CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti - Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11's commanding officer and command master chief visited some of the battalion's detachments on the continent of Africa earlier this month.
Cmdr. Steven J. Stasick and Command Master Chief Moses E. Sampson traveled from the battalion's current deployment headquarters in Rota, Spain to see the level of progress made on projects and to get some face time with Seabees throughout two of NMCB-11's detachments.
Sampson, a 25-year veteran of the Navy, is very pleased with the battalion's performance.
"I get excited when I see the Seabees getting a chance to do what they do. They seem to be happy doing their job which makes me happy. Our Seabees are learning. We're doing good quality work, and most importantly, we're doing safe work."
During their visits, Stasick and Sampson took time out to hold all-hands calls in which they addressed questions from the Seabees. Questions ranged from the wear of hard-hats to homeport and stand-down schedules.
"Seabees should continue to remain focused on safety, quality and accountability," Stasick said. "Don't get complacent. We've done great so far. We've got to finish strong."
The naval construction force is a vital component of the U.S. maritime strategy. They offer deployable battalions capable of providing contingency construction, disaster preparation and recovery support, humanitarian assistance and combat operations support.
With its homeport in Gulfport, Miss., NMCB-11 is currently deployed to multiple locations in support of U.S. Africa Command, U.S. European Command, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Pacific Command areas of responsibility.