Seabees aid Army combat teams

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Gulfport, Miss.-based Seabees of the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 supported the U.S. Army’s 4th and 25th Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) in a joint readiness exercise (JRE) here on Sept. 17. NMCB-133’s Gulfport detail was tasked with clearing a beaching area and constructing a ramp for the IBCT to offload equipment from a landing craft, and utility vessel. Constructing an offloading area from nothing wasn’t easy. “When we first arrived, there was nothing but a 10-foot grass area on the beach,” said Builder 1st Class Charles Page, NMCB-133, site leading petty officer. “It took us about a day and a half to clear the area and build the timber ramp.” The Seabees were there “to make sure nothing fell apart,” he noted. “We even had some of our guys operate some of their equipment, driving off of the vessel while showing us what it is they do.” The JRE was a combined arms exercise to assess strategic operational readiness with an integrated capability response to establish joint partnerships and expand joint capabilities to support expeditionary operations. The JRE exercise was the culmination of years of coordinated effort to highlight and market the interconnectedness of South Mississippi’s military infrastructure. It is the first time a brigade (with 1,450 pieces of equipment) deployed to Camp Shelby, Miss., using all the components of the South Mississippi Defense Corridor, including port, rail and highway systems. (Source: NMCB 133 09/20/19)