Builder "A" School, Port Hueneme, CA

Builder "A" School - 1973

Construction Battalion Center
Port Hueneme, CA
"Home of the Pacific Seabees"

cover art on the most important book in our lives
Builder 3 & 2

from the Preface

"This book is intended to serve as an aid for men who are seeking to acquire the theoretical knowledge and operational skills required of candidates for advancement to Builder Third Class and Builder Second Class."

Shop Week

We get critiqued on our plaques. Stroking his new beard is Jeff Felker (Yeagerton, PA). Jeff and I went through boot camp (73-089), "A" school and three deployments in MCB 133 together.

PO3 Angelo
A Fleetbee as our class leader?

Concrete Week

We gotta get our concrete forms just right.
Is it 2 parts or 3 parts sand?	Done

Framing Week
Bell says, "We gotta wall to build."	No power tools?
McKenna, "Cowboy", and Estes.

It takes teamwork to put together this heavy timber bridge

...meanwhile, the EO A schoolers are busy rearranging dirt

but "A" school isn't ALL work
Break time	Who's the toughest in class: the Newbees or the Greenbees?
CA McKenna (MCB 62) gives the universal "We're Number 1" gesture to express his Greenbee pride.	It's always time for GEDUNK.
...and class conspirators, McKenna and Faulconbridge, are most likely up to no-good...

then there's Barracks Life

Looking forward to mail call,
Kevin Gaffney (from the thumb in Michigan) knows that you gotta write 'em to get 'em.
(We go to MCB 133 together.)

Two of my roomies.

"Cowboy" shows off his new guns.

Gotta keep up with our reading...

...there's nothing like the Classics. Cowboy's reading The Happy Hooker.

Just cuz boot camp's over doesn't mean we don't have to keep the place shipshape.

Barracks is clean but it's Hurry-Up and Wait-Wait-Wait for the inspection.

What's to do when you're not working?
Every night is movie night.	How about the Seabee Museum? Get a group together and they'll run John Wayne in The Fighting Seabees.
J. J. Moore says, "Let's get a pitcher at the EM club." J.J. and I were in boot camp (73-089) together.

And Only in California...

I'd heard of chopped motorcycles
but chopped vans?

TS	BUCN Hogan, T. F.		BUCA Why, L. L.	Commanding Officer CDR H. W. Filbry, CEC, USN Executive Officer LCDR J. R. Finn, CEC, USN Senior Enlisted Advisor EQCM M. R. Cayou, USN Department Directors LT R. G. Kovach, CEC, USN LTJG J. A. Smith, CEC, USNR CWO3 G. M. Shelton, CEC, USNR Company Master Chiefs UTCM C. R. Faith, USN CUCM C. Barwick, USN EQCM R. H. Cole, USN Division Directors BUCS K. W. Nelson, USN CECS L. Eubanks, USN EOCS D. Thompson, USN Class Counselors CEC A. L. Irvine, USN BU1 B. C. McPike USN EO1 A. Ortiz, USN
H	BUCA Wells, G. H.		BUCA Donovan, C.
H	BUCA Pollen, K. B.		BUCA Sprague, T. A.
H	BUCA McCabe, T. P.		BUCA O'Brien, K. M. Jr.
H	BUCA Burdo, J. J.		BUCA Koss, J.
H	BUCA Brunelle, R. J.		BUCA Long, F.
H	BUCN Felker, P. J.		BUCA Williams, R.
H	BUCA Bueno, D. K.		BUCA Fortner, R. L.
L	BUCN Wolf, G.		BUCA Bush, R. M
	BUCA Ikemeier, D. J.		BUCA Vancura, J. L.
	BUCA Bell, S. A.		BUCA McCarthy, J. F.
	BUCA Eldridge, R. L.		BUCA Faulconbridge, B.T.
	BUCA Wagner, W. R.		BUCA Lofing, R.
	BUCA McKellar, J. C.		BUCA Watson, D. J.
	BUCA Johnson, J. L.		BUCA Kulka, D. J.
	BUCA Bohnsack, F.		BUCA York, R. W.
	BUCA Atchison, D. D.		BUCA Vingoe, R. S.
	BUCA Chabot, L. A.	L	BU3 Angelo, C. F.
	BUCA Estes, W. L. Jr.		BUCA Hidecker, J. F.
	BUCA McKenna, P. W.		BUCA Defrates, J.
	BUCA Dunchus, J. V.		BUCA Allen, W. J.
	BUCA Roeker, D. S.		BUCA Greene, T. R.
	BUCA Stanfill, B. K.		BUCA Schmidt, K. J.
S	BUCA Morgan, M. G.		BUCA Platt, L. F.
	BUCA Moore, J. J.		BUCA Gaffney, K. S.

While we're headed to Gulfport,
let's stop off and visit the USS Alabama

Builder "A" School - 1973

Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme, CA "Home of the Pacific Seabees"

Construction Battalion Center
Port Hueneme, CA
"Home of the Pacific Seabees"