Seabee reservist turned rock star

CENTRAL AFRICA - When Navy reservist Alejandro Villanueva-Mascote found out he was mobilizing for active duty, and deploying to Central Africa, he wondered if his construction skills would be ready for the task since in civilian life he was as a medical assistant and pharmacy technician. Seabee Construction Electrician 2nd Class Villanueva-Mascote turned out to be the right Gulfport, Miss., Seabee for the job. He spent last spring training with Gulfport’s Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11. In August, he and a small Seabee detail provided timely construction support to U.S. advisors and partner forces. He found his electrical skills were in high demand, especially his newly acquired solar power installer certification. But his civilian skills were also called into play during the mission. For an entire week, after finishing construction work, Villanueva-Mascote volunteered in assisting Army medics in a local village allowing four medics and a doctor to spend more time on critical cases. "He's a rock-star," said one of the medics when asked about the sailor’s contributions. (Source: NMBC 11 Gulfport 01/17/17)