SUPPORT OUR TROOPS^®

Okinawa, Japan. (January 21): In this photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Austin Ingram, Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 (NMCB3) show off their construction skills while building bunkers. Based at Port Hueneme, California, NMCB3 can trace its heritage to the early days of World War II. At that time, the Navy needed construction workers to build advance bases in combat zones, likely under enemy fire. The Navy created four Construction Battalions or “CBs” (hence the nickname "Seabees") to build roads, airfields, barracks, and medical facilities.

At the start of the war, senior construction personnel were hired who were willing to adapt their civilian skills to military needs. As such, they were given more latitude to innovate and adapt their approaches to military chores which drew some teasing from by-the-book Marines. By war’s end, these legendary construction workers had built four hundred bases in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters and their efforts were vital to allied victory.