Charles, Never, since I've been reading -- ne, usually enduring -- your often-right-winged-to-the-point-of-making-my-teeth-slam-together posts around here, have I enjoyed one of them as much as this. Thank you. I got chills in a couple of places... I'm serious. Good post.
Charles, thanks for your post. I was stationed at the SEABEE base in Gulfport in the 1970's with Mobile Construction Battalion 74. Can you give us a status report on the SEABEE base in regard to the damage? Thanks for your tribute to the Navy! Tom
PatsFan, From what I've been able to read damage to the Construction Battalion Center could have been a lot worse. As you might expect the SeaBees a playing a big part in the relief effort. Commander, 1st Naval Construction Division News http://www.news.navy.mil/local/1NCD/ I was in NMCB FOUR (a Port Hueneme) in the late 80's. We used to relieve 74 on deployment.
I'm glad to hear that the Construction Battalion Center may have fared a little better than the rest of Gulfport. NMCB 4 had a detachment on Diego Garcia when I was there in 1977-1978. Nice fellows. Did you like Port Hueneme? I was there for EA A-school. I liked it there. I appreciate the SEABEE news. Just curious: the link above is that for a particular SEABEE unit or a general SEABEE on-line news site? Tom
I really liked Hueneme. The link is for the Navy news in general. The additional "local/1NCD/" is for First Naval Construction Division news. The First Naval Construction Division is the overall commander for operational Seabee units worldwide. http://www.seabee.navy.mil/index.cfm/40065
I talked with a coworker who went to Gulfport from Hueneme to issue equipment from the prepositioned war reserve stock. He came back to Cal this weekend. He said the commissary was the most badly damaged and most of the rest of the base infrastructure came through o.k. Of course, some of the family housing was completely wiped off their pads. Lots of fund raising and clothing being sent there from Hueneme. Phil, retired CPO and Civilian Seabee.