NMCB 3 Seabees volunteer at ‘Battle of the Boxes’

Photo By Chief Petty Officer Debra Daco | Logistics Specialist 1st Class Robert Franke from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 counts jump rope repetitions at the Battle of the Boxes CrossFit competition, Sat., Nov. 15, at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. (U.S. Navy photo by Engineering Aid 3rd Class Debra Daco/Released)  

VENTURA, CA, UNITED STATES

11.15.2014

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Fahey 

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3

VENTURA, Calif. - Eight Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NCMB) 3 volunteered at the Battle of the Boxes held at the Ventura County Fair Grounds, Sat., Nov. 15.

Hosted by West Coast Strength and Conditioning, the annual CrossFit competition featured 96 athletes from different Crossfit gyms across the nation, making the Seabee volunteers critical to the event’s success.

“We can’t run the event without our volunteers,” said West Coast Strength and Conditioning Co-Owner Jaala Thibault. “They ranged from gym members and Seabees. We needed them and they did a great job.”

Logistics Specialist 1st Class Robert Franke from NMCB 3 grew up in Ventura and helped count repetitions for the athletes as they progressed through a series of CrossFit challenges.

“Giving back to the community is small thanks for the support that I got going through all the school programs here,” he said. “I feel that everyone should volunteer.”

CrossFit is a sport and a community represented largely in California.The friendly competition helped inspire the volunteers whom after years of military service find joy in shared adrenaline.

“I felt amazing!” said Franke. “The people I judged gave everything they had and pushed beyond their limits. Just being there with them and urging them on was one of the highlights to that event.”

NMCB 3 completes hundreds of hours of community service each month, ranging from mentorship to at-risk youths to helping at local events.

The Naval Construction Force is a vital component of the U.S. Maritime Strategy. The force provides deployable battalions capable of providing disaster preparation and recovery support, humanitarian assistance and combat operations support.

• Date Taken: 11.15.2014
• Date Posted: 11.18.2014 19:52
• Story ID: 148191
• Location: VENTURA, CA, US