A Day In The Life: Seabees Story by Joel Diller, Public Affairs
T
he Seabees are made up of Sailors from different backgrounds and skill sets - they have to be to complete the projects required of the Navy’s construction force. When the Navy’s first construction battalions were organized during World War II, the average age of the first group of Seabees was 31 years old. This is because they were mainly experienced civilian tradesmen who underwent military training so they could defend what they were building. They were a unique type of Sailor in 1942 – and still are today. “The Seabees, we’re a special breed,” said Chief Builder John Wightman, senior enlisted leader, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Europe, Africa, Central, Public Works Department NSA Souda Bay. “We are actually built like a Marine Corps fire team. Because of that we have seven different types of rates in the group Seabees.” Wightman said a Seabee battalion organizes the seven rates into a headquarters company and four construction/rifle companies. Headquarters Company includes the administration, supply, and engineering
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functions and the engineering aid rate; Alpha Company, the equipment operator and construction mechanic rates, works with equipment; Bravo Company, the utilitiesman and construction electrician rates, works with utilities; Charlie Company, the builder and steelworker rates, performs general construction; and Delta Company, a mix of all the rates, is added for deployments. The NSA Souda Bay Public Works Department operates as a tenant command on the installation, and its headquarters is NAVFAC EURAFCENT, located in Naples, Italy. “What makes NAVFAC Souda Bay unique is that compared to other public works departments we have a high-rate of first-termers straight from ‘A’ school,” said Wightman. “So we have to learn from the civilian professionals and have our senior Seabees mentor the junior personnel.”
