MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Armed with a hammer in one hand and a firearm in the other, the Seabees have forged their place in American history for the past 69 years. They made their way through America’s fiercest battles with the motto “we build, we fight” engrained in their hearts.
Led by the building plans made by the Navy Civil Engineer Corps officers, who celebrated their 144th birthday Wednesday, the Seabees have accomplished their missions by building advance bases, airstrips and roads to victory during World War II, Vietnam and every major U.S. war thereafter.
Station Seabees, sailors, Marines and guests are slated to gather today to commemorate those actions during the Navy Construction Battalions’ 69th birthday ball at the Club Iwakuni Ballroom here today.
The ball will serve as an opportunity to celebrate and remember the deeds done by the Civil Engineer Corps and Seabees, said Cmdr. Jason Zeda, station Facilities officer.
The ball is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. – midnight, and will be Hawaiian themed.
The Seabees were officially established on March 5, 1942 at Quonset Point, R.I. by Rear Adm. Ben Moreell, then chief of the U.S. Navy Bureau of Yards and Docks and Civil Engineer Corps. Soon after their birth and only six months old, the Seabees were baptized under fire during the fierce battle of Guadalcanal, when they landed side by side with Marines to build fortifications and an airstrip.
By the end of World War II, more than 325,000 men filled the ranks of the Seabees, fighting and building in over 400 locations. Also, approximately 11,400 officers joined the Civil Engineer Corps with 7,960 serving with the Seabees. At that time, many of the Seabees who fought side by side with service members on the ground, were about 35 years old, with a few more than 60 years old.
Many people in the Navy don’t know that much about us,” said Zeda. Conversely, he said Marines usually know about the Navy Seabees because when Seabees go into any type of war effort or training effort, they are typically attached to the Marine Corps.
Since their birth, in nearly every engagement, the Seabees have provided Marines with facilities to live, heal, eat, and shower in.
Zeda said many sailors and Navy aviators may go most of their career without interacting with Seabees because they are tied to the Marine Corps more so than to Navy sailors.
Although still young with only 69 years behind them, the Seabees have enriched their history with the heroic acts and construction projects done by the 6th Special Naval Construction Battalion during World War II and Seabee Team 1104 during the Vietnam battle of Dong Xoai, where Seabee Petty Officer 3rd Class Marvin Shields earned a Medal of Honor for actions under fire.
“When the Seabees started, they were taking people who built Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge and skyscrapers in New York,” said Chief Petty Officer Mark Gerard, station Facilities maintenance officer. “Those were the type of people who were recruited in World War II during the creation of the Seabees. Now we’re bringing in 18- and 19-year-old kids. They have big shoes to fill.”
Today, those young Seabees continue to prove their mettle by serving with Marines in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. They also prove their abilities by participating in peacetime construction projects around the world through United Nation’s peace efforts in Somalia, Bosnia and the Haitian crisis.
“When you leave a deployment site you are leaving behind a legacy,” said Gerard. “You’ve left something that is built for somebody else to use. Whether it be for Marines or schoolhouses for kids, or something — you are making an impact wherever you go.”
Although only 12 Seabees are stationed here, the Seabees have also made an impact noticed by several station Marines.
Lt. Col. Charles A. Redden, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 commanding officer, said he appreciates everything the Seabees have done for his squadron.
The Seabees here recently assisted the MALS-12 airframes and aviation life support system Marines with installing new machines in their warehouse. The machines are vital to the Marines’ ability to accomplish their mission to support the aircraft here.
“They make things better for the warfighter,” said Capt. Michael Barriball, MALS-12 airframes and aviation life support systems officer in charge. “They build things, they do things, they put up tents, they do the engineering, and they are trained to do it in a combat environment. That helps out the warfighter. They enable the warfighter to do his job without having to worry about the rest.”
Barriball said the Seabees can do what civilian contractors cannot do because they know how to fight and build while civilian contractors can only build and need protection.
Although only 69 years old, the Seabees have been to nearly every clime and place alongside service members. They’ve carefully built their reputation in battle and proved their craftsmanship in projects like Diego Garcia, an 11-year construction project that was invaluable during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.