Story by Steelworker 3rd Class Taylor Myers
NARRA, Palawan — U.S. Navy Seabees deployed with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5’s Detail Palawan welcomed the command’s leadership at Malatgao Elementary School, Nov. 21.
During the visit, Cmdr. Ryan Carey, NMCB-5’s commanding officer; Command Master Chief Frederick Martinez, NMCB-5; and Lt. Young Han, NMCB-5 Chaplain, participated in a “boodle fight” lunch, an awards ceremony, and a concrete placement.
The Seabees at Detail Palawan hosted a lunch, which is known by the locals as a “boodle fight”, a long-standing tradition throughout the Philippines that originated at the Philippine Military Academy where Soldiers and their Commanding Officers ate together as a symbol of camaraderie, brotherhood and equality.
The feast took place at Malatgao Elementary School, which showcased the enduring relationships the Seabees are building with the Armed Forces of Philippines (AFP) Seabees and Marines. The Seabees were joined by AFP Seabees from NMCB-2, the AFP Marines from Marine Battalion Landing Team 4 (MBLT-4), and members of the community.
Han provided a blessing for the gathering and spoke about the Malatgao school project and what he saw during the concrete placement.
“I believe this project will leave a lasting legacy and will benefit many generations of people in the community,” said Han.
Following the Boodle Fight, they held an awards ceremony to recognize the achievements of U.S. and AFP Service Members.
Lt. Joshua Moore, NMCB-5 Detail Palawan’s officer in charge, presented certificates of appreciation to Utilitiesman 2nd Class Nakarla Haughton and Builder 2nd Class Colt Hawkins, both with NMCB-5, to recognize them as the detail’s Safe Seabee of the Month and Hard Charger of the Month for October.
Carey recognized Builder 2nd Class Emily Manley and Steelworker 2nd Class Morgan Klaus, from NMCB-5, and Construction Electrician Constructionman Glen Galache, with AFP NMCB-2, and Staff Sgt. Adrian Barrientos, with AFP MBLT-4, with coins as a token of appreciation for motivation, dedication to duty and their standout performance during the first month of deployment.
“[The ceremony was] amazing,” said Lt. j.g. Kimberly Salaug, AFP NMCB-2’s executive officer. “It’s a great method of boosting the morale of the personnel as well as establishing a good working relationship and camaraderie with both allies.”
The next day, the team of combined Seabee team completed their third concrete placement of a pad for the future construction of a Malatgao Elementary School gazebo.
The detail had an “all hands-on deck” mentality during concrete placements, putting Carey, Han, and Martinez to work assisting with the placement. They assisted with the assembly line, filling and hoisting buckets for the columns. Martinez provided training on screeding and finishing techniques for the concrete pad that will aid the crew in future concrete placements for Malatgao Elementary School.
NMCB-5 is deployed across the Indo-Pacific region conducting high-quality construction to support U.S. and partner nations to strengthen partnerships, deter aggression, and enable expeditionary logistics and naval power projection. The battalion stands ready to support Humanitarian Aid/Disaster Relief and Major Combat Operations throughout the region.