Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Kenneth Robinson | Heavy equipment operators assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-17 homeported at Fort Carson, Colorado erect use a water truck and compression roller to aid in construction of a road for that leading to the new Class IV yard located at command outpost Rawah. NMCB-17, also known as the "Desert Battalion", is deployed to Iraq and other areas of operations supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. see less
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By Petty Officer 2nd Class Kenneth Robinson
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion - 17
AL ANBAR, Iraq -- Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion - 17 homeported at Fort Carson, Colorado are currently working on a multi-phase construction project to expand a Marine combat outpost. To date, the Seabees have constructed a Davidson Hut, Super South West Asia huts, SWA huts, entry control points and new Class I and IV supply lots.
The Seabees are deployed to the COP to support the Multi-National Forces - West in the western Al Anbar province; by supporting the expansion efforts to meet the operational, quality of life and force protection requirements for coalition forces.
During construction of a new road for the new Class IV yard that the Seabees built, members of NMCB-17's Alfa Company put in rock to build up a base so that the road would not turn into a powdery sand of the desert, referred to as 'moon dust.' The Seabees then saturated the road with water and used compaction rollers to compress the ground constructing a road that vehicles will have a safe, stable platform to maneuver on.
The Seabees also have a 'Tiger Team' based out of Rawah. The 'Tiger Team' is tasked with providing camp maintenance to outlaying camps in the area.
"The Seabees on this project have performed above and beyond expectations," said project officer in charge Lt.Cmdr. Peter Lee. "Even working in harsh environments such as heat, and dust, the Seabees of NMCB-17 efficiently continued to construct quality products and completed them earlier than expected."
