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Home of the Atlantic Fleet Seabees Gulfport, MississippiVol. 44 No. 2 January 25, 2007

BU1 (SCW) MichaelCadoret of Naval MobileConstruction BattalionOne Thirty Three creditshis crew and expresses histhanks to the veterans atthe VA Medical Center inBiloxi during the ribboncutting ceremony for thefishing pier recently builtby NMCB 133.

See page 11

Military and civilianscame together to celebratethe life of Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr., at theannual commemorativeservice held at the SeabeeMemorial Chapel Jan. 16.Pastor Othell Adkins ofBible Way Baptist Churchin Gulfport spoke at theservice.

See page 2

NCBC Gulfport'sEnvironmental and PublicSafety Departments arecoordinating with theMississippi State ForestryCommission to conduct aseries of controlled burnsdesigned to clear com-bustible brush and under-growth from the woodedareas onboard the Center.

See page 10

http://cbcgulfport.navy.mil

Photo by MC2 Gregory N. JudayEO2 Kevin Rapier from Austin, Texas of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Seventy Four helps maneu-ver the pipe for proper fitting at Out Post Viking on Jan. 2. NMCB 74 is currently deployed to Ramadi, Iraqand other locations throughout South West Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

See story on page 9

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NCBC/20SRGCommanding Officer

Capt. Van DobsonExecutive Officer

Cmdr. Bill FinnPublic Affairs Officer

Jean RemleyEditor

Bonnie L. McGerrMass Comm. Specialist

MC1 Sean Mulligan

22ND NCRCommander

Capt. Eric OdderstolPublic Affairs OfficerLt. Cmdr. Kyra Hawn

NMCB ONECommanding Officer Cmdr. Dean A. Tufts

Public Affairs Officer Lt. Kris Portacci

Mass. Comm. SpecialistsMC2 Chad Runge

MC3 Ja'lon Rhinehart

NMCB SEVENCommanding Officer Cmdr. David J. Sasek

Public Affairs OfficerEnsign Russell Becker

Mass Comm. SpecialistsMCC Jeffrey J. Pierce

MC3 Paul D. Williams

NMCB SEVENTY FOURCommanding Officer

Cmdr. Craig S. PratherPublic Affairs Officer

Lt. Edsil L. LoganMass Comm. Specialist MC2 Gregory N. Juday

NMCB ONE THIRTY THREECommanding Officer Cmdr. Allan StratmanPublic Affairs Officer

Lt.j.g. Amy YoonMass Comm. SpecialistMC3 Jessica A. McIver

NCTC GulfportCommanding OfficerCmdr. Darius Banaji

Public Affairs OfficerBU1(SCW) James LePage

“We EXIST to enableWarfighterReadiness”

The Seabee Courier is an authorized publi-cation for members of the military servicesand their families. Its contents do not neces-sarily reflect the official views of the U.S.Government, the DoD or the U.S. Navy anddo not imply endorsement thereof. Theappearance of advertising in this newspaper,including inserts or supplements, does notconstitute endorsement by the U. S.Government, DoD, the Navy, NCBC Gulfportor Gulf Publishing Company of the productsand services advertised. All content in thisnewspaper shall be made available for pur-chase, use or patronage without regard torace, color, religion, gender, national origin,age, marital status, physical handicap, politi-cal affiliation or any other non-merit factor ofthe purchaser, user or patron. If a violation orrejection of this equal opportunity policy byan advertiser is confirmed, the publisher shallrefuse to print advertising from that sourceuntil the violation is corrected.

The Seabee Courier is published 22 weeks ayear by Gulf Publishing Company, a privatefirm in no way connected with the DoD ,under an exclusive contract with the U. S.Navy. The Seabee Courier solicits news con-tributions from military and civilian sources,but the Public Affairs staff reserves the rightto edit and/or rewrite material selected forpublication to conform with journalism stan-dards. The deadline for material is close ofbusiness Wednesday the week prior to publi-cation. Your comments are always welcome.The Seabee Courier office is in Building 60,Room 250. The mailing address is 4902Marvin Shields Blvd., Code 15, Gulfport, MS39501. Phone: 228 871-3662, Fax: 228 871-2389.Email: seabeecourier@navy.mil.

Command Action LineBecause of limited IG resources throughout the Southeast Region, all Fraud, Waste and Abuse hotlinework will now be handled by the Region. To report Fraud, Waste and Abuse, contact the Region at:

Toll Free 1-877-657-9851 Comm: (904) 542-4979 DSN 942-4979 FAX: (904) 542-5587E-mail: CNRSE_HOTLINE@navy.mil

At a retirement cere-mony Jan. 12, one dayprior to the fortiethanniversary of theinception of the MasterChief Petty Officer ofthe Navy, MCPON(SW/FMF) Joe R.Campa Jr. remindedchief petty officershere what he expectsof them as deckplateleaders.

Addressing a numberof area chiefs at theretirement ceremonyof Master ChiefElectronics Technician(SW) Mickey Manes,Campa recalled thechief petty officerswho led and trainedhe and Manes as theygrew up in the Navy,and said he envisions areturn to their tradi-tional type of leader-ship.

"Those chiefs werecut from a cloth ofleadership that I wantto blanket the Navywith today," saidCampa. "They hadsomething I like torefer to as 'CPO pres-ence.' When theywalked into a spacethe tone of the entirespace changed. Theywere uncompromisingleaders."

Campa said thatwhen Del Black wasappointed the firstMCPON in 1967, hisgoals were similar tothose of Campa's fortyyears later.

"MCPON Black was atrue chief. He knewthe value of communi-cation, of listening tohis Sailors, and the

absolute need for ourcommunity to take onthe role of standardbearers, to enforcethose standardsamongst ourselves aswell as up and downthe chain of com-mand," he added.

The eleventh masterchief to hold the posi-tion, MCPON Campasaid that the nine menwho followed Blackeach entered the officewith one goal in mind;the development of theenlisted force asSailors and people.

"Each of us has hadour own style and wayof doing things, butthere has been a con-stant theme for 40years from Del Blackto Tom Crow to JohnHagan to me: provid-ing Sailors the bestopportunity to suc-ceed," he said.

Campa echoed that inhis remarks at Manes'retirement ceremony.He said that as aSailor's characterstrengthens, so too willhis commitment to theNavy.

Campa and Manesserved together onUSS Frank Cable (AS40) from 2003 to 2005.

Office of MCPONhits 40 year markBy MCCS(SW/AW) BillHoulihan MCPON Public Affairs

CBC celebrates life ofMartin Luther King, Jr.

Photo by MC1 Sean MulliganBU2 Charles Sergeant from Naval MobileConstruction Battalion One delivered the Litanyof Commemoration at this year's Martin LutherKing, Jr. Commemoration Service held at theSeabee Memorial Chapel January 16. PastorOthell Adkins of Bible Way Baptist Church inGulfport was the featured guest speaker.Refreshments were served in the FellowshipHall at the conclusion of the service. A monu-ment to honor Dr. King is being built on thenational mall in Washington, D.C. and is expect-ed to be completed next year.

CBC Photo Lab Closed Jan. 29 - Feb. 9

Due to training requirements the CBC PhotoLab in building 60 will be closed Jan 29 - Feb.9. Battalion photographers may use the studio

by making arrangements with the PublicAffairs Office at X2699/3662.

we could do for theSeabees," said GunnerySergeant Vernon Getter,Fox Company, 2ndBattalion, 8th Marines."These guys are doing

great work out here inIraq; I truly believe theyare playing a large role inthe War on Terrorism".

"It was great having theMarines out there provid-ing security," saidEquipment Operator 2ndClass Kevin Rapier, project

Crew Leader, of Austin,Texas. "It allowed us tofocus on our job instead ofworrying about keepingour guys safe".

After three long days ofwork in the cold weather,the Seabees completed theculvert project ahead of

schedule and above expec-tations."They did an outstandingjob," said GySgt. Getter, "itwas better than anythingwe could have asked for".The Fearless Seabees ofNMCB 74 continually liveup to their "Can Do" motto

with the successful com-pletions of a multitude ofprojects at Out Posts andIraqi Police Stationsthroughout Iraq whiledeployed to Ramadi insupport of Operation IraqiFreedom.

From BRIDGES page 11

available latter in the day.DFAS Customer Servicesupport is also availablefor assistance for any W2or MyPay questions at 1-800-390-2348, Mondaythrough Friday betweenthe hours of 0700 – 1930Eastern Standard Time.

Special Leave Accrual(SLA) calculation

OPNAVINST 1050.3established guidelines forNavy members to qualify for SLA up to 120days. Commands must fol-low the guidelines pub-lished in this instructionwhen determining SLAentitlement.

Special leave accrual isnot a unique kind of leave.The only significant differ-

ence is that members sub-ject to special leave accrualare entitled to accrue andcarry forward leave inexcess of the normal limitof 60 days into a new fiscalyear. Leave in excess of 60days is treated as ordinaryleave for purposes of leaveusage, but is protecteduntil used. A member'sleave usage is chargedagainst the entire currentleave balance on his or heraccount at the time leave istaken. If the member'sleave usage reduces theleave balance below thespecial leave accrual bal-ance, then the member hasused some of the leaveaccrued in excess of 60days. If the member's leaveusage reduces the leavebalance to 60 days, then

the member is consideredto have received the fullbenefit of the special leaveaccrual and is no longersubject to the provision. Inaccordance withDepartment of DefenseFinancial ManagementRegulations paragraph350102c, the charging ofleave is based on the lastleave earned is the first leave used (LIFO) method.

Service members usingleave early in the fiscalyear are more likely to seehold leave balancescharged. This is becausethey may have not earnedenough leave to prevent aleave period from reducingtheir current leave balancebelow the maximum set atthe end of the last periodof special leave accrual.

Example of Special Leave Accrual(SLA)

As of 30 Sept. 06 member's leave balance was 75.5 ofwhich 15.5 days is SLA.

Leave balance before 1 Oct. 06: 75.5 days Leave earned 1 Oct. 06 - 31 Dec. 06: 7.5 daysLeave used 15 Dec. 06 - 31 Dec 06: 17 daysLeave balance as of 31 DEC 06: 66 days

This member has used some of the leave in excess of60 days brought forward from the previous fiscal year(FY06). The new maximum number of days that couldbe carried forward in FY 07 is 66 days, assuming noadditional periods of qualifying special leave accrual.Any further leave accrued in excess of 66 days in FY 07and not used by 30 Sep 07 would be lost.

For more information on this topic see OPNAVinstruction 1050.3 or call PSD at 871-3283.

From PSD page 7

Ad Space

25Jan07.qxd 1/24/2007 13:16 Page 2

Keesler Medical to hold Town Hall Meeting

The largest stand-alonefacility in NCBC Gulfport'srecapitalization program, astate-of-the-art OperationalExpeditionary LogisticsFacility (OELF), wasawarded last month toBE&K ConstructionCompany. In addition tothe OELF, the $41.5 milliondesign-build constructioncontract includes aCommercial Vehicle Gateand Truck Access Zone, aPublic Works Shops facili-

ty, and a ConsolidatedPublic Works Complexrenovation.

The OELF is required tosupport Naval Construc-tion Forces (NCF) ship-ment of containerized war-fighting equipment. Oneof CBC's primary missionsis packing Table ofAllowance (TOA) materialfor NCF units. TOA'smust be task-tailored for aspecific mission anddeployed on short notice.The mission includes tem-porary storage, container-ization, preservation,

maintenance, and break-out/deployment of equip-ment, materials and sup-plies in support of NCFoperations.

Existing facilities areobsolete, damaged, andgeographically dispersed,rendering the current con-tainerization mission high-ly inefficient. Ultimately,this project will consoli-date three facilities andinclude 343,500 SF of dem-olition for a net squarefootage reduction of151,000 SF.

Located along the north

edge of the base and adja-cent to the new OELF, theCommercial Vehicle Gateand Truck Access Zonewill significantly improveforce-protection and trafficflow to the base.

ROICC Gulfport andBE&K hosted a PostAward Kickoff meetinglast week in Gulfport, MS.Ground breaking is sched-uled early April 2007 andconstruction will be com-plete by February 2009.

The president of BE&K'sGovernment Group is RearAdm. (Ret) Dave Nash,

former "King Bee" andChief of the U.S. NavyCivil Engineer Corps. TheNAVFAC Southeast andOICC Katrina project teaminvolved in constructionmanagement and over-sight includes: Carl Sellers,Project Manager; GeneBaker, Public WorksEngineer in Charge; RussDail, ConstructionManager; Lt. Hely S.Gonzalez, ConstructionManager; Bobby Wayne,Engineering Technician;and Bennie Boren,Contract Specialist.

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Preparations underway for new OperationalExpeditionary Logistics Facility By Lt. Cmdr. R. TibbettsROICC Gulfport

Above: An update of the Katrina Recapitalization Chart. Left: A conceptual drawing of the new $41.5 millionOperational Expeditionary Logistics Facility to be builtby BE&K Construction Company. Groundbreaking onthe new facility is expected to begin in April, with acompletion date of February, 2009.

The 81st Medical Group will conduct a town hall meeting on Thursday, January 24for all those eligible to use Keesler Medical Center.

Brig. Gen. (Dr.) James Dougherty, 81st MDG commander, will host the programwhich will be held from 5-6 p.m. in the Welch Theater on base. Among the topics tobe discussed will be the medical center's current and future capabilities and services.A question and answer session will be included.

Contact (228) 376-3018 for further information.

Seabee Ball Tickets Are Available!Prices:E1 - E4: $15E5 - E6: $20E7 - 03: $3004 & Above: $35 Civilians: $35

March 17Imperial Palace

Contact your your command repfor tickets & prepare to party!

25Jan07.qxd 1/24/2007 13:17 Page 3

Two Seabees fromNaval Mobile ConstructionBattalion SEVEN (NMCB7) were chosen to be theNavy's representatives fora Department of Defensespeakers outreach initia-tive entitled "Why WeServe."

SW1(SCW) LyndonRomeo from Brooklyn,N.Y., and EA2(SCW)Andrew Everson fromOcala, Fla., will spend thenext three months tem-porarily assigned to theOffice of the AssistantSecretary of Defense forPublic Affairs(OASD(PA)). While withOASD(PA) they will travelaround the country shar-ing their personal militaryexperiences with theAmerican people at eventsorganized by academicinstitutions, communityorganizations, businessassociations, veteransgroups, and other non-profit or non-partisanorganizations.

In preparation for the"Why We Serve" program,each of the four militaryservices was asked toselect and screen potential

candidates between thegrades of E-5 and O-4. Inaddition, each membermust have recentlyreturned from Iraq,Afghanistan or the Horn ofAfrica; and each membermust be a representative oftheir respective service'scontribution to the fight.

From all the potentialcandidates, each servicewas to whittle their selec-tions down to two repre-sentatives and an alternate.Originally, Romeo andanother Sailor were chosento be the Navy's represen-tatives with Everson slatedas the alternate. As eventswould have it, the secondSailor could not commit tothe three-month engage-ment so Everson was giventhe opportunity.

According toOASD(PA) the "Why WeServe" program wasdesigned to connectAmericans directly withservice members and cre-ate an environment wherethey can share their experi-ences free of third-partyinterpretation and filters.This allows service mem-bers to present a personalperspective as can only beseen through the eyes ofSailors, Soldiers, Marines

and Airmen.Romeo and Everson

spent the first week ofJanuary in WashingtonD.C. where they receivedbasic training in speechpreparation and mediaengagement skills at thePentagon. Each was alsogiven audio-visual supportequipment to assist themduring their speakingengagements.

According to Romeoand Everson, the trainingwent really well. Theyspent most of their time inD.C. developing theirspeeches and readyingthemselves for the weeksahead. Despite feeling

prepared, they both felt alittle anxious about whatthey are about to do.

"I'm excited about rep-resenting the Navy. It'sgoing to be a great experi-ence being able to tell mystory about where I'vebeen and what I've done,"Everson said. "Eventhough I know what I'mgoing to talk about and I'mcomfortable with that, I'mstill a little nervous. Iknow what to expect, butnot all the particulars."

"I was a bit surprisedwhen I was chosen to dothis, but I'm really happyabout it," Romeo said."During our training we

got the chance to practiceour speeches in front of therepresentatives from theother services. That wentwell, but I'm still prettynervous."

Everson's first speakingengagement was with rep-resentatives from Florida'sFederal HighwayAdministration inTallahassee, Fla., onJanuary 9. From there hetraveled back to D.C.where he stayed for a fewdays before he was off toanother speaking engage-ment with a veteransgroup in Clearwater, Fla.

For Romeo, he spoke topersonnel at the FleetIndustrial Supply Centerin Philadelphia, PA. Fromthere, he also headed backto D.C. for a few daysbefore he traveled toAlabama to speak withmembers of the NationalGuard.

Any organization mayrequest a speaker for itsevent. Once a request isreceived, it is evaluatedbased on relevant DoDpolicy in order to deter-mine the appropriate levelof support. To request aspeaker for your event goto:www.whyweserve.dod.mil.

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NMCB 7 Seabees represent the Navy in Outreach Program

EA2 (SCW) Andrew Everson SW1 (SCW) Lyndon Romeo

Rain date for 3rd AnnualSeabee ClassicGolf Tournamentat Windance isFriday, Jan. 26.

Defense Department telecommunications system or device constitutes consent to monitoring.

By MCC Jeffrey J. PierceNMCB 7 Public Affairs

Ad Space

25Jan07.qxd 1/24/2007 13:17 Page 4

ing exclusive negotiationsbetween the Navy and thePartner.

Q7 How much housing isDoD planning to privatize?

A7 DoD currently has aninventory of 166,000 familyhousing units-with about50,000 inadequate units. Itscurrent plans are to priva-tize roughly 185,000 familyhousing units. However,there is no ceiling set onthe number of unitsexpected to be built orreconditioned under theMHPI (source:http://www.acq.osd.mil/housing/faqs.htm#10)

Q8 How is privatizedhousing similar to militaryhousing?

A8 A few of the similaritiesare: 1. Zero out of pocket expensesfor residents; rent is based onBAH2. You will continue to livein a military community3. Government pays for thecost of moves into PPV unitsfor eligible service members4. You will continue to go tothe Navy's Housing WelcomeCenter for housing in thecommunity referral.5. The Navy HousingWelcome Center will receiveyour application for PPVhousing and will refer you tothe Property ManagementCompany

Q9 How is privatizedhousing different from mil-itary housing?

A9 Units are managed andoperated by a private propertymanagement company.

1. You must sign a lease.The lease will include a "mili-tary clause". 2. You will receive BAH and

pay rent directly to the prop-erty manager 3. The property management

company handles all residentmatters, including day to daymaintenance

Q10 Is the Navy review-ing lessons learned fromexisting PPV projects?

A10 Yes, Navy is looking atall existing PPV deals, toinclude those from other DoDservices to ascertain the bestaspects of the projects and isincorporating those lessons infuture deals

Q11 What is the ResidentAdvisory Board and whois on it?

A11 The Resident AdvisoryBoard will be created to sup-port the Partner and theDepartment of Navy (DON)on matters that affect residentsatisfaction and quality oflife. It will review residentsatisfaction surveys, propertymanager performance, andconstruction process andquality. The ResidentAdvisory Board will reportits findings to the manage-ment board and make recom-mendations on resident issuesto the partner and DONmembers. RecommendedDON participants includethe activity business manag-er, Command Master Chief orSergeant Major, activityhousing representative, elect-ed residents, and the ResidentOfficer in Charge ofConstruction (ROICC) office.

Q12 How does the PPVprogram impact familieswhere the non-militarymember does not work?

A12 PPV has no adverseimpact on working spouses.It has no affect on your abili-ty to utilize programs such asWomen, Infants, andChildren (WIC), Head Startand other income qualifyingassistance programs.

Q13 Why is my benefit ofliving in Navy/Govt hous-ing being taken away?

A13 There is no loss of ben-efit. You still have the oppor-tunity to reside in housingand for an amount equal toyour BAH. The only differ-ence is that in lieu of forfeit-ing your BAH (to pay foryour housing and utilities),you now will receive it, and

then pay that amount to thepartner in the form of rent,utilities, and basic renter'sinsurance. The DON isembracing the PPV initiativein order to provide high qual-ity, affordable housing andprovide enhanced propertymaintenance faster thanwould be available under thenormal military construction.

Q14 Will accompaniedactive duty always havepriority?

A14 Yes.Q15 Can active duty dis-

place those with a lowerpriority?

A15 We expect those otherthan accompanied families tohave no more than a 6months lease If there areaccompanied active duty fam-ilies on a waiting list, thePartner will not renew theexisting lease for a lower pri-ority resident.

Q16 Will there be ascreening process for civil-ians authorized to live onbase?

A16 Yes. Specifics will benegotiated between the Navyand the Partner.

Q17 Will civiliansapproved to live on basebe monitored at the gates?

A17 Yes, to the same extentas anyone else having accessto the base.

Q18 What will the newrules (community policies)be?

A18 The new property man-ager (at the resident meet-ings) will discuss communitypolicies. Generally, they willbe the same as the existingNavy policies.

Q19 If the General Publicmoves into FH, will theyhave access to other basefacilities.

A19 No.Q20 Will the fence line be

moved?A20 Will be determined

during exclusive negotiationsbetween the Navy and thePartner, but in most cases,this has not occurred.

Q21 How does DON plan

to address episodes offinancial irresponsibilitythat may occur by occu-pants of PPV Housing?

A21 Currently, the NavyHousing Office providescounseling on this issue. TheNavy very much encouragesresidents of PPV Housing toutilize Electronic FundsTransfer for payment of rentand level payment plans forpayment of Utilities. TheNavy is looking at allavenues for education onfinancial responsibility, forexample Command MasterChiefs & Family ServiceCenter counselors.Alternately financial irre-sponsibility will be theresponsibility of the PPVpartner.

Q22 What recourse willmilitary families occupy-ing PPV Housing have if

the property manager isirresponsive to serviceneeds?

A23 If the local propertymanager is unresponsive thenthe resident will be able tocontact a corporate Regionalrepresentative. Also, person-nel at the Housing WelcomeCenter, including its militaryliaison, will continue to beavailable to occupants of PPVHousing.

Q24 What about privatiz-ing barracks, and DoDlodging?

A24 DoD is currently test-ing privatization of barracksin Norfolk and San Diegoand would like to privatizeadditional barracks and lodg-ing where and when it is fea-sible.

As part of an ongoingeffort to ensure NavyFamily Housing residentsare kept up to date on theconversion of militaryhousing to a Public PrivateVenture sometime in fiscalyear 2007, town hall meet-ings were recently held inorder to communicatewith residents on theirquestions and concerns.This is the first in a seriesof articles in whichFrequently AskedQuestions from the resi-dents during these meet-ings will be published.

Q1 Why are we doingPPV in the first place?

A1 A shrinking housingbudget coupled with aging

housing units and mainte-nance backlog make it diffi-cult for the Navy to providequality housing for our serv-ice members. The public pri-vate venture partnership willmake it possible for the Navyto renovate and constructfamily housing quickly andaffordably.

Q2 Will there be effectiveoversight by the govern-ment of this PPV program?

A2 Yes, the Navy as well asthe Office of the Secretary ofDefense for Installation andEnvironment support appro-priate oversight. This over-sight will be applied by theDepartment of NavyRepresentative and theNavy's Business AgreementManager as well as theNavy's on-site Housing Staff.On-site Navy Housing Staffwill work daily with the

Partner's Staff and theDepartment of the NavyRepresentative who will meetwith the Partner on an asrequired basis but at leastquarterly to review opera-tions. They will also receivemonthly status reports thatwill address occupancyissues, the project's financialstatus, etc.

Q3 What impact will pri-vatization have on individ-ual installations?

A3 Ideally, privatizationwill bring about a dramaticimprovement of the installa-tions' housing conditions andservices for military membersand their families, and conse-quently, an increase in theirquality of life, readiness,morale and retention. Onemajor improvement is thequality and quantity of main-tenance on the housing units.

However, some inconvenienc-es may occur throughout thetransition period duringwhich some housing will beeither renovated or construct-ed.

Q4 When will PPV start?A4 Scheduled implementa-

tion date is 30 SEP 2007,some transition may occur 30days prior to the 30 Sep date.

Q5 What will happen toexcess Family Housing(FH) units?

A5 Will be determined dur-ing exclusive negotiationsbetween the Navy and thePartner.

Q6 Can residents live intheir assigned unit if it isscheduled for closing?

A6 Will be determined dur-

The Seabees at NavalMobile ConstructionBattalion (NMCB) OneThirty Three receivedcommendation certifi-cates mid-month for vol-unteering to restoreAmerican Legion'sVeterans of Foreign Wars(VFW) Post 2539.

The old post was dam-aged by HurricaneKatrina in the fall of 2005.The project took 80Seabees and 184 man-days to complete.Members of One ThirtyThree stripped andreplaced the roof on thepost's main shed, builtshelves, helped out withthe electrical work andcircuitry, and paintedover 10,000 square feet ofwall and trim after pres-sure washing the area.

Charles Purchner, ViceCommander at Post 2539,extended thanks onbehalf of the post, toProject Supervisor EA1(SCW) Peter Sydow andhis crew.

"They really did a greatjob, and we appreciate

it," said Purchner. "We hope that someday

we can pay them back."Sydow returned the

same respect for all thatthe post does for theSeabees at ConstructionBattalion Center (CBC)Gulfport.

"The post has donated alot to us," said Sydow,indicating gifts the posthas given to the battal-ions at CBC Gulfportfrom phone cards to apool table.

"It felt good to helpthem out, after they'vehelped us so much. Itactually felt like we werepaying them back."

The camaraderiebetween active duty andveterans is apparent atVFW 2539. SeveralSeabees that participatedin the project joined thepost as members.

Ivan Bangs,Commander at Post 2539recognizes the uniquebond between present-day servicemembers andveterans.

"Everyone has donesomething," said Bangs."We've all contributed."

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133 partners with local VFW Post 2539By MC3 J.A. McIver NMCB 133 Public Affairs

Photo by MC3 J.A. McIverThe members at VFW Post 2539 served the members ofNMCB 133 dinner at the commendation ceremony, where80 Seabees received certificates for restoring the post.

Stars and Stripes, thedaily newspaper of theU.S. military, is hosting afree Valentine's Day mes-sage posting serviceonline. The greetings willbe published in theEuropean, Pacific andMiddle East editions ofStars and Stripes and onStripes.com Feb. 14 andpossibly also on Feb. 13,depending on the numberof messages received.

Stars and Stripes recog-nizes the strain thatdeployments and frequentseparations can put on amarriage and wants togive spouses and familymembers a way to remem-ber each other on this spe-cial day. "Being separatedfrom loved ones is one ofthe constants in the livesof our readers," said MegIrish, marketing director."Anything we can do tobridge that gap, Stars andStripes will gladly under-take."

To send a free message,readers may go toStripes.com and click onthe Valentine's Day mes-sages button, any timeuntil Jan 30.

Stars and Stripes willpublish only messageswritten in English whichare received online by theJan. 30 deadline. Everyeffort will be made toprint all the messagesreceived for the MiddleEast, European and Pacificrecipients, but Stars andStripes also reserves theright to limit the numberof messages actually pub-lished based on the spaceavailable.

Stars and Stripes deliversindependent news andinformation daily to theU.S. military communityworldwide. Editoriallyindependent of interfer-ence from outside its edi-torial chain of command,it provides commerciallyavailable U.S. and world-wide news.

Send freeValentine's Daymessages toyour sweetheartReprinted from Stars andStripes

Public Private Venture (PPV) Provided by CNRSE Public Affairs

See PPV page 16

From PPV page 6

Keesler's Medical Center Entrance Closed for Renovation Keesler Medical Center's A Tower entrance, at the top of the elevated

driveway, will be closed for renovation starting Jan. 20. It is scheduled toreopen the end of March. The outpatient clinic entrance by the Pharmacyand Family Practice Clinic will still be available for patients and staff touse.

The renovation is part of a project to place outpatient records and thestate-of-the art PRK surgery clinic in this area to ensure they, and otherhigh-value items will be safe from future storm-related flooding.

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25Jan07.qxd 1/24/2007 13:17 Page 6

2007 BAH RATESBasic Allowance for

Housing (BAH) is basedon geographic duty loca-tion, pay grade, anddependency status. Theintent of BAH is to pro-vide uniformed servicemembers with permanentduty within the 50 UnitedStates accurate and equi-table housing compensa-tion based on housingcosts in local civilian hous-ing markets, and ispayable when governmentquarters are not provided.

A uniformed servicemember stationed over-seas, including U.S. protec-torates, who is not fur-nished government hous-ing, is eligible for OverseasHousing Allowance(OHA). Sailors can lookup their 2007 BAH rateson the following Internetsite: https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/bah.html

W2 INFORMATION FOR TAX YEAR 2006

Military Pay Advisory76/06 states initial W2statements for tax year2006 will be available elec-tronically via MyPay, 22January 2007 for view andprint. Service membersalso have the option onMyPay to view and printW2 and corrected W2-Cstatements up to four prioryears. W2/W2-C view andprint option will be avail-able via MyPay Internetsite athttps://mypay.dfas.mil.Do not be alarmed if afterselecting the W2 optionyou receive one of the fol-lowing screen messages;"The file is not currentlyavailable. Please try againlater" or "Your pay systemin not responding. Pleasetry again later", the W2server is taken off lineperiodically for routinemaintenance and will be

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Promise to Serve

Photo by MC3 Ja'lon RhinehartEQCM (SCW) Jeffrey Robinson, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) One's Alfa CompanyMaster Chief, is reenlisted by Marine Corps Capt. Jake Urban for three years. Master ChiefRobinson has faithfully served the Seabee's for over 26 years, and looks forward to the next three,which he will spend attached to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Seven.

News & Notesfrom PSDProvided byPSC Reginald Pierce

See PSD page 17

A refresheron ForceProtectionConditiondefinitions isprovided byCBC Security

Before it's time for a Seabee to deploy,many preparations must be made. Ofcourse, there are all the medical screen-ings, extensive training, and recordupdates. Not to mention packing, organ-izing finances, and arranging storage forpersonal items. But that's not even thehalf of it for Seabees with families. Oncea deployment begins, Seabees have toleave their families behind. But all theirhard work and dedication before andduring deployment pays off when theyreturn home.

Naval Mobile Construction BattalionOne (NMCB 1) returned home to NavalConstruction Battalion Center (NCBC)Gulfport, Miss., in December 2006, to apoignant homecoming.

"I was very emotional when I came offthe plane," said Lt. Cmdr. Chad Brooks, the Operations Officer forNMCB 1. "I was very excited but in thesame part, I felt a little bit guilty becauseI could see how much the kids hadchanged and knew that I'd been away fora lot of that time when they had seen andlearned new things."

After the initial euphoria of seeing fami-ly, the reality of becoming a family againsets in and it's a really challenging time,said Brooks. Brooks has a 4-year-old sonand a 2-year-old daughter.

"My wife told me they had a gooddeployment," he said. "The kids handledit well, and I think they understood that Iwas gone for a very long time and for agood cause."

NMCB 1 was deployed for six monthsto 20 locations across the globe includingsites in Japan, Korea, Iraq, Pohnpei andCalifornia, said Brooks. Though theSeabees kept extremely busy in the field,they still missed spending time with theirfamilies.

"That time is lost," said Brooks. "Thethings the kids learned and experienced

during that time has come and gone.""Make sure if you have young kids, you

actually talk to them about deployment,so that it doesn't come to them as a sur-prise," he added.

"No matter how you slice it, beingdeployed is tough in terms of maintain-ing a relationship with your family,"Brooks said. "We did lots of emails andlots of letters."

One of the most important things forSeabees who will be leaving their familiesis having a means to communicate withtheir loved ones.

Seabees should have some agreementwith their families as to how they'regoing to communicate, whether it's email,phone calls, or Web cam, said Brooks.This prevents false expectations for theamount of communication that will beavailable.

"If your family expects to hear from youevery week and for some reason youcan't, they may begin to worry about youunnecessarily or feel that you're not pay-ing attention to them," Brooks said.

"It's a lifestyle you never get used to,"said Utilitiesman 1st Class AdrianGonzalez, the Leading Petty Officer forDetail Iwakuni in NMCB 1. "You justlearn how to deal with it."

Gonzalez has a son, 17, and a daughter,14, and speaks very highly of them both.Gonzalez describes his reunion withthem after deployment simply as "fantas-tic."

Gonzalez's pride was almost over-whelming when he talked about his son.With a stern look in his eye he said, "I'mnot saying this just because he's my son,but he's probably the smartest kid I haveever encountered."

The life of a deployed Seabee can be justas hard as the lives of the family backhome, so the key is mutual support fromboth ends.

"The sacrifices I make for my kids mightbe challenging, but for them it's wellworth it in the end," said Gonzalez.

The family of SW2 Chris McLean, aSeabee attached to Naval MobileConstruction Battalion One, waitedwith open arms as the battalionreturned home from their six-monthdeployment to the far East.

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion OneSeabees returned home from six monthsin 20 locations around the world to theirfamilies. The families waited patiently atthe hangar doors of the Trent Lott AirNational Guard Airport in Gulfport.

NMCB 1 reunites with friends, familiesStory & photos by MC2 Demetrius KennonNMCB 1 Public Affairs

Observe parking signs onboard NCBC; violators will be ticketed!

For Seabee Courier delivery, contact NavalConstruction Battalion Center Public Affairs at:

(228) 871-3662 or send email to seabeecourier.navy.mil

AdSpace

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Seabee Community NotesSeabee Community NotesSESA

The Senior Enlisted SpousesAssociation (SESA) is for spousesof E7-E9. All branches of themilitary are welcome. For addi-tional information, contact SESAat sesacbc@yahoo.com.

NMCB 1 FSG We would like to invite all

friends and family of NMCB 1Seabees to join us on the firstThursday of every month at 6:30p.m. at the CBC Chapel inFellowship Hall. Bring the kids,babysitting is available and free.The NMCB 1 FSG offers funactivities including movies, pic-nics, bonfires, holiday partiesand lots more for the whole fam-ily. During homeport and dur-ing the deployment we are avail-able to help support all of ourNMCB 1 families and friends. Ifyou have any questions pleasecall the FSG president, BrianaMcAllister at (228) 868-8767 oremail her atdonzgoddess@yahoo.com. Wehope to see you there.

NMCB 1 FSG also has a new

website that will keep you up todate on what is happening with-in our military family. The newwebsite is: http://hub.cinc-house.com/nmcb1seabees.

NMCB 133 FSGWe would like to invite all

friends and family members ofNMCB 133 to join us on the firstWednesday of every month at6:00 p.m. in the base chapel. Wealso do many activities such asholiday parties, fun trips, movieoutings and more. Duringhomeport we share in each oth-ers excitement and duringdeployments we lean on eachother for support. We offer bat-talion information and welcomethose with children, those with-out, wives, husbands and otherloved ones.

NMCB 7 FSGCome join our growing family.

We are here to promote andgrow social relationships andencourage interaction of spousesand family members duringoften trying and difficult timesduring the deployment of our

NMCB 7 men and women. Wehave lots of fundraisers andactivities planned for the wholefamily. There are games and crafts forthe kids and speakers on differ-ent topics for the adults. We willalso have drawdowns for doorprizes and refreshments eachmonth. We meet the 3rdWednesday of each month at6:30 p.m. with a potluck dinnerat the start. Come and gettogether with us and meet yourfellow family members. Formore information on NMCB 7'sFSG, contact KathleenWhisenhunt, FSG president atkwhisenhunt@gmail.com. Youcan also check out nmcb7fsg@cin-chouse.com and http://hub.cinc-house.com/nmcb7fsg/for moreinformation.

NMCB 74 FSGThe NMCB 74 Family Support

Group welcomes friends andfamilies of NMCB 74 personnel.We encourage and promotefriendly and sympathetic rela-tionships among our family

members. We have a new Careline num-

ber for battalion updates, it is 1-866-531-1101 (toll free), or 871-3650 (local).

Family Support Group meet-ings are held every thirdMonday of the month at the CBCChapel in Fellowship Hall at 6:30p.m. Free baby-sitting and activi-ties for the children are provid-ed. For information contact FSGPresident, Helen Walker at (228)586-0114; or Secretary, RobynBaca at (228) 539-9059. The FSGAdvisor is Susan Prather, (228)392-5945.

NCTC TRI-SERVICE FSGWe invite all spouses and loved

ones of NCTC to join us on thefourth Monday of each month at6:30pm in the Fellowship Hall ofCBC Chapel. We are offering funactivities for the family, girlsnight out, and fellowship amongthe NCTC Command. For moreinformation, please contact ourFSG President Tessa Grimes @865-4364 or email her attgrimes730@hotmail.com.

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society

The Navy-Marine Corps ReliefSociety (NMCRS) Thrift Shop islocated at the far north end ofMcKinney Ave, Building 16. TheThrift Shop is staffed entirely byvolunteers. The retail hours ofoperation are Monday -Thursday, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. andFriday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

New volunteers are always wel-come. Visit the Navy-MarineCorps Relief Society offices at theFleet and family SupportCenter, Building 30, Suite 103,or call (228) 871-2610 to obtaininformation about becoming apart of the NMCRS volunteerteam! Childcare and mileageare reimbursed.

Mississippi Gulf Coast FirstClass Association

MGCFCA is seeking new mem-bers. Meetings are every Wedsat 2 p.m at CBC's Beehive,Bldg. 352. Call BU1 Reyes orCE1 Johnson at 871-2145 formore information.

Community CalendarSunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

21 January 22 23 24 25 Anti-terrorismForce Protection QrtrlyMtg., Bldg 1, Conf. Rm.,1:30 p.m.

All Khaki Social, A&E,3 p.m.

26 CMDCM MelvinGirard Ret. Cer., Chapel, 10a.m./ 3rd Annual SeabeeClass Golf Tourn. WindanceCoun. Club/ Frosty 5KLunch Run, 11:30/Comics onDuty Tour, Theater, 7 p.m.

27

28 29 30 Seabee BallCommittee Mtg.,Bldg. 1 Conf. Rm.,1:30 p.m.

31 Lunchtime BibleStudy, Bldg. 1, Conf.Rm., 11:30 - 12:30

Grand Opening PineBayou Snackbar, 11:30

1 FebruaryAll Khaki Social,

A&E, 3 p.m.

2Ground Hog Day

3

4 5 6 Seabee BallCommittee Mtg.,Bldg. 1 Conf. Rm.,1:30 p.m.

7 Lunchtime BibleStudy, Bldg. 1, Conf.Rm., 11:30 - 12:30

8All Khaki Social,

A&E, 3 p.m.

9 10

11 12Lincoln's Birthday

13 Seabee BallCommittee Mtg.,Bldg. 1, Conf. Rm.,1:30 p.m.

All Cmdrs. Mtg., Bldg1, Conf. Rm, 10 a.m.

14 Valentine's DayVal. Day 5K Run, 6:30Lunchtime Bible Study, Bldg. 1Conf. Rm., 11:30 NMCRSCust.Adv. Board Mtg. Lunch,Bldg 1 Conf. Room, 11:30

15All Khaki Social,

A&E, 3 p.m.

16 17

18 19 Washington'sBirthday, FederalHoliday

DeCA CommissaryClosed

20 Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday

DeCA CommissaryClosed

Seabee Ball Comm.Mtg., Bldg 1 Conf.Rm., 1:30 p.m.

21 Lunchtime Bible

Study, Bldg. 1, Conf.Rm., 11:30 - 12:30

22All Khaki Social,

A&E, 3 p.m.

23 24

25 26 27 Seabee BallCommittee Mtg.,Bldg. 1 Conf. Rm.,1:30 p.m.

28 Lunchtime BibleStudy, Bldg. 1, Conf.Rm., 11:30 - 12:30

1 MarchAll Khaki Social,

A&E, 3 p.m.

Photo by MC1 Sean MulliganThe Navy's Chief of Chaplains,RADM Robert Burt visited CBCGulfport for a Chaplains ConferenceJanuary 9. While onboard, the Admiraltook the time to speak with Seabeesfrom NMCB 133 about deploymentsand the role Navy Chaplains play in adeployed unit.

Chaplains define theirmission withinthe NCF

25Jan07.qxd 1/24/2007 13:18 Page 9

Ad Space

The VITA Tax Office isnow open for appoint-ments. You can file your2006 taxes here free andconveniently. Located inBuilding 30, room 158, theTax Center hours of opera-tion are Monday-Thursdayfrom 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. andFriday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.The VITA tax office isopen to all military mem-bers and their dependents'.

The phone number forappointments and ques-tions is 228-871-3500.When you arrive for yourappointment you mustprovide a valid militaryidentification card, ordependent identificationcard, and your SocialSecurity card or a valididentification card with

your social security num-ber on it. Also bring all W-2's and 1099 forms, along

with other importantpaperwork.

Powers of Attorney are

required in order for youto file if your spouse isdeployed. If you have

questions, please feel freeto call the tax center.

8

Preventive eye care isimportant to everyonebecause eye conditions anddiseases that can destroyyou and your family'shealthy vision can strike atany time in life, from new-born to old age. Infantsand toddlers should bescreened for common eyeproblems, such as strabis-mus (crossed eyes) andamblyopia (lazy eye) dur-ing their regular pediatricappointments. Vision test-ing is recommended for allchildren starting ataround 6 months years ofage.

Most children andteenagers have healthyeyes, but they still need totake care of their vision bywearing protective eye-wear when playing sports,doing yard work, workingwith chemicals or takingpart in other activities thatcould cause an eye injury.

Even young adults andmiddle-aged individualscan be affected by eye

problems, so preventivemeasures should be takento detect eye diseases earlyand to protect eyes frominjury. These individualsshould have a completeeye exam at least oncebetween the ages of 20 and29, at least twice betweenthe ages of 30 and 39, andevery two to four yearsbetween the ages of 40 and65.

Seniors over age 65should have a completeeye exam by their EyeM.D. every one to twoyears for cataracts, glauco-ma, age-related maculardegeneration, diabeticretinopathy and other eyeconditions. Check withyour Family Eye Doctor tosee how often you shouldhave a complete eye examif any of the following riskfactors affect you: History of eye injury, diabetes, family history ofeye problems, AfricanAmerican over age 40

Protecting your eyes fromaccidents and early detec-tion and treatment of eyeproblems are the best ways

to keep your healthyvision throughout life. Ifyou or your family are atrisk for eye disease or

experience any eye prob-lems, visit your Eye M.D.promptly.

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Provided by NCBC SafetyOffice

Healthy vision helps your world stay in focus

Ages 6 months to 2years: Schedule firstexam with family eyedoctor

Ages 3 to 5: Scheduleexamination every one totwo years

Ages 6 to 19: Scheduleexaminations as needed

Ages 20 to 29: Oneexamination

Ages 30 to 39: Twoexaminations

Ages 40 to 65: Exam-ination every two to fouryears

Ages 65 and over:Examination every one

to two years

Eye Exam Guidelines

VITA stands ready to help with your tax preparationsProvided by LN2 Eric W. MusickNLSO Central BROFF Gpt

NMCB 74 Operational Readiness Inspection

Photo by RP1 Chad RobinsonSWCN Chad Shue explains the steel bending process to Capt. Katherine L.Gregory, Commander 30th Naval Construction Regiment at NMCB 74 DetailGuam's Laundry Facility construction project. Capt. Gregory and CMDCM(SCW) Michael E. Holdcraft of the 30th NCR were in Guam taking part inan Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI).

Gulf Coast USO3001 6th Street, (Bldg 306), 228-575-5224

FREE SERVICES AVAILABLEFax - Send & Receive (228-575-5225), Copies (limited amount)

X-BoxSnacks & Drinks, Information and Referral

United through Reading ProgramComputers (4): with web cams, Internet Access, Email Access,Yahoo, Hotmail

Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8a.m. - 5 p.m.Saturday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Closed on Sunday

Ad Space

Ad Space

25Jan07.qxd 1/24/2007 13:19 Page 10

The new pier at the veteranshospital is open for business.Naval Mobile ConstructionBattalion (NMCB) ONETHIRTY-THREE'S AirDetachment, along with sev-eral patients, attended theribbon-cutting.

The original pier was con-structed by the Departmentof Veterans Affairs (VA), andstood for 15 years, untilHurricane Katrina destroyedthe structure in August 2005,leaving only the original pil-ings standing.

The Seabees were first onthe scene to lend their skillsand their spirit to the VA toensure better quality of lifefor those who have servedour country.

Charles Sepich, Director ofVA Medical Center,remarked on the enthusiasmof the crew. "The Seabeeswere here for us first whenwe needed them," saidSepich.

Pier projects are normallyhandled by the AmphibiousConstruction Battalion(ACB). Project SupervisorBU1 (SCW) Michael Cadoretknew his team was equippedwith the necessary skills tocomplete the project at itsonset. "With our motivatedcrew and Air Det's 'Can Do'spirit, we will get the jobdone," said Cadoret.

Later, Cadoret expressed hisown satisfaction in being apart of the project. "Now theveterans will have a place tofish. They haven't had thatfor a long time."

The Seabees have con-tributed to the quality of lifeat the hospital in the past aswell, having built the basket-ball court, helping patientswith transportation to vari-ous appointments, and par-ticipating in the patientMardi Gras celebration.

The effort of today's activeduty Sailors shows consider-ation and respect for thosewho have gone before us.

"Just to have today's activeduty members serve thosewho have already served is areal treat," said EdwardCassel, spokesman for BiloxiVA Medical Center.

The bait shop at the pier isestimated to open within amonth, and the Seabees havebeen invited back to attendone of the many fish fries ofthe coming season.

Feb 3 Biloxi Children's Mardi Gras Walking Parade, Biloxi, 10 a.m. Feb 10 Krewe of Roses Parade Picayune, 6 p.m.

Gautier Mens Club 18th Annual Mardi Gras Parade, Gautier, Parade, 7 p.m.Orange Grove Carnival Association Parade, Orange Grove, 2 p.m.Second Liners Mardi Gras Club Parade, Biloxi, 1 p.m.

Feb 11 Carnival Association of Long Beach Mardi Gras Parade, Long Beach, 2 p.m.Krewe of Nereids Mardi Gras Parade, Waveland, 1 p.m.

Feb 17 Jackson County Carnival Association Mardi Gras Parade, Pascagoula, 1 p.mKrewe of Diamondhead Parade, Diamondhead, NoonKrewe of Gemini Day Parade, Gulfport, 2 p.m.

Feb 18 North Bay Area Mardi Gras Association, D'Iberville, 1:30 p.m.St. Pauls Carnival Association Mardi Gras Parade, Pass Christian, Noon

Feb 20 Gulf Coast Carnival Association Parade, Biloxi, 1 p.m.Gulf Coast Carnival AssocIAtion Parade at 1 pm.Krewe of Neptune Parade, Biloxi, Starts after Biloxi Carnival Association Parade Krewe of Gemini Night Parade, Gulfport, 6 p.m.Krewe of Real People Mardi Gras Parade, Bay St. Louis, 1 p.m.

For the latest information on Mardi Gras parade routes check the links at: http://www.gulf-coast.com/events and http://www.gulfcoast.org/calendar.

It was a cold morning inRamadi, Iraq, when eightSeabees from NavalMobile ConstructionBattalion (NMCB) 74stepped off to complete aproject at Out Post Viking,a small camp outsideFallujah. They weretasked with replacing anexisting temporary bridgespanning a small canalwith a more permanentcrossing. To accomplishthis, Fearless 74 place threeculverts in the canal andthen backfilled it to gradelevel.

Marines from FoxCompany, 2/8 Battalionhad requested a more per-manent crossing so thatthey could bring muchneeded heavy equipmentand artillery vehiclesacross the canal and intotheir camp.

"The bridge we hadbefore was not sturdy orlarge enough to accommo-date 7-ton trucks or tanks,"said Gunnery SergeantVernon Getter of Fox Co.,2nd Battalion, 8th Marines.

"Allowing these vehicles toenter the camp will height-en the security for theMarines stationed here."

Several days of planningand three working daystotaling 186 man hourswent into placing the cul-verts for OP Viking. TheSeabees placed over 300tons of existing fill andanother 300 tons broughtin from Ramadi utilizing aJohn Deere 200 CLCExcavator and a NAV 64BTrack loader to get the jobdone.

"I feel good about helpingthe Marines out on thefront lines," saidEquipment Operator RyanSmith of New Orleans,Louisiana. "They are outthere everyday protectingus, so if we can make theirlives easier by building abridge, then I am proud tobuild them a bridge".

During their time at OPViking, the Marines sup-ported the Seabees by pro-viding them food, berthingand security for the dura-tion of their stay.

"At first I wasn't toothrilled about the accom-modations, until I saw how

some of the Marines livinghere slept at night, and Ibecame more appreciativefor what they had to give,"said Equipment OperatorPatrick Warner. "I came torealize that by workingside by side with theseguys and sleeping in closequarters for the duration ofour stay, it helped bring ustogether; not just as a teambut as a family." With lim-ited hardened structures,most of the Marines sleptoutside in the cold nightair often reaching tempera-tures in the mid 20s.

To place the culvertsleading to the entrance ofthe camp, the Seabees hadto work from sunrise tosunset outside the safetyperimeter of the camp. Tohelp ensure the safety ofour Seabees, the Marinesposted security andpatrolled the surroundingareas to make sure thatthere were no unforeseenincidents.

"I believe it was the least

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Photo by MC2 Gregory N. JudayEquipment Operator Ryan Smith of New Orleans, La. from Naval MobileConstruction Battalion 74 operates a NAV64B Track Loader at Out Post Viking onJan. 3. Seabees from NMCB 74's Alfa Company went to Out Post Viking to build aculvert, to allow the Marines access to the main Entry Control Point.

74 builds bridges in time of warBy MC2 Gregory N. JudayNMCB 74 Public Affairs

What you don't know about safety could hurt you.

See Bridges page 17

The Automated PasswordReset (APR) Web site enablesyou to reset your NMCI net-work passwords, used forservices such as Outlook WebAccess (OWA) and remotenetwork access, using yourCommon Access Card (CAC).The APR Web site is availableat:http://pwdreset.nads.navy.mil from a Navy seat; or

https://pwdreset.mcds.usmc.mil from a Marine Corps seat.Refer to the AutomatedPassword Reset QuickReference Guide for completeinstructions.

Please note that this toolcannot be used to change thePIN number associated withyour CAC card. You shouldonly use the APR Web site toreset your password if youhave forgotten your NMCInetwork password. Youshould not use either of thesetwo sites for routine pass-

word changes. If you want orare prompted to change yourpassword, press Ctrl + Alt +Delete on your keyboard andclick Change Password. Forcomplete instructions onchanging your NMCI pass-word through Windowsrefer to Password Tips forRAS Users within theTraining section ofHomeport.

For more information, con-tact the NMCI Help Desk at(866) THE-NMCI.

Web tool now available to changeNetwork passwordsProvided by Jana LandersNCBC Info Tech Dept

Gulf Coast Mardi Gras Parades

Ribbon cut on VA pier built by NMCB 133By MC3 J.A. McIverNMCB 133 Public Affairs

AdSpace Ad

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Clean Clean

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The new pier at the veteranshospital is open for business.Naval Mobile ConstructionBattalion (NMCB) ONETHIRTY-THREE'S AirDetachment, along with sev-eral patients, attended theribbon-cutting.

The original pier was con-structed by the Departmentof Veterans Affairs (VA), andstood for 15 years, untilHurricane Katrina destroyedthe structure in August 2005,leaving only the original pil-ings standing.

The Seabees were first onthe scene to lend their skillsand their spirit to the VA toensure better quality of lifefor those who have servedour country.

Charles Sepich, Director ofVA Medical Center,remarked on the enthusiasmof the crew. "The Seabeeswere here for us first whenwe needed them," saidSepich.

Pier projects are normallyhandled by the AmphibiousConstruction Battalion(ACB). Project SupervisorBU1 (SCW) Michael Cadoretknew his team was equippedwith the necessary skills tocomplete the project at itsonset. "With our motivatedcrew and Air Det's 'Can Do'spirit, we will get the jobdone," said Cadoret.

Later, Cadoret expressed hisown satisfaction in being apart of the project. "Now theveterans will have a place tofish. They haven't had thatfor a long time."

The Seabees have con-tributed to the quality of lifeat the hospital in the past aswell, having built the basket-ball court, helping patientswith transportation to vari-ous appointments, and par-ticipating in the patientMardi Gras celebration.

The effort of today's activeduty Sailors shows consider-ation and respect for thosewho have gone before us.

"Just to have today's activeduty members serve thosewho have already served is areal treat," said EdwardCassel, spokesman for BiloxiVA Medical Center.

The bait shop at the pier isestimated to open within amonth, and the Seabees havebeen invited back to attendone of the many fish fries ofthe coming season.

Feb 3 Biloxi Children's Mardi Gras Walking Parade, Biloxi, 10 a.m. Feb 10 Krewe of Roses Parade Picayune, 6 p.m.

Gautier Mens Club 18th Annual Mardi Gras Parade, Gautier, Parade, 7 p.m.Orange Grove Carnival Association Parade, Orange Grove, 2 p.m.Second Liners Mardi Gras Club Parade, Biloxi, 1 p.m.

Feb 11 Carnival Association of Long Beach Mardi Gras Parade, Long Beach, 2 p.m.Krewe of Nereids Mardi Gras Parade, Waveland, 1 p.m.

Feb 17 Jackson County Carnival Association Mardi Gras Parade, Pascagoula, 1 p.mKrewe of Diamondhead Parade, Diamondhead, NoonKrewe of Gemini Day Parade, Gulfport, 2 p.m.

Feb 18 North Bay Area Mardi Gras Association, D'Iberville, 1:30 p.m.St. Pauls Carnival Association Mardi Gras Parade, Pass Christian, Noon

Feb 20 Gulf Coast Carnival Association Parade, Biloxi, 1 p.m.Gulf Coast Carnival AssocIAtion Parade at 1 pm.Krewe of Neptune Parade, Biloxi, Starts after Biloxi Carnival Association Parade Krewe of Gemini Night Parade, Gulfport, 6 p.m.Krewe of Real People Mardi Gras Parade, Bay St. Louis, 1 p.m.

For the latest information on Mardi Gras parade routes check the links at: http://www.gulf-coast.com/events and http://www.gulfcoast.org/calendar.

It was a cold morning inRamadi, Iraq, when eightSeabees from NavalMobile ConstructionBattalion (NMCB) 74stepped off to complete aproject at Out Post Viking,a small camp outsideFallujah. They weretasked with replacing anexisting temporary bridgespanning a small canalwith a more permanentcrossing. To accomplishthis, Fearless 74 place threeculverts in the canal andthen backfilled it to gradelevel.

Marines from FoxCompany, 2/8 Battalionhad requested a more per-manent crossing so thatthey could bring muchneeded heavy equipmentand artillery vehiclesacross the canal and intotheir camp.

"The bridge we hadbefore was not sturdy orlarge enough to accommo-date 7-ton trucks or tanks,"said Gunnery SergeantVernon Getter of Fox Co.,2nd Battalion, 8th Marines.

"Allowing these vehicles toenter the camp will height-en the security for theMarines stationed here."

Several days of planningand three working daystotaling 186 man hourswent into placing the cul-verts for OP Viking. TheSeabees placed over 300tons of existing fill andanother 300 tons broughtin from Ramadi utilizing aJohn Deere 200 CLCExcavator and a NAV 64BTrack loader to get the jobdone.

"I feel good about helpingthe Marines out on thefront lines," saidEquipment Operator RyanSmith of New Orleans,Louisiana. "They are outthere everyday protectingus, so if we can make theirlives easier by building abridge, then I am proud tobuild them a bridge".

During their time at OPViking, the Marines sup-ported the Seabees by pro-viding them food, berthingand security for the dura-tion of their stay.

"At first I wasn't toothrilled about the accom-modations, until I saw how

some of the Marines livinghere slept at night, and Ibecame more appreciativefor what they had to give,"said Equipment OperatorPatrick Warner. "I came torealize that by workingside by side with theseguys and sleeping in closequarters for the duration ofour stay, it helped bring ustogether; not just as a teambut as a family." With lim-ited hardened structures,most of the Marines sleptoutside in the cold nightair often reaching tempera-tures in the mid 20s.

To place the culvertsleading to the entrance ofthe camp, the Seabees hadto work from sunrise tosunset outside the safetyperimeter of the camp. Tohelp ensure the safety ofour Seabees, the Marinesposted security andpatrolled the surroundingareas to make sure thatthere were no unforeseenincidents.

"I believe it was the least

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Photo by MC2 Gregory N. JudayEquipment Operator Ryan Smith of New Orleans, La. from Naval MobileConstruction Battalion 74 operates a NAV64B Track Loader at Out Post Viking onJan. 3. Seabees from NMCB 74's Alfa Company went to Out Post Viking to build aculvert, to allow the Marines access to the main Entry Control Point.

74 builds bridges in time of warBy MC2 Gregory N. JudayNMCB 74 Public Affairs

What you don't know about safety could hurt you.

See Bridges page 23

The Automated PasswordReset (APR) Web site enablesyou to reset your NMCI net-work passwords, used forservices such as Outlook WebAccess (OWA) and remotenetwork access, using yourCommon Access Card (CAC).The APR Web site is availableat:http://pwdreset.nads.navy.mil from a Navy seat; or

https://pwdreset.mcds.usmc.mil from a Marine Corps seat.Refer to the AutomatedPassword Reset QuickReference Guide for completeinstructions.

Please note that this toolcannot be used to change thePIN number associated withyour CAC card. You shouldonly use the APR Web site toreset your password if youhave forgotten your NMCInetwork password. Youshould not use either of thesetwo sites for routine pass-

word changes. If you want orare prompted to change yourpassword, press Ctrl + Alt +Delete on your keyboard andclick Change Password. Forcomplete instructions onchanging your NMCI pass-word through Windowsrefer to Password Tips forRAS Users within theTraining section ofHomeport.

For more information, con-tact the NMCI Help Desk at(866) THE-NMCI.

Web tool now available to changeNetwork passwordsProvided by Jana LandersNCBC Info Tech Dept

Gulf Coast Mardi Gras Parades

Ribbon cut on VA pier built by NMCB 133By MC3 J.A. McIverNMCB 133 Public Affairs

AdSpace Ad

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25Jan07.qxd 1/24/2007 13:19 Page 11

The VITA Tax Office isnow open for appoint-ments. You can file your2006 taxes here free andconveniently. Located inBuilding 30, room 158, theTax Center hours of opera-tion are Monday-Thursdayfrom 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. andFriday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.The VITA tax office isopen to all military mem-bers and their dependents'.

The phone number forappointments and ques-tions is 228-871-3500.When you arrive for yourappointment you mustprovide a valid militaryidentification card, ordependent identificationcard, and your SocialSecurity card or a valididentification card with

your social security num-ber on it. Also bring all W-2's and 1099 forms, along

with other importantpaperwork.

Powers of Attorney are

required in order for youto file if your spouse isdeployed. If you have

questions, please feel freeto call the tax center.

10

Preventive eye care isimportant to everyonebecause eye conditions anddiseases that can destroyyou and your family'shealthy vision can strike atany time in life, from new-born to old age. Infantsand toddlers should bescreened for common eyeproblems, such as strabis-mus (crossed eyes) andamblyopia (lazy eye) dur-ing their regular pediatricappointments. Vision test-ing is recommended for allchildren starting ataround 6 months years ofage.

Most children andteenagers have healthyeyes, but they still need totake care of their vision bywearing protective eye-wear when playing sports,doing yard work, workingwith chemicals or takingpart in other activities thatcould cause an eye injury.

Even young adults andmiddle-aged individualscan be affected by eye

problems, so preventivemeasures should be takento detect eye diseases earlyand to protect eyes frominjury. These individualsshould have a completeeye exam at least oncebetween the ages of 20 and29, at least twice betweenthe ages of 30 and 39, andevery two to four yearsbetween the ages of 40 and65.

Seniors over age 65should have a completeeye exam by their EyeM.D. every one to twoyears for cataracts, glauco-ma, age-related maculardegeneration, diabeticretinopathy and other eyeconditions. Check withyour Family Eye Doctor tosee how often you shouldhave a complete eye examif any of the following riskfactors affect you: History of eye injury, diabetes, family history ofeye problems, AfricanAmerican over age 40

Protecting your eyes fromaccidents and early detec-tion and treatment of eyeproblems are the best ways

to keep your healthyvision throughout life. Ifyou or your family are atrisk for eye disease or

experience any eye prob-lems, visit your Eye M.D.promptly.

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Provided by NCBC SafetyOffice

Healthy vision helps your world stay in focus

Ages 6 months to 2years: Schedule firstexam with family eyedoctor

Ages 3 to 5: Scheduleexamination every one totwo years

Ages 6 to 19: Scheduleexaminations as needed

Ages 20 to 29: Oneexamination

Ages 30 to 39: Twoexaminations

Ages 40 to 65: Exam-ination every two to fouryears

Ages 65 and over:Examination every one

to two years

Eye Exam Guidelines

VITA stands ready to help with your tax preparationsProvided by LN2 Eric W. MusickNLSO Central BROFF Gpt

NMCB 74 Operational Readiness Inspection

Photo by RP1 Chad RobinsonSWCN Chad Shue explains the steel bending process to Capt. Katherine L.Gregory, Commander 30th Naval Construction Regiment at NMCB 74 DetailGuam's Laundry Facility construction project. Capt. Gregory and CMDCM(SCW) Michael E. Holdcraft of the 30th NCR were in Guam taking part inan Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI).

Gulf Coast USO3001 6th Street, (Bldg 306), 228-575-5224

FREE SERVICES AVAILABLEFax - Send & Receive (228-575-5225), Copies (limited amount)

X-BoxSnacks & Drinks, Information and Referral

United through Reading ProgramComputers (4): with web cams, Internet Access, Email Access,Yahoo, Hotmail

Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8a.m. - 5 p.m.Saturday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Closed on Sunday

Ad Space

Ad Space

25Jan07.qxd 1/24/2007 13:19 Page 10

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Seabee Community NotesSeabee Community NotesSESA

The Senior Enlisted SpousesAssociation (SESA) is for spousesof E7-E9. All branches of themilitary are welcome. For addi-tional information, contact SESAat sesacbc@yahoo.com.

NMCB 1 FSG We would like to invite all

friends and family of NMCB 1Seabees to join us on the firstThursday of every month at 6:30p.m. at the CBC Chapel inFellowship Hall. Bring the kids,babysitting is available and free.The NMCB 1 FSG offers funactivities including movies, pic-nics, bonfires, holiday partiesand lots more for the whole fam-ily. During homeport and dur-ing the deployment we are avail-able to help support all of ourNMCB 1 families and friends. Ifyou have any questions pleasecall the FSG president, BrianaMcAllister at (228) 868-8767 oremail her atdonzgoddess@yahoo.com. Wehope to see you there.

NMCB 1 FSG also has a new

website that will keep you up todate on what is happening with-in our military family. The newwebsite is: http://hub.cinc-house.com/nmcb1seabees.

NMCB 133 FSGWe would like to invite all

friends and family members ofNMCB 133 to join us on the firstWednesday of every month at6:00 p.m. in the base chapel. Wealso do many activities such asholiday parties, fun trips, movieoutings and more. Duringhomeport we share in each oth-ers excitement and duringdeployments we lean on eachother for support. We offer bat-talion information and welcomethose with children, those with-out, wives, husbands and otherloved ones.

NMCB 7 FSGCome join our growing family.

We are here to promote andgrow social relationships andencourage interaction of spousesand family members duringoften trying and difficult timesduring the deployment of our

NMCB 7 men and women. Wehave lots of fundraisers andactivities planned for the wholefamily. There are games and crafts forthe kids and speakers on differ-ent topics for the adults. We willalso have drawdowns for doorprizes and refreshments eachmonth. We meet the 3rdWednesday of each month at6:30 p.m. with a potluck dinnerat the start. Come and gettogether with us and meet yourfellow family members. Formore information on NMCB 7'sFSG, contact KathleenWhisenhunt, FSG president atkwhisenhunt@gmail.com. Youcan also check out nmcb7fsg@cin-chouse.com and http://hub.cinc-house.com/nmcb7fsg/for moreinformation.

NMCB 74 FSGThe NMCB 74 Family Support

Group welcomes friends andfamilies of NMCB 74 personnel.We encourage and promotefriendly and sympathetic rela-tionships among our family

members. We have a new Careline num-

ber for battalion updates, it is 1-866-531-1101 (toll free), or 871-3650 (local).

Family Support Group meet-ings are held every thirdMonday of the month at the CBCChapel in Fellowship Hall at 6:30p.m. Free baby-sitting and activi-ties for the children are provid-ed. For information contact FSGPresident, Helen Walker at (228)586-0114; or Secretary, RobynBaca at (228) 539-9059. The FSGAdvisor is Susan Prather, (228)392-5945.

NCTC TRI-SERVICE FSGWe invite all spouses and loved

ones of NCTC to join us on thefourth Monday of each month at6:30pm in the Fellowship Hall ofCBC Chapel. We are offering funactivities for the family, girlsnight out, and fellowship amongthe NCTC Command. For moreinformation, please contact ourFSG President Tessa Grimes @865-4364 or email her attgrimes730@hotmail.com.

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society

The Navy-Marine Corps ReliefSociety (NMCRS) Thrift Shop islocated at the far north end ofMcKinney Ave, Building 16. TheThrift Shop is staffed entirely byvolunteers. The retail hours ofoperation are Monday -Thursday, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. andFriday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

New volunteers are always wel-come. Visit the Navy-MarineCorps Relief Society offices at theFleet and family SupportCenter, Building 30, Suite 103,or call (228) 871-2610 to obtaininformation about becoming apart of the NMCRS volunteerteam! Childcare and mileageare reimbursed.

Mississippi Gulf Coast FirstClass Association

MGCFCA is seeking new mem-bers. Meetings are every Wedsat 2 p.m at CBC's Beehive,Bldg. 352. Call BU1 Reyes orCE1 Johnson at 871-2145 formore information.

Community CalendarSunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

21 January 22 23 24 25 Anti-terrorismForce Protection QrtrlyMtg., Bldg 1, Conf. Rm.,1:30 p.m.

All Khaki Social, A&E,3 p.m.

26 CMDCM MelvinGirard Ret. Cer., Chapel, 10a.m./ 3rd Annual SeabeeClass Golf Tourn. WindanceCoun. Club/ Frosty 5KLunch Run, 11:30/Comics onDuty Tour, Theater, 7 p.m.

27

28 29 30 Seabee BallCommittee Mtg.,Bldg. 1 Conf. Rm.,1:30 p.m.

31 Lunchtime BibleStudy, Bldg. 1, Conf.Rm., 11:30 - 12:30

Grand Opening PineBayou Snackbar, 11:30

1 FebruaryAll Khaki Social,

A&E, 3 p.m.

2Ground Hog Day

3

4 5 6 Seabee BallCommittee Mtg.,Bldg. 1 Conf. Rm.,1:30 p.m.

7 Lunchtime BibleStudy, Bldg. 1, Conf.Rm., 11:30 - 12:30

8All Khaki Social,

A&E, 3 p.m.

9 10

11 12Lincoln's Birthday

13 Seabee BallCommittee Mtg.,Bldg. 1, Conf. Rm.,1:30 p.m.

All Cmdrs. Mtg., Bldg1, Conf. Rm, 10 a.m.

14 Valentine's DayVal. Day 5K Run, 6:30Lunchtime Bible Study, Bldg. 1Conf. Rm., 11:30 NMCRSCust.Adv. Board Mtg. Lunch,Bldg 1 Conf. Room, 11:30

15All Khaki Social,

A&E, 3 p.m.

16 17

18 19 Washington'sBirthday, FederalHoliday

DeCA CommissaryClosed

20 Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday

DeCA CommissaryClosed

Seabee Ball Comm.Mtg., Bldg 1 Conf.Rm., 1:30 p.m.

21 Lunchtime Bible

Study, Bldg. 1, Conf.Rm., 11:30 - 12:30

22All Khaki Social,

A&E, 3 p.m.

23 24

25 26 27 Seabee BallCommittee Mtg.,Bldg. 1 Conf. Rm.,1:30 p.m.

28 Lunchtime BibleStudy, Bldg. 1, Conf.Rm., 11:30 - 12:30

1 MarchAll Khaki Social,

A&E, 3 p.m.

Photo by MC1 Sean MulliganThe Navy's Chief of Chaplains,RADM Robert Burt visited CBCGulfport for a Chaplains ConferenceJanuary 9. While onboard, the Admiraltook the time to speak with Seabeesfrom NMCB 133 about deploymentsand the role Navy Chaplains play in adeployed unit.

Chaplains define theirmission withinthe NCF

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Jan 25 5:30 to 8:30 Wacky, Tacky Outfit Day! Prizes Awarded!

Jan 26 6:00 to 9:00 Youth & Teen Movie & Nacho Night! Only $1.00

Jan 27 1:00 to 5:00 Swimming at Biloxi Natatorium! Only $3.00

Jan 30 5:30 to 8:30 Boys Only Night! Jan 31 5:30 to 8:30 Youth Bucks Auction!!!

Taekwondo classes are being offered Wednesday and Fridays from 6 - 7 p.m.You must be 10 years of age or older to participate. Classes are free to all eligi-ble patrons. The classes will cover the following:

Stretching and warm upForm pattern and stancesSelf DefenseKicking and blocking drillsCool down/ceremony meditationSparring

Training and Testing Participants will be required to purchase uniform andprotective equipment. Participants who complete the course will receiveInternational certification. Participants who earn the next color belt will becharged a $30.00 testing fee which covers certification and new belt. Black belttesting is through the International TaeKwon-Do Federation and includes addi-tional testing fees.

25 POOL TOURNEY 7 p.m. *FREE*26 MOVIE NIGHT $5.0027 HORSEBACK RIDING @ HIGH HILLS STABLES 28 MATINEE MOVIES *FREE*29 BLACKJACK TOUR 7 p.m. *FREE*30 PUZZLES OF ALL KINDS * PRIZES FOR PARTICIPATION*31 DART TOURNEY 7 p.m. *FREE*

Stinger’s II Liberty Center is for Bachelors and Geo-Bachelors. Thank You!

Smith Memorial TheatreSmith Memorial Theatre now

offers Breakfast and Lunch. Call 871- 4697 for movie times!!!

Contact MWR at (228) 871- 2538

Comics on Duty World Tour LIVE at CBC Gulfport!

Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. - Smith Memorial Theater

Youth Activities Center

25Jan07.qxd 1/24/2007 14:15 Page 1

14

2007 BAH RATESBasic Allowance for

Housing (BAH) is basedon geographic duty loca-tion, pay grade, anddependency status. Theintent of BAH is to pro-vide uniformed servicemembers with permanentduty within the 50 UnitedStates accurate and equi-table housing compensa-tion based on housingcosts in local civilian hous-ing markets, and ispayable when governmentquarters are not provided.

A uniformed servicemember stationed over-seas, including U.S. protec-torates, who is not fur-nished government hous-ing, is eligible for OverseasHousing Allowance(OHA). Sailors can lookup their 2007 BAH rateson the following Internetsite: https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/bah.html

W2 INFORMATION FOR TAX YEAR 2006

Military Pay Advisory76/06 states initial W2statements for tax year2006 will be available elec-tronically via MyPay, 22January 2007 for view andprint. Service membersalso have the option onMyPay to view and printW2 and corrected W2-Cstatements up to four prioryears. W2/W2-C view andprint option will be avail-able via MyPay Internetsite athttps://mypay.dfas.mil.Do not be alarmed if afterselecting the W2 optionyou receive one of the fol-lowing screen messages;"The file is not currentlyavailable. Please try againlater" or "Your pay systemin not responding. Pleasetry again later", the W2server is taken off lineperiodically for routinemaintenance and will be

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Promise to Serve

Photo by MC3 Ja'lon RhinehartEQCM (SCW) Jeffrey Robinson, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) One's Alfa CompanyMaster Chief, is reenlisted by Marine Corps Capt. Jake Urban for three years. Master ChiefRobinson has faithfully served the Seabee's for over 26 years, and looks forward to the next three,which he will spend attached to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Seven.

News & Notesfrom PSDProvided byPSC Reginald Pierce

See PSD page 23

A refresheron ForceProtectionConditiondefinitions isprovided byCBC Security

Before it's time for a Seabee to deploy,many preparations must be made. Ofcourse, there are all the medical screen-ings, extensive training, and recordupdates. Not to mention packing, organ-izing finances, and arranging storage forpersonal items. But that's not even thehalf of it for Seabees with families. Oncea deployment begins, Seabees have toleave their families behind. But all theirhard work and dedication before andduring deployment pays off when theyreturn home.

Naval Mobile Construction BattalionOne (NMCB 1) returned home to NavalConstruction Battalion Center (NCBC)Gulfport, Miss., in December 2006, to apoignant homecoming.

"I was very emotional when I came offthe plane," said Lt. Cmdr. Chad Brooks, the Operations Officer forNMCB 1. "I was very excited but in thesame part, I felt a little bit guilty becauseI could see how much the kids hadchanged and knew that I'd been away fora lot of that time when they had seen andlearned new things."

After the initial euphoria of seeing fami-ly, the reality of becoming a family againsets in and it's a really challenging time,said Brooks. Brooks has a 4-year-old sonand a 2-year-old daughter.

"My wife told me they had a gooddeployment," he said. "The kids handledit well, and I think they understood that Iwas gone for a very long time and for agood cause."

NMCB 1 was deployed for six monthsto 20 locations across the globe includingsites in Japan, Korea, Iraq, Pohnpei andCalifornia, said Brooks. Though theSeabees kept extremely busy in the field,they still missed spending time with theirfamilies.

"That time is lost," said Brooks. "Thethings the kids learned and experienced

during that time has come and gone.""Make sure if you have young kids, you

actually talk to them about deployment,so that it doesn't come to them as a sur-prise," he added.

"No matter how you slice it, beingdeployed is tough in terms of maintain-ing a relationship with your family,"Brooks said. "We did lots of emails andlots of letters."

One of the most important things forSeabees who will be leaving their familiesis having a means to communicate withtheir loved ones.

Seabees should have some agreementwith their families as to how they'regoing to communicate, whether it's email,phone calls, or Web cam, said Brooks.This prevents false expectations for theamount of communication that will beavailable.

"If your family expects to hear from youevery week and for some reason youcan't, they may begin to worry about youunnecessarily or feel that you're not pay-ing attention to them," Brooks said.

"It's a lifestyle you never get used to,"said Utilitiesman 1st Class AdrianGonzalez, the Leading Petty Officer forDetail Iwakuni in NMCB 1. "You justlearn how to deal with it."

Gonzalez has a son, 17, and a daughter,14, and speaks very highly of them both.Gonzalez describes his reunion withthem after deployment simply as "fantas-tic."

Gonzalez's pride was almost over-whelming when he talked about his son.With a stern look in his eye he said, "I'mnot saying this just because he's my son,but he's probably the smartest kid I haveever encountered."

The life of a deployed Seabee can be justas hard as the lives of the family backhome, so the key is mutual support fromboth ends.

"The sacrifices I make for my kids mightbe challenging, but for them it's wellworth it in the end," said Gonzalez.

The family of SW2 Chris McLean, aSeabee attached to Naval MobileConstruction Battalion One, waitedwith open arms as the battalionreturned home from their six-monthdeployment to the far East.

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion OneSeabees returned home from six monthsin 20 locations around the world to theirfamilies. The families waited patiently atthe hangar doors of the Trent Lott AirNational Guard Airport in Gulfport.

NMCB 1 reunites with friends, familiesStory & photos by MC2 Demetrius KennonNMCB 1 Public Affairs

Observe parking signs onboard NCBC; violators will be ticketed!

For Seabee Courier delivery, contact NavalConstruction Battalion Center Public Affairs at:

(228) 871-3662 or send email to seabeecourier.navy.mil

AdSpace

25Jan07.qxd 1/24/2007 13:18 Page 7

ing exclusive negotiationsbetween the Navy and thePartner.

Q7 How much housing isDoD planning to privatize?

A7 DoD currently has aninventory of 166,000 familyhousing units-with about50,000 inadequate units. Itscurrent plans are to priva-tize roughly 185,000 familyhousing units. However,there is no ceiling set onthe number of unitsexpected to be built orreconditioned under theMHPI (source:http://www.acq.osd.mil/housing/faqs.htm#10)

Q8 How is privatizedhousing similar to militaryhousing?

A8 A few of the similaritiesare: 1. Zero out of pocket expensesfor residents; rent is based onBAH2. You will continue to livein a military community3. Government pays for thecost of moves into PPV unitsfor eligible service members4. You will continue to go tothe Navy's Housing WelcomeCenter for housing in thecommunity referral.5. The Navy HousingWelcome Center will receiveyour application for PPVhousing and will refer you tothe Property ManagementCompany

Q9 How is privatizedhousing different from mil-itary housing?

A9 Units are managed andoperated by a private propertymanagement company.

1. You must sign a lease.The lease will include a "mili-tary clause". 2. You will receive BAH and

pay rent directly to the prop-erty manager 3. The property management

company handles all residentmatters, including day to daymaintenance

Q10 Is the Navy review-ing lessons learned fromexisting PPV projects?

A10 Yes, Navy is looking atall existing PPV deals, toinclude those from other DoDservices to ascertain the bestaspects of the projects and isincorporating those lessons infuture deals

Q11 What is the ResidentAdvisory Board and whois on it?

A11 The Resident AdvisoryBoard will be created to sup-port the Partner and theDepartment of Navy (DON)on matters that affect residentsatisfaction and quality oflife. It will review residentsatisfaction surveys, propertymanager performance, andconstruction process andquality. The ResidentAdvisory Board will reportits findings to the manage-ment board and make recom-mendations on resident issuesto the partner and DONmembers. RecommendedDON participants includethe activity business manag-er, Command Master Chief orSergeant Major, activityhousing representative, elect-ed residents, and the ResidentOfficer in Charge ofConstruction (ROICC) office.

Q12 How does the PPVprogram impact familieswhere the non-militarymember does not work?

A12 PPV has no adverseimpact on working spouses.It has no affect on your abili-ty to utilize programs such asWomen, Infants, andChildren (WIC), Head Startand other income qualifyingassistance programs.

Q13 Why is my benefit ofliving in Navy/Govt hous-ing being taken away?

A13 There is no loss of ben-efit. You still have the oppor-tunity to reside in housingand for an amount equal toyour BAH. The only differ-ence is that in lieu of forfeit-ing your BAH (to pay foryour housing and utilities),you now will receive it, and

then pay that amount to thepartner in the form of rent,utilities, and basic renter'sinsurance. The DON isembracing the PPV initiativein order to provide high qual-ity, affordable housing andprovide enhanced propertymaintenance faster thanwould be available under thenormal military construction.

Q14 Will accompaniedactive duty always havepriority?

A14 Yes.Q15 Can active duty dis-

place those with a lowerpriority?

A15 We expect those otherthan accompanied families tohave no more than a 6months lease If there areaccompanied active duty fam-ilies on a waiting list, thePartner will not renew theexisting lease for a lower pri-ority resident.

Q16 Will there be ascreening process for civil-ians authorized to live onbase?

A16 Yes. Specifics will benegotiated between the Navyand the Partner.

Q17 Will civiliansapproved to live on basebe monitored at the gates?

A17 Yes, to the same extentas anyone else having accessto the base.

Q18 What will the newrules (community policies)be?

A18 The new property man-ager (at the resident meet-ings) will discuss communitypolicies. Generally, they willbe the same as the existingNavy policies.

Q19 If the General Publicmoves into FH, will theyhave access to other basefacilities.

A19 No.Q20 Will the fence line be

moved?A20 Will be determined

during exclusive negotiationsbetween the Navy and thePartner, but in most cases,this has not occurred.

Q21 How does DON plan

to address episodes offinancial irresponsibilitythat may occur by occu-pants of PPV Housing?

A21 Currently, the NavyHousing Office providescounseling on this issue. TheNavy very much encouragesresidents of PPV Housing toutilize Electronic FundsTransfer for payment of rentand level payment plans forpayment of Utilities. TheNavy is looking at allavenues for education onfinancial responsibility, forexample Command MasterChiefs & Family ServiceCenter counselors.Alternately financial irre-sponsibility will be theresponsibility of the PPVpartner.

Q22 What recourse willmilitary families occupy-ing PPV Housing have if

the property manager isirresponsive to serviceneeds?

A23 If the local propertymanager is unresponsive thenthe resident will be able tocontact a corporate Regionalrepresentative. Also, person-nel at the Housing WelcomeCenter, including its militaryliaison, will continue to beavailable to occupants of PPVHousing.

Q24 What about privatiz-ing barracks, and DoDlodging?

A24 DoD is currently test-ing privatization of barracksin Norfolk and San Diegoand would like to privatizeadditional barracks and lodg-ing where and when it is fea-sible.

As part of an ongoingeffort to ensure NavyFamily Housing residentsare kept up to date on theconversion of militaryhousing to a Public PrivateVenture sometime in fiscalyear 2007, town hall meet-ings were recently held inorder to communicatewith residents on theirquestions and concerns.This is the first in a seriesof articles in whichFrequently AskedQuestions from the resi-dents during these meet-ings will be published.

Q1 Why are we doingPPV in the first place?

A1 A shrinking housingbudget coupled with aging

housing units and mainte-nance backlog make it diffi-cult for the Navy to providequality housing for our serv-ice members. The public pri-vate venture partnership willmake it possible for the Navyto renovate and constructfamily housing quickly andaffordably.

Q2 Will there be effectiveoversight by the govern-ment of this PPV program?

A2 Yes, the Navy as well asthe Office of the Secretary ofDefense for Installation andEnvironment support appro-priate oversight. This over-sight will be applied by theDepartment of NavyRepresentative and theNavy's Business AgreementManager as well as theNavy's on-site Housing Staff.On-site Navy Housing Staffwill work daily with the

Partner's Staff and theDepartment of the NavyRepresentative who will meetwith the Partner on an asrequired basis but at leastquarterly to review opera-tions. They will also receivemonthly status reports thatwill address occupancyissues, the project's financialstatus, etc.

Q3 What impact will pri-vatization have on individ-ual installations?

A3 Ideally, privatizationwill bring about a dramaticimprovement of the installa-tions' housing conditions andservices for military membersand their families, and conse-quently, an increase in theirquality of life, readiness,morale and retention. Onemajor improvement is thequality and quantity of main-tenance on the housing units.

However, some inconvenienc-es may occur throughout thetransition period duringwhich some housing will beeither renovated or construct-ed.

Q4 When will PPV start?A4 Scheduled implementa-

tion date is 30 SEP 2007,some transition may occur 30days prior to the 30 Sep date.

Q5 What will happen toexcess Family Housing(FH) units?

A5 Will be determined dur-ing exclusive negotiationsbetween the Navy and thePartner.

Q6 Can residents live intheir assigned unit if it isscheduled for closing?

A6 Will be determined dur-

The Seabees at NavalMobile ConstructionBattalion (NMCB) OneThirty Three receivedcommendation certifi-cates mid-month for vol-unteering to restoreAmerican Legion'sVeterans of Foreign Wars(VFW) Post 2539.

The old post was dam-aged by HurricaneKatrina in the fall of 2005.The project took 80Seabees and 184 man-days to complete.Members of One ThirtyThree stripped andreplaced the roof on thepost's main shed, builtshelves, helped out withthe electrical work andcircuitry, and paintedover 10,000 square feet ofwall and trim after pres-sure washing the area.

Charles Purchner, ViceCommander at Post 2539,extended thanks onbehalf of the post, toProject Supervisor EA1(SCW) Peter Sydow andhis crew.

"They really did a greatjob, and we appreciate

it," said Purchner. "We hope that someday

we can pay them back."Sydow returned the

same respect for all thatthe post does for theSeabees at ConstructionBattalion Center (CBC)Gulfport.

"The post has donated alot to us," said Sydow,indicating gifts the posthas given to the battal-ions at CBC Gulfportfrom phone cards to apool table.

"It felt good to helpthem out, after they'vehelped us so much. Itactually felt like we werepaying them back."

The camaraderiebetween active duty andveterans is apparent atVFW 2539. SeveralSeabees that participatedin the project joined thepost as members.

Ivan Bangs,Commander at Post 2539recognizes the uniquebond between present-day servicemembers andveterans.

"Everyone has donesomething," said Bangs."We've all contributed."

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133 partners with local VFW Post 2539By MC3 J.A. McIver NMCB 133 Public Affairs

Photo by MC3 J.A. McIverThe members at VFW Post 2539 served the members ofNMCB 133 dinner at the commendation ceremony, where80 Seabees received certificates for restoring the post.

Stars and Stripes, thedaily newspaper of theU.S. military, is hosting afree Valentine's Day mes-sage posting serviceonline. The greetings willbe published in theEuropean, Pacific andMiddle East editions ofStars and Stripes and onStripes.com Feb. 14 andpossibly also on Feb. 13,depending on the numberof messages received.

Stars and Stripes recog-nizes the strain thatdeployments and frequentseparations can put on amarriage and wants togive spouses and familymembers a way to remem-ber each other on this spe-cial day. "Being separatedfrom loved ones is one ofthe constants in the livesof our readers," said MegIrish, marketing director."Anything we can do tobridge that gap, Stars andStripes will gladly under-take."

To send a free message,readers may go toStripes.com and click onthe Valentine's Day mes-sages button, any timeuntil Jan 30.

Stars and Stripes willpublish only messageswritten in English whichare received online by theJan. 30 deadline. Everyeffort will be made toprint all the messagesreceived for the MiddleEast, European and Pacificrecipients, but Stars andStripes also reserves theright to limit the numberof messages actually pub-lished based on the spaceavailable.

Stars and Stripes deliversindependent news andinformation daily to theU.S. military communityworldwide. Editoriallyindependent of interfer-ence from outside its edi-torial chain of command,it provides commerciallyavailable U.S. and world-wide news.

Send freeValentine's Daymessages toyour sweetheartReprinted from Stars andStripes

Public Private Venture (PPV) Provided by CNRSE Public Affairs

See PPV page 19

From PPV page 5

Keesler's Medical Center Entrance Closed for Renovation Keesler Medical Center's A Tower entrance, at the top of the elevated

driveway, will be closed for renovation starting Jan. 20. It is scheduled toreopen the end of March. The outpatient clinic entrance by the Pharmacyand Family Practice Clinic will still be available for patients and staff touse.

The renovation is part of a project to place outpatient records and thestate-of-the art PRK surgery clinic in this area to ensure they, and otherhigh-value items will be safe from future storm-related flooding.

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NCBC/20SRGCommanding Officer

Capt. Van DobsonExecutive Officer

Cmdr. Bill FinnPublic Affairs Officer

Jean RemleyEditor

Bonnie L. McGerrMass Comm. Specialist

MC1 Sean Mulligan

22ND NCRCommander

Capt. Eric OdderstolPublic Affairs OfficerLt. Cmdr. Kyra Hawn

NMCB ONECommanding Officer Cmdr. Dean A. Tufts

Public Affairs Officer Lt. Kris Portacci

Mass. Comm. SpecialistsMC2 Chad Runge

MC3 Ja'lon Rhinehart

NMCB SEVENCommanding Officer Cmdr. David J. Sasek

Public Affairs OfficerEnsign Russell Becker

Mass Comm. SpecialistsMCC Jeffrey J. Pierce

MC3 Paul D. Williams

NMCB SEVENTY FOURCommanding Officer

Cmdr. Craig S. PratherPublic Affairs Officer

Lt. Edsil L. LoganMass Comm. Specialist MC2 Gregory N. Juday

NMCB ONE THIRTY THREECommanding Officer Cmdr. Allan StratmanPublic Affairs Officer

Lt.j.g. Amy YoonMass Comm. SpecialistMC3 Jessica A. McIver

NCTC GulfportCommanding OfficerCmdr. Darius Banaji

Public Affairs OfficerBU1(SCW) James LePage

“We EXIST to enableWarfighterReadiness”

The Seabee Courier is an authorized publi-cation for members of the military servicesand their families. Its contents do not neces-sarily reflect the official views of the U.S.Government, the DoD or the U.S. Navy anddo not imply endorsement thereof. Theappearance of advertising in this newspaper,including inserts or supplements, does notconstitute endorsement by the U. S.Government, DoD, the Navy, NCBC Gulfportor Gulf Publishing Company of the productsand services advertised. All content in thisnewspaper shall be made available for pur-chase, use or patronage without regard torace, color, religion, gender, national origin,age, marital status, physical handicap, politi-cal affiliation or any other non-merit factor ofthe purchaser, user or patron. If a violation orrejection of this equal opportunity policy byan advertiser is confirmed, the publisher shallrefuse to print advertising from that sourceuntil the violation is corrected.

The Seabee Courier is published 22 weeks ayear by Gulf Publishing Company, a privatefirm in no way connected with the DoD ,under an exclusive contract with the U. S.Navy. The Seabee Courier solicits news con-tributions from military and civilian sources,but the Public Affairs staff reserves the rightto edit and/or rewrite material selected forpublication to conform with journalism stan-dards. The deadline for material is close ofbusiness Wednesday the week prior to publi-cation. Your comments are always welcome.The Seabee Courier office is in Building 60,Room 250. The mailing address is 4902Marvin Shields Blvd., Code 15, Gulfport, MS39501. Phone: 228 871-3662, Fax: 228 871-2389.Email: seabeecourier@navy.mil.

Command Action LineBecause of limited IG resources throughout the Southeast Region, all Fraud, Waste and Abuse hotlinework will now be handled by the Region. To report Fraud, Waste and Abuse, contact the Region at:

Toll Free 1-877-657-9851 Comm: (904) 542-4979 DSN 942-4979 FAX: (904) 542-5587E-mail: CNRSE_HOTLINE@navy.mil

At a retirement cere-mony Jan. 12, one dayprior to the fortiethanniversary of theinception of the MasterChief Petty Officer ofthe Navy, MCPON(SW/FMF) Joe R.Campa Jr. remindedchief petty officershere what he expectsof them as deckplateleaders.

Addressing a numberof area chiefs at theretirement ceremonyof Master ChiefElectronics Technician(SW) Mickey Manes,Campa recalled thechief petty officerswho led and trainedhe and Manes as theygrew up in the Navy,and said he envisions areturn to their tradi-tional type of leader-ship.

"Those chiefs werecut from a cloth ofleadership that I wantto blanket the Navywith today," saidCampa. "They hadsomething I like torefer to as 'CPO pres-ence.' When theywalked into a spacethe tone of the entirespace changed. Theywere uncompromisingleaders."

Campa said thatwhen Del Black wasappointed the firstMCPON in 1967, hisgoals were similar tothose of Campa's fortyyears later.

"MCPON Black was atrue chief. He knewthe value of communi-cation, of listening tohis Sailors, and the

absolute need for ourcommunity to take onthe role of standardbearers, to enforcethose standardsamongst ourselves aswell as up and downthe chain of com-mand," he added.

The eleventh masterchief to hold the posi-tion, MCPON Campasaid that the nine menwho followed Blackeach entered the officewith one goal in mind;the development of theenlisted force asSailors and people.

"Each of us has hadour own style and wayof doing things, butthere has been a con-stant theme for 40years from Del Blackto Tom Crow to JohnHagan to me: provid-ing Sailors the bestopportunity to suc-ceed," he said.

Campa echoed that inhis remarks at Manes'retirement ceremony.He said that as aSailor's characterstrengthens, so too willhis commitment to theNavy.

Campa and Manesserved together onUSS Frank Cable (AS40) from 2003 to 2005.

Office of MCPONhits 40 year markBy MCCS(SW/AW) BillHoulihan MCPON Public Affairs

CBC celebrates life ofMartin Luther King, Jr.

Photo by MC1 Sean MulliganBU2 Charles Sergeant from Naval MobileConstruction Battalion One delivered the Litanyof Commemoration at this year's Martin LutherKing, Jr. Commemoration Service held at theSeabee Memorial Chapel January 16. PastorOthell Adkins of Bible Way Baptist Church inGulfport was the featured guest speaker.Refreshments were served in the FellowshipHall at the conclusion of the service. A monu-ment to honor Dr. King is being built on thenational mall in Washington, D.C. and is expect-ed to be completed next year.

CBC Photo Lab Closed Jan. 29 - Feb. 9

Due to training requirements the CBC PhotoLab in building 60 will be closed Jan 29 - Feb.9. Battalion photographers may use the studio

by making arrangements with the PublicAffairs Office at X2699/3662.

we could do for theSeabees," said GunnerySergeant Vernon Getter,Fox Company, 2ndBattalion, 8th Marines."These guys are doing

great work out here inIraq; I truly believe theyare playing a large role inthe War on Terrorism".

"It was great having theMarines out there provid-ing security," saidEquipment Operator 2ndClass Kevin Rapier, project

Crew Leader, of Austin,Texas. "It allowed us tofocus on our job instead ofworrying about keepingour guys safe".

After three long days ofwork in the cold weather,the Seabees completed theculvert project ahead of

schedule and above expec-tations."They did an outstandingjob," said GySgt. Getter, "itwas better than anythingwe could have asked for".The Fearless Seabees ofNMCB 74 continually liveup to their "Can Do" motto

with the successful com-pletions of a multitude ofprojects at Out Posts andIraqi Police Stationsthroughout Iraq whiledeployed to Ramadi insupport of Operation IraqiFreedom.

From BRIDGES page 9

available latter in the day.DFAS Customer Servicesupport is also availablefor assistance for any W2or MyPay questions at 1-800-390-2348, Mondaythrough Friday betweenthe hours of 0700 – 1930Eastern Standard Time.

Special Leave Accrual(SLA) calculation

OPNAVINST 1050.3established guidelines forNavy members to qualify for SLA up to 120days. Commands must fol-low the guidelines pub-lished in this instructionwhen determining SLAentitlement.

Special leave accrual isnot a unique kind of leave.The only significant differ-

ence is that members sub-ject to special leave accrualare entitled to accrue andcarry forward leave inexcess of the normal limitof 60 days into a new fiscalyear. Leave in excess of 60days is treated as ordinaryleave for purposes of leaveusage, but is protecteduntil used. A member'sleave usage is chargedagainst the entire currentleave balance on his or heraccount at the time leave istaken. If the member'sleave usage reduces theleave balance below thespecial leave accrual bal-ance, then the member hasused some of the leaveaccrued in excess of 60days. If the member's leaveusage reduces the leavebalance to 60 days, then

the member is consideredto have received the fullbenefit of the special leaveaccrual and is no longersubject to the provision. Inaccordance withDepartment of DefenseFinancial ManagementRegulations paragraph350102c, the charging ofleave is based on the lastleave earned is the first leave used (LIFO) method.

Service members usingleave early in the fiscalyear are more likely to seehold leave balancescharged. This is becausethey may have not earnedenough leave to prevent aleave period from reducingtheir current leave balancebelow the maximum set atthe end of the last periodof special leave accrual.

Example of Special Leave Accrual(SLA)

As of 30 Sept. 06 member's leave balance was 75.5 ofwhich 15.5 days is SLA.

Leave balance before 1 Oct. 06: 75.5 days Leave earned 1 Oct. 06 - 31 Dec. 06: 7.5 daysLeave used 15 Dec. 06 - 31 Dec 06: 17 daysLeave balance as of 31 DEC 06: 66 days

This member has used some of the leave in excess of60 days brought forward from the previous fiscal year(FY06). The new maximum number of days that couldbe carried forward in FY 07 is 66 days, assuming noadditional periods of qualifying special leave accrual.Any further leave accrued in excess of 66 days in FY 07and not used by 30 Sep 07 would be lost.

For more information on this topic see OPNAVinstruction 1050.3 or call PSD at 871-3283.

From PSD page 6

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