| photo-scrapbook of my four years in proud service... | |
U.S.
Naval
Mobile Construction Battalion 133
1973 - 1977
| Here I am cutting up some 1x screen door frames on the Dewalt 18" Radial Arm saw in the Bravo Company BU Shop on Diego Garcia in 1976. |  |
Diego
Garcia was a staging point for the Gulf War. I'm proud to have played a part, though 14
years earlier. "In 1971, the Seabees began their largest peacetime construction on Diego Garcia, a small atoll in the Indian Ocean. This project took 11 years and cost $200 million. The complex accomodates the Navy's largest ships and the biggest military cargo jets. This base proved invaluable when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990 and Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm were launched." (from the Navy's page on the Seabees) |
Why a Seabee?
In 1972 I subcontracted in the home remodeling biz - installing prefabbed kitchen cabinets and framing/paneling rec rooms. Lots of finish carpentry. Great job but it got close to Christmas and I was laid off.
John Wayne as
Wedge DonovanA friend was talking about the Navy. I said that if I ever enlisted I would join the Seabees. Hey, when John Wayne does a movie like The Fighting Seabees, you know it's the real deal. Besides it was just talk. Well, being a high school dropout and out of a job, the next thing I knew it was January '73 and I was signing-the-line at the recruiter's office and by March I was drop-kicked to boot camp. Funny how an offhand conversation led to a life-changing decision. But if it was good enough for the Duke, why not me?
Builders A
School, Port Hueneme, CA - 1973 |
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After San Diego boot camp (Worm Island) I went to Port Hueneme for BU A
school. The "A" could stand for "Almost" a Seabee. Most of us were
right out of boot camp (Newbees) though our class leader was a transfer from the fleet (a
Fleetbee) and a few were already in a battalion but able to get the school during their
homeport (Greenbees).
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Subic Bay
Naval Base, 1974 |
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I lucked out and was assigned to Detail Wallaby going to Subic Bay in the Philippines (most of '74). I worked on three crews - we finished off the runway support building, poured floating concrete pads for a Marine helicopter hangar, and refurbished the Marine barracks on Cubi Point. Plus, a few of us Charlie Company BUs, took two trips to Baguio - the summer capital of the Philippines. |
Bravo
Company Carpenter Shop, 1975 |
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Capable
of the Incredible Now The Impossible Takes a Little Longer Miracles By Appointment Only The sign above the shop door, we made cutting plywood letters and the BU (plumb bob/framing square) symbol with the shop band saw, then some paint and glue. The monkey bars we're standing in was made by SW3 Randy Sheets and his crew at the Steel Workers shop next door. Our part was to spray paint it - OD Green - then it went to a church offbase. Wonder what the kids thought of olive drab monkey bars? |
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Bravo
Company Carpenter Shop, 1976 |
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Why Cruisebox, Inc.? For some though (last deployment, RHIP, favors) we made a special box. The plywood sides were 45 degree'd and finish-nailed so no edges showed. We borrowed an acetylene torch from the SWs to burn the outside of the box and wire-brushed the wood so the grain was raised. Then brushed on a couple coats of varnish. We used a piano hinge to connect top and bottom. Here's the Navy's short page on the History of Diego Garcia. And they don't mention me. BIOT stands for British Indian Ocean Territory |
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A
Seabee history page
Who landed first on some of those South Pacific Islands during WWII?
Was it the Marines or the Seabees? Seabee stories and poems from the Big
One.
Site Dedication
On April 13, 1974, three Seabee officers were murdered by Hukbalahap guerillas while they inspected road construction in an isolated corner of the Subic Bay US naval base. They were: Cmdr. Leland R. Dobler, CO of NMCB 133; Lt. Charles H. Jeffries, our detail OIC; and Capt. T.J. Mitchell, commander of the 30th Naval Construction Regiment. Back on Okinawa, another of our brothers was killed on the jobsite by electric shock, CN Patrick N. Brown.
This site is dedicated to these four men, whose memory reminds us that even in peacetime, the Seabees have a dangerous job to do.
Stay alert my friends
On 9 April 1999 services were held at the Seabee Memorial Chapel at CBC, Gulfport, MS, with a reception afterward. It was well attended by the families of the slain officers, and former and current officers and men of 133.
See emails & photos from the Dobler/Jeffries/Mitchell Memorial Service.
Contact
Since starting this page I've heard from some former Seabees looking for long-lost bros. I've got a couple suggestions:
1 Visit the Hello Seabees site run by former UTC Jim Wallace. He has a Seabee Buddy page where you can leave info as to who you are and who you're looking for, and a Seabee Conventions and Reunions page. He also has 2 guestbooks - look at and sign both. Email Jim, (utcret@gate.net) and he will email back some info on the Navy Seabee Veterans of America which should be another good source.
2 Search out other Seabee, Navy, and Vet sites and sign as many guestbooks as you can find. You can set up a simple text document on your computer with your basic info - what units you were in, the timeframe, etc. then copy and paste when you sign each guestbook. Bookmark the guestbook pages and check back once every couple months to look through the entries since you signed. In general, get your name and email address out there, everywhere.
Other Sources:
Veterans of NMCB-74 EO3 Tom Egan has collected a huge list of MCB-74's Vietnam Vets.
MCB 133 Veterans Organization Robert Ellis Smith, former UT1 was on board for the recommissioning of MCB 133 on August 12, 1966 in Gulfport and served with this Seabee battalion during its first two tours in Vietnam. He has a nice guestbook set up: lottsa Kangrooers sign in and many other 'Bees too.
Yahoo Seabees Club This club was started by the son of BU1 Richard Dupont - who served in Da Nang ('67-'68) with MCB 128 out of Gulfport. Take a look, you may find someone you know.March 1999
I've received lots of email from my fellow former 'Bees since this site began on December 3, 1997, telling me about their time in the Navy. I've enjoyed these emails and have learned some interesting things but I haven't been able to answer most of you back. I apologize.
But why just tell me? The information you have is interesting and valuable to everyone. If you ask a question, chances are I won't know the answer but someone else will. So please use the following guestbook:
Sign My Guestbook
View My Guestbook
If you have trouble Viewing Guestbook entries - Click the GuestWorld graphic, see Enter into Guestworld - type in "cb133" and click Submit.
If you have your own Seabee site, I'd love to add a link to you. Please add a link to this page www.atch.com/seabees/ on your site somewhere then find my email address at my Contact page and I'll return the favor.
Links to more Seabee sites
Click here.
Cold War Recognition Certificates
to all members of the armed forces and qualified federal government civilian personnel who faithfully and honorably served the United States anytime during the Cold War era. Which is defined as
Sept. 2, 1945 to Dec. 26, 1991
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This U.S. Navy Seabees
Ring site is owned by Seabees of 133. |
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The entire Seabees of 133 site is
© Copyright 1997-2003 by Dave Atchison.
All Rights Reserved by Me.
Thanks to the US Navy for my four years
and allowing me to use official US Navy photos.
Thanks to anyone else for allowing me,
knowingly or unknowingly,
to use graphics, photos, stories, poems, email, etc.
I appreciate your help to make this an informative and fun site.
Contact MeWhen I left the Navy in 1977, I didn't renounce my oath.
I still stand ready to
Protect and Defend the Constitution of the United States
Against All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic.
