Five decades of Seabees’ training

GULFPORT, Miss. – The Navy Construction Training Center (NCTC) began celebration on July 13 of its 50 years having transformed men and women into builders and soldiers. The first-phase of the highly regarded Navy Seabees held an outdoor ceremony before hundreds of personnel standing at attention. On July 13, 1967, NCTC was commissioned inside the Naval Construction Battalion Center, which then trained petty officers for elaborate construction duties during the Vietnam War. The new Seabees were thrust into basic construction training, such as welding, steel work, drywall, laying concrete slabs, wall framing, and installing roofs. NCTC is also celebrating 75 years of the birth of Navy Seabees, which was established during WWII, when they started serving a critical duo-role. Seabees primarily have provided militarized construction services, in lieu of using private construction companies, but have also possessed the training and courage to put down their tools and bear arms in times of warfare and conflict. (Source: Biloxi Sun Herald 07/13/17)