In 1944, during the three-week battle for Guam, the Seabees contributed greatly by unloading ships and performing vital construction in support of combat operations. Their efforts led to the construction of the advanced headquarters for the United States Pacific Fleet, an airbase for B-29 bombers, and a depot center for war supply. Seabees were also the driving force behind the construction of Marine Corps Drive and still maintain a strong presence on the island.
The Seabees of Naval Construction Battalion Eleven (NMCB-11) Detachment Guam, supported the event by providing several units of Civil Engineering Support Equipment (CESE) to include a motor grader and a tractor trailer to tow a Seabee parade float. The Seabees also provided a Seabee statue from Camp Covington, the Seabees home on Guam, to be a part of the float. “It was an honor to be a part of this event,” said Ensign Rixon Fletcher, the officer in charge of the event for NMCB-11. “The Seabees have a proud history on this island and I was very happy to see today’s Seabees carrying on that history” he went on to say.
NMCB-11 is a Seabee Battalion specializing in contingency construction, disaster response, and humanitarian assistance. The battalion currently has a large detachment forward deployed in Guam to execute construction projects in support of various Department of Defense commands in the Indo-Pacific Region. The Battalion’s homeport is in Gulfport, Miss.