USMC....
Good morning everyone!!! Yesterday, 10 Nov, we got a chance to celebrate the Marines birthday. Because of this event we ended up getting about half a day off. We fell into formation to view the ceremony that they have. We formed up on a ridge just above all of the Marines, when they were ready to fall out our Senior Chief called us to attention and we sang Happy Birthday to them. I know it sounds cheesy, in a Village People kind of way but you should have heard the response that the "Devil Dogs" gave us. Afterward, we headed over to the chow hall for one hell of a dinner: Prime rib, king crab legs, lobster and all of the trimmings....sounds delicious, right? And it was but the real kicker was that the base CO had REAL beer flown in just for us!! We only had two cans a piece but it was like being back home. I told the guys, "Man, now I know what the guys in the Shawshank Redemption felt like."
Well, the base that I am at now is much smaller than the last base. We have no paved roads, or sidewalks. No plumbing and the weather changes very quickly. The nights have been incredibly cold and the days do get rather warm. The buildings are either tents or a handful of wooden huts. The tents sleep up to 16 men (Male to female ration: 175-200 to 1) but the tents are old and beat up. They have little or no heating and cooling. That is why they sent us out here.
I am with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 18 (NMCB 18) and 21 one of us have been tasked with getting rid of the tents that the Marines are living in now and replacing them with 49 Southwest Asia Huts (SWA). Although these huts are made out of wood, they are insulated and we are installing top notch wiring, lighting and HAC. When we first learned that we were going to be working directly under Marine command many of were hesitant. We did not know how the Marines were going to take to a bunch of Sailors but I can tell you that this experience has allowed for me to look at the Marines in a completely different light and I will be forever greatful for it. These guys are incredibly faithful and loyal not only to other Marines but now to the Seabees as well....
Well, the base that I am at now is much smaller than the last base. We have no paved roads, or sidewalks. No plumbing and the weather changes very quickly. The nights have been incredibly cold and the days do get rather warm. The buildings are either tents or a handful of wooden huts. The tents sleep up to 16 men (Male to female ration: 175-200 to 1) but the tents are old and beat up. They have little or no heating and cooling. That is why they sent us out here.
I am with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 18 (NMCB 18) and 21 one of us have been tasked with getting rid of the tents that the Marines are living in now and replacing them with 49 Southwest Asia Huts (SWA). Although these huts are made out of wood, they are insulated and we are installing top notch wiring, lighting and HAC. When we first learned that we were going to be working directly under Marine command many of were hesitant. We did not know how the Marines were going to take to a bunch of Sailors but I can tell you that this experience has allowed for me to look at the Marines in a completely different light and I will be forever greatful for it. These guys are incredibly faithful and loyal not only to other Marines but now to the Seabees as well....
posted by szamora at 7:36 PM
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