Comments for Among Heroes, Part IV: The Seabees...

Among Heroes, Part IV: The Seabees...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:34:50 -0600

...need better PR agents. At least that was my conclusion after attending the American Veterans Center Annual Conference panel of active-duty sailors entitled, "Seabees & Civil Engineer Corps: Can-Do!" Even with my interest in all things U.S. Navy, what I knew of the Seabees could fit in a thimble: "They build, they fight, they set up bases before the regular combat troops arrive, and people in the know respect them." That about covered it for me. Fortunately, 2009 has been designated the Year of the Seabees and Combat Engineer Corps, and so a panel of distinguished combat engineers had been chosen by the AVC to educate me and my fellow attendees: CDR Paul J Odenthal, Asst. Chief of Staff for Logistics, 1st Naval Construction Division; LTJG Christopher Fairfield, currently the project manager overseeing the BRAC construction involved in combining Walter Reed and Bethesda; Senior Chief Builder Cloves Tennis, who had deployed in OIF I and OIF II, including completing 250 convoys in Al Anbar; CDR John J Adametz, commanding officer of U.S Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7; and LT Ryan W. Thrun, recently returned from an IA (Individual Augmentee) billet in Afghanistan on a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). The session began somewhat inauspiciously with a powerpoint presentation, but it was brief, artfully-designed, and full of interesting pictures and graphics that did an excellent job of illustrating the breadth of the Seabees' activities and greographical reach--battalions are operating from Africa to Asia, the Middle East to South America and beyond. Activities range from combat support, such as preparing bases for Marines in Afghanistan, to humanitarian missions building bridges in South America or schools in Africa and handling hurricane recovery here at home. Seabees, by nature and by training, are fundamentally engineers with all the impressive geek-think that comes with it. For them, a picture of a bridge they have designed and constructed is something akin to a proud grandparent's picture of the latest grandchild, and they rattle off statistics and facts like talking computers. They have every right to be proud of their accomplishments, as their unofficial motto seems to be "we do the impossible." And for all their geekiness, there's no lack of testosterone--The pictures in the presentation certainly were inspiring, and as the images of sailors hard at work among gigantic earthmovers, massive cranes and sections of prefabricated structures flashed on the screen, I could've sworn I heard Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor grunting from the back row.

Comment from Tom Hiltabidle on 2009-11-19

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:25:08 -0600

My great uncle was Commodore W. O. Hiltabidle, CEC USN, Commander 5th Naval Construction Brigade. I'm proud to bear his name (Orme). Thanks for not forgetting these great folks!

Comment from Walter M. Clark on 2009-11-18

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:31:48 -0600

According to at retired Seabee I worked with about fifteen years ago, the "real" unofficial Seabee motto is "First we dig 'em, then we die in 'em." He told some interesting stories about Vietnam. We agreed that we don't want interesting, boring is much safer.

Comment from Old Fat Sailor on 2009-11-18

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:45:40 -0600

Jan 71 Ca Mau ATSB Seabees held the west wall, then they replaced the generator flats and built two reinfirced bunkers. In two days.

Comment from wolfwalker on 2009-11-18

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:12:12 -0600

There is a sequence in one episode of "Victory at Sea" that documents how a unit of Seabees turned an expanse of jungle on Bougainville island into a working fighter-and-light-bomber airfield.

In ten days.

The Construction Battalions are like the Coast Guard: they could get ten times the credit they do, and still not be getting one-tenth the credit they deserve.

Comment from Grimmy on 2009-11-18

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:58:54 -0600

Gotta love them Seabees. That ain't optional.

Comment from Grumpy on 2009-11-18

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:42:25 -0600

As I read this on the Seabees, I remember some of the things they built. It brings many things to mind. There was a sign at the old Bell Labs, it read something like this, "Here miracles are a daily thing, the impossible takes just a little bit longer."

@Allen, 18 NOV 2009, 9:43 AM
I'll say one thing for you, you really know how to stir the "chit".

Comment from SangerM on 2009-11-18

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:49:51 -0600

My father in law was with the 130th Seabees for the invasion and occupation of Okinawa in 1945. He was then reassigned to the NMCB (Special) for Operations Deep Freeze I & II, which saw the construction of the frst runway on the Antarctic continent (rebuilt after a blizzard ruined the first effort) and the construction of the first science station there. I have been reading a great deal about the Seabees the past month or two, and I am ever more impressed. They are like little SF cleaner robots who follow behind the mayehm and clean-up and rebuild what's been broken. For example, they started rebuilding Okinawa even before the fighting there had stopped, and the Seabees built the famous Kadena circle. As for the South Pole, it has been continuously occupied by the U.S. since the Seabees showed up in 1956. [The Deepfreeze story is pretty interesting all by itself to be honest --like most people don't know we built a portable nuclear reactor down there, but removed it in the 70s.]

Anyway, again, thanks for the write-ups. They are great.

Comment from allen on 2009-11-18

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:43:39 -0600

there is a popular saying among seabees..

a marine is a seabee on a light duty chit.

Comment from FbL on 2009-11-18

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:51:09 -0600

Good point, Tim. But do you think anybody under 40 has seen it? ;)

Comment from Tim on 2009-11-18

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:23:50 -0600

John Wayne made a movie about the Seabees. What more PR do you need than that?

Comment from H H on 2009-11-18

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:56:43 -0600

My "adopted" daughter was/is a Seabee. From Great Lakes at graduation to Honor Guard in DC to Seabee and she is now in the Reserves while in college. I will email her about this article since she probably worked/works with some of the people mentioned.
Thank you.
HH