Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jonathan Word | DJIBOUTI, Djibouti (March 5, 2022) – U.S. Navy Equipment Operator 3rd Class Gabriel...... read more read more
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DJIBOUTI, Djibouti (March 5, 2022) – U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to United States Naval Construction Battalions, or “Seabee” units deployed to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti (CLDJ), held a ball celebrating the 80th birthday of the Seabees March 5. Attendees and honored guests celebrated the history and heritage of the Navy Seabees which were officially established March 5, 1942.
“I started reading stories of the Seabee’s role during major conflicts,” says Capt. David Faehnle, the commanding officer of CLDJ, and the guest of honor at the ball. “From the island-hopping of World War II to the bitter cold of Korea, to the steaming jungles of Vietnam and the barren deserts of the Middle East, I read about the immense undertakings completed again and again.”
The Seabees deployed to CLDJ, the U.S.’s only permanent military base on the African continent, continue to play a vital role in the U.S. military’s mission in the region.
“Our theme for the Seabee’s 80th anniversary is ‘paving our way to victory’,” says Cmdr. Aaron Allison, the public works officer on CLDJ.” “We wanted to recognize the specific air operations support we provide at CLDJ while looking back at our roots of airfield construction and repairs that flung our forefathers into the spotlight of enabling warfighters. Vital infrastructure we are currently constructing at CLDJ will facilitate mission growth that is instrumental in our future planning.”
Military balls of any variety are often very formal events built upon long-standing traditions and ceremonies. Participants will likely be in their dress uniforms and several weeks if not months of planning will go into selecting the venue and inviting the guests. In a deployed environment, some flexibility is required in holding a successful celebration.
“It is our can-do spirit,” says Engineering Aide 1st Class Jessica Couvillier, a Sailor assigned to the Seabees deployed to CLDJ and a member of the Seabee ball committee. “You do what you can with what you got. A typical Seabee ball is usually us in our blues or our whites doing formal military movements, color-guard, all the standard traditional things, but we cannot do that here, so we decided to turn it into a beach party.”
Any place they are, serving on the home front, or deployed thousands of miles away U.S. Navy Seabees have a long history that they can look back on. Whether it is a formal and traditional ball, or an improvised deployed celebration, every Seabee may want to take a moment on the 80th anniversary of their inception to reflect on their rallying cry of “We build, we fight.”
“To all the Seabees out there,” says Construction Electrician 2nd Class Enrique Jauregui, a Seabee deployed to CLDJ. “Happy birthday. It is a long history, and we’re celebrating here in Djibouti, and I hope that you are celebrating somewhere too.”
CLDJ serves as an expeditionary base for U.S. military forces providing support to ships, aircraft and personnel that ensure security throughout Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia. The base enables maritime and combat operations in the Horn of Africa while fostering positive U.S.-Africa relations.
| Date Taken: | 03.05.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2022 14:15 |
| Story ID: | 415864 |
| Location: | DJ |
| Web Views: | 758 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Seabees Deployed to Djibouti Hold 80th Anniversary Ball, by PO1 Jonathan Word, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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