The time is drawing near for the departure of the Seabees of
NMCB Five and we would like to say our farewells to the people
of GTMO.
Just yesterday it seems we were stepping off the plane into the
bright light and heat of GTMO and sighing at how long we were
going to be away from our families. Now, we are a month from leaving
and it hasn’t really dawned on us. Sure we’re going
to be happy to see shopping malls and Taco Bell again but some
part of us will always miss this place. For some Seabees, the
diving will be missed; for others, the Jerk House, but all of
us will miss the people that live and work here. We want to thank
everyone for the hospitality we have been shown and the help in
getting supplies and tools to get our jobs done.
In case no one knows exactly what we have accomplished since arriving
in March, here’s a re-cap of our deployment tasks. The biggest
and most important project was started by NMCB Four: Pier Victor.
The repair of the pier has been a challenging and all absorbing
job for our builders. We completed concrete replacement, fender
work and pile driving on one side of the pier. Since Seabees haven’t
driven piles in more than 10 years, the job captured the attention
of many in the construction
world. Particularly notable was the job of replacing the concrete
under and on the sides of the pier. The underside actually required
some overhead pouring, which is not an easy task! NMCB Seven will
continue the project after we are gone, opening the refurbished
pier for use.
Some of our tasking is to do OIC Discretionary Projects. The jobs
are decided by the OIC of the Detail after looking over a list
of base priorities provided by the Public Works Officer. The first
project completed was our most obvious: rebuilding the sidewalk
over the fuel line on Sherman Avenue. The result is a fine-looking
example of Seabee construction skills. Two Seabees have recently
finished a job at the Northeast Gate entailing renovation of a
nearby building for American/Cuban meetings. We hope Base Commander
CAPT Robert Buehn will enjoy his new conference room. Our most
scenic OIC Discretionary project was the replacement of Leeward
Hidden Beach’s staircase. This new staircase, dropping 60
feet down a steep hillside provides access to one of the nicest
beach areas on the base. Next time you’re on Leeward, stop
by and check it out. On our off time, we have done some volunteer
work at the schools and for the plant nursery. Digging holes and
planting trees, teaching class and building coat racks are just
a few of the helpful endeavors of our Seabees. Also, under community
participation, there have been many chances to show our stuff
at various sports and contests during the deployment. While not
all of the Seabees were winners in their chosen area, there were
some good placings!
In all, we hope our efforts have enriched the base and helped
those in need around GTMO. We are proud to sign our names to our
work and feel we have done our best here. Thanks again for all
of the help and hospitality.