, which took 11 years to complete, still supports
large ships and aircraft, which made it a valuable asset during Desert Shield and Desert
Storm.
About 4,000 active duty and 1,000 reservists served as Seabees in the Middle East
during the Gulf War. They built 10 camps for more than 42,000 personnel; 14 dining
facilities capable of feeding 75,000 people; and 6 million square feet of aircraft parking
aprons.
There are more than 9,000 Seabees on active duty now.
They are trained in wood, steel, mason and concrete construction and have specialized
training in everything from plumbing and electricity to underwater construction.
But the force is also combat ready to defend what it builds. For more than 60 years,
the Seabees have lived by their motto, "We build. We fight."
Information obtained from www.chinfo.navy.mil, www.seabee.navy.mil and www.persnet.navy.mil.
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