“We Build. We Fight.” and March 5 we celebrated the Seabees 78th Birthday. If you don’t know what the Seabees are, they are a group in the Naval Branch who do construction for the Navy and Marine bases. In the United States Navy, there are estimated to be around 400,000 people. The Seabees make up about 14,000 of them. There are some requirements to become a Seabee besides just being in construction.
It’s easy to become a Seabee but you have to hit a few requirements. This includes going through Bootcamp and then enlisting as an OF-7. After that, you then have to be assigned to the Naval Construction Force (NCF) as an Officer or Enlisted. When you hit the requirements from above you now are officially a Seabee.
As their motto says “We build. We fight.” Seabees build bases so that the Navy has a place to protect themselves and fight against other countries. It’s a dangerous job being a Seabee because they go into dangerous areas with no protection and no place to live. They go in with tents and supplies to start building walls and bunkers. Their food consists of powdered packets and rations until they build a facility to cook food. Seabees are prepared for these conditions through Bootcamp.
Bootcamp is approximately 7 weeks long and you are pushed hard mentally and physically. They push your abilities to prepare you. During this time you will learn everything you need to know. This gives you basic information on taking orders, fighting, and learning how the military works. Physically your body is prepared to fight and live under harsh conditions. You must be able to do plenty of running, push-ups, curl-ups and more.
The first unit of Seabees, known as the “Bobcats” originally started during World War II. They filled the Seabees with smart engineers, electricians, craftsmen, and etc. More than 325,000 Seabees served during World War II. They were some of the first people to arrive at the beaches on D-day in 1944. Seabees have been important to us throughout History, so help celebrate our troops by saying Thank You.
