thedrifter
03-01-09, 07:56 AM
dailypress.com
Hampton
Seabees at reunion wish for recognition
By Ashley Kelly
247-4778
March 1, 2009
Hampton
In the hotel hallway, the four men said they'd built a lot in their lives.
As Seabees during the Vietnam War, they built roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and dug hundreds of wells — accomplishments that they say have gone unknown and therefore unrecognized.
So on Saturday, 325 Seabees gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina hotel to remember at the second annual All Seabee East Coast Reunion.
The Seabees were the construction battalions (CBs) that started during WWII. Under the Little Creek-based 1st Naval Construction Division, the Seabees build infrastructure. During the peak of the Vietnam conflict, Seabees reached 25,000 men in 22 battalions, two regiments, two maintenance units and many Civic Action Teams, according to the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park Web site.
Dave Preston, Frank Thompson, Wayne Clayton and Normand Dupuis said being a Seabee made them more than just old friends. They described their bond as stronger than that of a fraternity.
The toll of war is to blame for that.
"I can't explain to a civilian what it's like to be in a foxhole at 2 a.m. as the world around me lights up with rocket fire or explosives. They (other Seabees) understand," said Preston, who was an equipment operator.
"People don't know what they are. They are the unsung heroes because they worked in the background," said Preston, of Richmond.
The Seabees' recognition dilemma isn't limited to the public not knowing who they are. It also comes from within the Navy, they said.
"We are the redhead stepchildren of the Navy," said Dupuis, also a former equipment operator. "We have one foot in the Navy and the other in the Marine core world."
The Seabees supported the Marines during the Vietnam War by building roads and bridges.
"You enlist in the Navy and wear Navy uniforms, but when you go to work, you wear camouflage like the Marines," Dupuis said.
Dupuis, of Winter Garden, Fla. makes it his job to educate people about the Seabees. At the reunion, he set up a table with Seabee videos, books and pamphlets. There was also a T-shirt with pictures of Seabees who have died during the Iraq war. He said that when they died, they should have been recognized as Seabees — but weren't.
He said, "The Seabees have been there to serve, sweat and die for you — but still go unknown."
Ellie
Hampton
Seabees at reunion wish for recognition
By Ashley Kelly
247-4778
March 1, 2009
Hampton
In the hotel hallway, the four men said they'd built a lot in their lives.
As Seabees during the Vietnam War, they built roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and dug hundreds of wells — accomplishments that they say have gone unknown and therefore unrecognized.
So on Saturday, 325 Seabees gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina hotel to remember at the second annual All Seabee East Coast Reunion.
The Seabees were the construction battalions (CBs) that started during WWII. Under the Little Creek-based 1st Naval Construction Division, the Seabees build infrastructure. During the peak of the Vietnam conflict, Seabees reached 25,000 men in 22 battalions, two regiments, two maintenance units and many Civic Action Teams, according to the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park Web site.
Dave Preston, Frank Thompson, Wayne Clayton and Normand Dupuis said being a Seabee made them more than just old friends. They described their bond as stronger than that of a fraternity.
The toll of war is to blame for that.
"I can't explain to a civilian what it's like to be in a foxhole at 2 a.m. as the world around me lights up with rocket fire or explosives. They (other Seabees) understand," said Preston, who was an equipment operator.
"People don't know what they are. They are the unsung heroes because they worked in the background," said Preston, of Richmond.
The Seabees' recognition dilemma isn't limited to the public not knowing who they are. It also comes from within the Navy, they said.
"We are the redhead stepchildren of the Navy," said Dupuis, also a former equipment operator. "We have one foot in the Navy and the other in the Marine core world."
The Seabees supported the Marines during the Vietnam War by building roads and bridges.
"You enlist in the Navy and wear Navy uniforms, but when you go to work, you wear camouflage like the Marines," Dupuis said.
Dupuis, of Winter Garden, Fla. makes it his job to educate people about the Seabees. At the reunion, he set up a table with Seabee videos, books and pamphlets. There was also a T-shirt with pictures of Seabees who have died during the Iraq war. He said that when they died, they should have been recognized as Seabees — but weren't.
He said, "The Seabees have been there to serve, sweat and die for you — but still go unknown."
Ellie