Photo by MC3 Ernesto Hernandez Fonte Seabees deplane in Afghanistan.
Photo by MC3 Ernesto Hernandez Fonte Minutes after arriving on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Senior Chief Construction Electrician John Smith briefs Seabees assigned to NMCB 4.
NMCB 4 hits Afghanistan
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ernesto Hernandez Fonte
KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan — As the last group of Seabees stepped off a C-17 transport aircraft Jan. 23, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 stepped into the history books as the first Seabee battalion surged in support of the president’s uplift strategy announced early December 2009.
NMCB 4 is a Seabee battalion and a part of the Navy’s engineer community. Seabees are famous for their “Can Do” motto and getting the job done during contingency operations, humanitarian and disaster relief operations and peace time. They’ve proven their mettle over the past year in providing general engineering support to maneuver commanders in southern Afghanistan, a regional hot spot.
The majority of the battalion’s more than 550 personnel are made up of the Navy construction rates of builder, steelworker, utilitiesman, construction electrician, construction mechanic, equipment operator and engineering aide. There are also support personnel, such as hospital corpsmen, logistics specialists and yeomen. Leading them are Navy Civil Engineer Corps officers.
The Seabees will conduct facility construction and defensive operations, as necessary, throughout their deployment. In addition to standard wood, steel, masonry and concrete construction, the battalion is also expected to perform specialized construction such as water-well drilling and battle damage repair. Able to work and defend themselves at construction sites “outside the wire” and convoy through unsecured areas, the battalion will complete projects in northern Afghanistan.
NMCB 4 is one of three Seabee battalions currently deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. It will play a key role in providing necessary engineering support to arriving U.S. and Coalition Forces.
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
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