MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Seabees became a vital part of the United States Navy soon after the start of World War II, in the dark days of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
During the chaos and destruction of war these Sailors are responsible for the construction of facilities vital to the mission at hand. No matter what is needed, the Seabees can build it in the midst of battle.
Throughout their history in the Pacific theater during World War II, these constructive warriors were responsible for the construction of 111 major airstrips, 441 piers, 700 square blocks of warehousing, tanks for the storage of 100,000,000 gallons of gasoline, 2,558 ammunition bunkers, housing for 1,500,000 men and hospitals to serve 70,000 patients.
Through these intense fighting and construction operations in the Pacific, Seabees lost over 200 men in combat and earned more than 2,000 Purple Hearts while serving on four continents and over 300 islands.
The detachment of 25 Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 aboard the Station work with the same determination and 'can do' attitude the Seabees of yesterday made history with.
As they pulled into port here June 1, 2002, the Sailors were tasked with numerous construction projects.
Wasting not a minute of their six months here, the Seabees swarmed to the north side of the Station where they were tasked with completing the Northside Recreation Area.
The NMCB-1 Seabees worked in cooperation with Station Seabees and heavy equipment operators from Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 to construct two basketball courts, a volleyball court and two picnic shelters. They also raised numerous light poles to make the facility functional after dark.
As the Recreation Area project drew to a close, a number of Seabees began work to finish the Hazardous Waste Building, a project the NMCB-4 detachment began before they left the Station in early June. The 104 square meter facility was recently opened and will be used as an office and headquarters for the Station Hazardous Waste department.
In the midst of all this, a number of Seabees from both units united with six MWSS-171 Marines to erect a guard tower along the seawall near Penny Lake.
"Constructing the tower was a valuable learning experience for both the Marines and Sailors," said Navy Lt. Nathan Price, assistant Facilities officer. "It gave both services a chance to work together and accomplish a mission similar to one they may experience if they are ever deployed into a contingency situation."
The tower is part of the force protection plan the Station instated after Sept. 11.
On a site not far from the tower, heavy equipment operators of MWSS-171 and the Seabees worked in unison to move and level over 2,600 cubic meters of dirt, creating a Field Exercise Site on the bank of Penny Lake. This site will be utilized by various units on Station to gain hands-on experience with field operations, said Price.
During their tour here, NMCB-1 Seabees also worked with Station Seabees and MWSS-171 to improve the community by pouring a concrete ramp in front of the Station Telephone Center to make it handicap accessible.
As their final project in Japan, NMCB-1 Seabees again joined forces with their Station counterparts and MWSS-171 Marines to construct an immense retaining wall in the Station drainage system near the Fuel Farm. Though this project is not scheduled to be fully completed when the NMCB-1 Seabees pull out of port Dec. 1, when completed it will involve over 56,000 pounds Of block and 140 cubic meters of concrete.
After six laborious months of work, the detachment of NMCB-1 Seabees in combination with Station Seabees and MWSS 171 Marines have compiled over 16,408 man hours and completed many "projects vital to the Station?s livelihood and security," said Petty Officer Michael Lopez, assistant officer-in-charge and chief of operations for the detachment of NMCB-1 Seabees. "A huge part of our success on this deployment is due to the Marine heavy equipment operators."
"Now we are looking forward to going and reuniting with our loved ones for the holidays," said Lopez.
Like the Seabees that built and fought in every battle since World War II, they leave behind monuments of their hard work and dedication in their service of others.