NMCB 7 May/June Newsletter

The Official NMCB 7 Command Newsletter May/June 2010 Edition

NMCB 7 Air Detachment Returns Story By MC2(SCW) Michael Lavender / additions by MCC(AW/SW) Yan Kennon

NMCB 7 Public Affairs

duration.. NMCB 7 Seabees as-

sisted with missions ranging from debris re-moval, internally dis-placed persons (IDP) camp improvements and construction of resettle-ment camps outside Port-au-Prince.

"This detachment dealt with a lot of unknowns of what we would be doing for Haiti before we ar-rived," said Chief Steel-worker (SCW) Leslie Morgan, operations chief for NMCB 7. "Whether it was victim recovery, re-pairing a pier for ship-ping, flood mitigation in

internally displaced per-sons camps, clearing de-bris, improving roads or building camps, these Seabees always followed through with the utmost respect for the people of Haiti who were suffer-ing."

Working alongside members of Underwater Const ruct ion Team (UCT) 1, NMCB 7 as-sisted with the reopening of the seaport in Port-au-Prince. Seabees worked to repair pier pilings on the port's south pier to allow ships to enter the port and offload much needed aid supplies.

NMCB 7 also assisted with rubble removal from Hotel Montana, making it possible for search and rescue crews to enter the site and search for survi-vors. Seabees assisted with the oversight in the moving of 14,000 cubic yards of debris from the site in 51 days, facilitat-ing the recovery of the remains of 65 individuals at the site.

"The Hotel Montana opened my eyes to the unseen devastation of natural disasters," said Builder 2nd Class Tho-mas Camara. "Working day in and day out re-moving friends, family, and comrades from a pile of rubble that was once a beautiful hotel was like nothing I had ever done before."

NMCB 7 Seabees worked alongside non-governmental organiza-tions (NGO), Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Or-ganization and Catholic Relief Services, at the Golf Delmas 48 inter-nally displaced persons camp in Petionville.

There they helped build

Courtesy of an Air Force C-130 Hercules, the remaining 45 Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7’s Air Detach-ment returned to Gulf-port, Miss., May 22 after completing humanitarian assistance missions in support of Operation Unified Response in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The Seabees were part of a NMCB 7 detachment that deployed and arrived in Port-au-Prince January 25 and operated through-out Joint Task Force-Haiti's area of responsi-bility throughout their

See AIR DETACHMENT page 4

An Air Force C-130 Hercules lands at Gulfport Air National Guard (ANG) Center returning the final members of NMCB 7’s Air Detachment from their four month deployment to Port-au-Prince, Haiti in support of Operation Unified Response.

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Article Courtesy of Cmdr. Jayson Mitchell NMCB 7 Commanding Officer

As we approach the midway point of this deployment, an already impressive list of accomplishments continues to grow. Since the last newsletter was pub-lished: Seabees from “Magnificent 7” re-turned from Morocco after completing two K-span structures in support of for-ward deployed Marine forces (see article in this newsletter); Our Water Well De-tachment pushed out from Djibouti into Dire Dawa, Ethiopia and recently com-pleted the first of seven tasked 200’-300’ deep fresh water wells, providing a pro-found improvement in the quality of life for thousands of Ethiopians; and our De-tail in Liberia completed construction of a concrete boat ramp in support of the Li-berian Coast Guard, success-fully returning about half of their personnel to Rota, Spain. We look forward to the return of the remainder of the Det later in July. The Battalion was honored

to advance dozens of Petty Officers to the next higher rank and we continue to qual-ify new Seabee Combat War-fare Specialists every week - a significant milestone in any Seabee’s career. Outstanding work continues

in Romania, Senegal, Camer-oon, throughout the Horn of Af-rica, and in Rota where countless unsung heroes facilitate down-range operations. In sum-mary, SEVEN’s impact to humanitarian relief efforts, theater security cooperation plans and the Global War on Terror con-tinues to be felt on a global scale and I am proud of the efforts of each of your Seabees. Until next time,

Cmdr. Jay Mitchell

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The Magnificent Moments Newsletter is a monthly publication by Naval Mobile Construc-tion Battalion 7. The editorial content of this publication is prepared, edited and provided by the Battalion Public Affairs Office. It is an authorized production for members of NMCB 7 and their families. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Gov-ernment, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Navy and do not imply endorsement thereof.

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 Commanding Officer

Cmdr. Jayson D. Mitchell

Executive Officer Lt. Cmdr. Stephen H. Pitman

Command Master Chief

CMDCM (SCW) Curtis W. Cassell

Command Ombudsmen Nicole Ribet

Kelly Moore

Fleet Readiness Group (FRG)

[email protected]

Newsletter Contributors Public Affairs Officer

MCC Yan Kennon

Delta Company MCC Yan Kennon

Operation Unified Response MC2 Michael Lavender

Detail Latvia Lt.j.g. Liwei Chen

Detail Liberia SWCA Stella Trusty

Detail Senegal BUCN Zachary A. Wallace

Detachment Horn of Africa EA2 Greg Morris

Detail Romania UT2 Jeffery Walter

Detail Morocco SWC Eugene Murphy

Detail Cameroon EOCN Patricia Jenkings

The Official NMCB 7 Command Newsletter

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drainage canals, retaining walls and place sandbags to reduce the risk of mud-slides and flash flooding during the rainy season. The Seabees also worked as supervisors for the "Cash-For–Work" crews at the Golf Delmas 48 camp, giving Haitians an opportunity to earn an income while assisting in the recovery.

In addition to adding safety measures inside the IDP camps, the Sea-bees helped construct two resettlement camps out-side Port-au-Prince. NMCB 7 Seabees as-sisted U.N. forces in pre-paring land for IDP's to relocate to Corail Cesse-lesse and Tabare Issa.

Throughout NMCB 7's

deployment to Haiti, the Seabees had the unique opportunity to work with different organizations to provide aid to the Haitian people.

"NMCB 7 was one of many units that partici-pated in the joint efforts to assist the people of Haiti in their time of need," said Lt. Beau Brooks, officer in charge of NMCB 7 Air Detach-ment.

"Working together with the Government of Haiti, U.N., NGOs, and U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, we united to pro-vide disaster relief and humanitarian assistance to the Haitians. Without a doubt, it was a moving

From AIR DETACHMENT page 1 and emotional experience for everyone involved in the operation."

In support of Joint Task Force (JTF) Port Open-ing, January to April 2010, the Seabees consis-tently provided construc-tion support in austere and challenging condi-tions. Their efforts re-sulted in the clearing and leveling of 73 acres of land to provide advanced basing capabilities to en-able sustained operations and bed down of numer-ous mission essential units in direct support of disaster recovery opera-tions and humanitarian assistance.

NMCB 7 was among the first American ground units to arrive to provide humanitarian relief fol-

lowing the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck the island nation Jan. 12, 2010.

The first Air Detach-ment Seabees arrived back in Gulfport on May 6 amidst a sea of cheers and accolades from the Gulf Coast community and fellow service mem-bers. Now back under the cognizance of NMCB 7, the Air Detachment Sea-bees will be refitted and rejoin their previously assigned deployment de-tachments and companies as part of a regularly scheduled deployment to v a r i o u s l o c a t i o n s throughout U.S. Sixth Fleet's area of responsi-bility, providing general engineering and construc-tion support.

Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 Air Detachment disembark from their C-130 Hercules aircraft, May 6, 2010, after a four month deployment to Haiti in support of Operation Unified Response.

Photo by NCBC Gulfport Public Affairs

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On Jan. 26, 2010, NMCB 7’s 85-man Air Detachment deployed to Port-au-Prince Haiti in support of humanitarian and disaster relief operations as part of Operation Unified Response after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake caused severe damage near Port-au-Prince, Haiti January 12.

Photo Illustration by MCC Yan Kennon

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Story and Photo By MCC Yan Kennon

maintaining and improving facilities under the cogni-zance of the Seabee battal-ion. Bravo Company would also act as the prime con-tractor for Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) projects, and provide utilities support as a subcon-tractor for other tasked con-struction projects. These projects are limited to small Maintenance Control Divi-sion (MCD) projects not to exceed a cost value of $5,000 and no more than 100 man-days of labor.

A typical Charlie Com-pany is a front line company that would be responsible for performing all vertical construction. The company would predominantly con-sist of Seabees with ratings of Builders (BU), who are trained in carpentry, ma-sonry, concrete work, and roofing; and Steelworkers (SW), who are trained in

welding, structural steel erection, sheet metal fabri-cation and rigging.

Now that we have estab-lished a typical Seabee bat-talion’s anatomy, let’s throw that information out the window for it doesn’t apply to the current dynamics of NMCB 7’s 2010 deploy-ment to Camp Mitchell at Naval Station Rota, Spain.

Prior to deployment, NMCB 7 commenced a re-organization (REORG) or-der, realigning its line com-panies to facilitate the dy-namics of its 2010 deploy-ment. Due to the increased amounts of detachments and details scheduled during deployment, Bravo and Charlie Companies were combined to form Delta Company.

“With the tasking assigned to the battalion and the number of detachments scheduled to deploy, this type of REORG allows us to streamline and project effi-cient employment for our Seabees awaiting redeploy-ment to their projected de-tachment sites and incoming detachment Seabees,” said Chief Utilitiesman Timothy Hittle, Delta Company Op-erations Chief (Delta 3).

At a man power rate of 59 Seabees, Delta Company is solely in charge of all main-tenance at Camp Mitchell. Delta Company is also re-sponsible for Naval Station Rota projects and Mainte-nance Control Division (MCD) projects, obtaining supplemental man power, when necessary, from Echo Company, which is com-

prised of Seabees slated to deploy to future detach-ments throughout the AFRI-COM and EUCOM areas of operation, as tasked by Commander Task Force (CTF) Sixty-Eight.

To date, Delta Company has completed 496 of 783 initiated maintenance re-quests, with another 218 requests in progress. In addition, Delta Company has completed three MCD projects, with 13 currently in the Planning and Estimat-ing (P&E) stage, where pro-jects await their appropriate job classification, cost and labor estimations to com-plete.

Delta Company, in con-junction with the Camp Mitchell Czar, Senior Chief Electrician Daniel Serrano of Public Works Depart-ment Rota, has identified 11 potential projects for future consideration during NMCB 7’s current deployment.

“Delta Company Seabees have been performing above expectations, since being d e p l o y e d t o C a m p Mitchell,” said Master Chief Constructionman Moses Sampson, Delta Company Commander. “I am particu-larly pleased with the level of skill our junior Seabees have displayed on a daily basis during this deploy-ment.”

At the conclusion of NMCB 7’s deployment, the battalion will once again REORG during the home-port cycle, disassembling Delta Company to reform Bravo and Charlie Compa-nies.

Known as the one-stop-shop maintenance mecha-nism of a deployed Seabee battalion, Delta Company is once again setting the pace and getting the job done!

But to some, this is a new configuration of a deployed Seabee battalion.

During homeport periods, and for most deployments, Delta Company is nonexis-tent. Instead, the mainte-nance portion of the battal-ion is broken down into two separate entities; Bravo Company and Charlie Com-pany.

A typical Bravo Company is a front line company that would predominantly con-sist of Construction Electri-cians (CE) and Utilitiesmen (UT), to also include the Builder (BU) and Steel-worker (SW) ratings. Bravo Company would be respon-sible for all Camp Mainte-nance issues, as well as

Part I of a IV part battalion series

Where maintenance begins and ends...

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• January 26, 2010 - NMCB 7 Air Detachment departs for Port-au-Prince, Haiti in support of Operation UNIFIED RE-SPONSE

• February 7, 2010 - NMCB 7 Horn of Africa Detachment (HOA) departs Gulfport, Miss. for Djibouti in support of Com-

mander Joint Task Force (CJTF) HOA • February 10, 2010 - NMCB 7 Advance Party arrives at Naval Station Rota, Spain • February 12, 2010 - NMCB 7 Romania Detail departs to Constanta, Romania in support of Task Force East (TF-E) • February 12, 2010 - NMCB 7 Cameroon Detail departs to Limbe, Cameroon in support of CTF-365 • February 13, 2010 - NMCB 7 Liberia Detail departs to Monrovia, Liberia in support of CTF-365 • February 17, 2010 - NMCB 7 completes Turnover with NMCB 3 at Naval Station Rota, Spain • February 19, 2010 - NMCB 7 Delayed Party arrives at Naval Station Rota, Spain • February 20, 2010 - NMCB 7 African Partnership Station (APS) Detail departs Rota, Spain for Africa Partnership Station

2010 onboard USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) • March 3, 2010 - NMCB 7 Burkina Faso Detail departs to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in support of Exercise FLINTLOCK

2010 • March 19, 2010 - NMCB 7 Latvia Detail departs for Ventspils, Latvia in support of Exercise BALTOPS 2010 • March 26, 2010 - NMCB 7 Senegal Detail departs to Thies, Senegal in support of Exercise FLINTLOCK 2010 • March 27, 2010 - NMCB 7 Air Detachment improves conditions in Petionville, Haiti for displaced Haitians, sponsored by

actor Sean Penn. • April 18, 2010 - NMCB 7 Burkina Faso Detail completes Joint Command Center (JCC) building refurbishing project. • April 1, 2010 - NMCB 7 African Partnership Station (APS) Detail conducted community relation projects in Liberia and

Senegal • May 1, 2010 - NMCB 7 Morocco Detail departs to CAP DRAA, Morocco participate in Exercise AFRICAN LION • May 5, 2010 - NMCB 7’s Air Detachment Advance Party returns to Gulfport, Miss. from support of Operation UNIFIED

RESPONSE in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. • May 22, 2010 - NMCB 7’s Air Detachment Delayed Party returns to Gulfport, Miss. from support of Operation UNIFIED

RESPONSE in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. • May 24-28, 2010 - Seabees assigned to NMCB 7 participates in New York City’s Fleet Week aboard USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) • May 29, 2010 - NMCB 7 Latvia Detail returns to mainbody deployment site at Naval Station Rota, Spain, from support of

BALTOPS 2010 • June 6, 2010 - NMCB 7 Morocco Detail returns to mainbody deployment site at Naval Station Rota, Spain, from support of

Exercise AFRICAN LION

Dates of Significance

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“Chaps has been here forever,” went an offhand comment about turnover in the wardroom recently. And it’s true: at 3 years, my tour here has been longer than most officers – but it still seems short. While I enjoy change, and am looking forward to my next tour, it is always a bit painful to say good-bye. I run through the names and faces of those I have served with, and remember laughs, pain, struggles and victories. I add the families I have worked with, recalling the births and deaths, the new marriages and the troubled ones. I re-call ice-cold baptisms in Iraq, celebrating communion at Camp Shelby, and the shock and pain of UT3 Mary Cote’s death.

For many, probably most of the Seabees in this unit, there have been at least moments when I’ve had the privilege of walking through the best and worst of times with you. Some of you have discovered or grown in your faith; others have talked with me about your struggles to believe. With some, reli-gious faith has been out of the picture, but you have welcomed me into the good and bad of life, and shared camaraderie and trust. In all of this, I con-sider it an honor that you have allowed me to serve with you. I know Chap-lain Martin will provide magnificent ministry and care in the years to come. For my part, I will remember you warmly. I hope many of you will stay in touch. Fair winds, and following seas, SEVEN!

All God’s blessings, Chaplain Dan Curtis [email protected]

Photo by MCC Yan Kennon

Chaplain Curtis has kindly given me this opportunity to introduce myself to you. He has been a great sponsor and has shared his care for you in our communication for the past several months.

My name is Chaplain Russ Martin, and I have been in the Navy for 5 years. An Atlanta, Ga native, I graduated from King’s Way Christian School, Douglasville, Ga., in 1989, and received a BA in Bible from Pensacola Christian College in 1993 and a Master of Divinity degree from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in 1997. In Tennessee, I was licensed and ordained to the ministry while I served at Easthill Baptist Church, Bartlett, Tenn., as the Children’s Pastor and professor and Dean of Aca-demic Affairs at Easthill Bible Institute. In 2004, I began the process of appointment into the Navy and in April 2005 was commissioned to active duty and in August graduated Chaplain Basic Training, Newport, R.I.

My first assignment was at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. Working with Re-cruits was a great beginning and allowed me to see civilians develop into Sailors. My last assign-ment was a two-year tour on the USS BOXER (LHD 4). Shipboard life on the BOXER was fast paced. We sailed on a seven month WESTPAC, and I finished my tour with the challenges of shipyard life and preparations for INSURV.

Chaplain Curtis has made my transition as smooth as possible, and I am very excited about working with you and your families. I plan to join you very soon. Chaplain Martin has since joined NMCB 7 in Rota, Spain.

God bless, Chaplain Russ Martin

U.S. Navy File Photo

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Detail Latvia has com-pleted construction task-ing in preparation for Bal-t i c O p e r a t i o n s (BALTOPS) 2010, an an-nual exercise that aims to promote a mutual under-standing of maritime inter-operability between U.S. Navy, NATO, and non-NATO participants.

The Detail completed two major projects – pre-paring a five acre base camp site for a Marine Landing Group and con-structing a reinforced con-crete pad for a Maritime pre-positioned ship off-load of equipment to be used in the exercise.

The Seabees endured freezing temperatures, snow and rain during their construction projects. Of-ten working day and night, the detachment poured more than 250 cubic yards of concrete, within a three week timeframe and place 7,500 cubic yards of back-fill in just under a month.

“Cold weather wrecks havoc on concrete pours,” said Utilitiesman 1st Class Michael Jester, job super-visor for the project. “It lengthens setting up time and generally slows every-one down.”

During their off time, the Seabees performed nu-merous discretionary pro-

jects such as mechanic support on an aging fleet of Latvian “Coupe-V" Chevrolet maintenance vehicles, concrete road patches and general road and drainage improve-ments to the immediate surrounding camp areas. The Seabees also con-structed a medium ma-chine gun, rifle platoon and pistol range for the Latvian National Guard.”

“Though our project was initially delayed, we still were able to convert seven weeks of construction into three,” said Builder Con-structionman Anthony Capiello, project crew-leader.

“Everything is in place for the Marines arrival to participate in the upcom-ing exercise,” said Chief Equipment Operator Jerry Greer, Detail Latvia’s As-sistant Officer in Charge (AOIC). “They will be able to roll off their ships onto improved roads all the way to base camp. The accomplishments of these Seabees is typical of our Seabee legacy, which is to pave the way for the Marines!”

Detail Latvia deployed from the battalion’s main-body site in Rota, Spain on March 23, 2010. www.navy.mil/local/nmcb7

Story and Photos By Lt.j.g. Li-wei Chen Detail Officer in Charge (OIC) / NMCB 7 Public Affairs

Detail Latvia Completes Construction for BALTOPS 2010; Returns to Rota

Detail Latvia, deployed to Ventspils, Latvia on March 23, 2010 to conducting various exercise construction pro-jects in support of the 4th Marine Logistics Group (MLG) during Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2010.

Before and after photographs of Detail Latvia “Dune Cut” project, a reinforced concrete pad for heavy mili-tary equipment offloads.

Photo by MC2 Michael Lavender

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Latvia's Fire and Rescue Services were helped re-cently when a newly reno-vated fire training tower was opened May 26.

This was made possible by the close partnership of the Latvian Ministry of De-fense and the United States Embassy's Office of De-fense Cooperation in Latvia, the city of Ventspils. The Ventspils Fire and Rescue Service Division protect approximately 45,000 peo-ple over 2,530 square kilo-meters of territory and em-ploys 113 personnel.

The Office of Defense Cooperation via U.S. Euro-pean Command's Civil Military Operations office provided $25,000 to reno-vate the Ventspils fire train-ing tower. This was the

first time Humanitarian As-sistance and Humanitarian Civic Assistance funding were used to compliment each other to accomplish this HA project in Latvia.

A Latvian contractor teamed up with 24 Seabees from Naval Mobile Con-struction Battalion (NMCB) 7 to complete the project. The Seabees were in Latvia supporting preparations for the BALTOPS 2010 exer-cise. This partnership will continue when another unit of Seabees arriving for the exercise will team up with a Latvian contractor to reno-vate a bathroom in a Ventspils orphanage and fix a school auditorium in the city of Liepaja.

"Our mission is to provide Exercise Related Construc-

tion and Humanitarian Civic Assistance in support of Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2010," said Lt.j.g. Li-wei Chen, Detail Latvia Officer-in-Charge (OIC).

The Latvian Armed Forces also played an inte-gral role in this project by assisting with logistical sup-port for the Seabees.

"Their combined support has been a tremendous aid in assisting us with material contractors and general communications," said Chen.

The Seabees had a great experience working with the 46th Battalion of the Latvian Army National Guard.

"Having been on multiple details and detachments, I think that this will be some of the best experiences the younger Seabees will have,"

said Chief Equipment Op-erator Jerry Greer, Senior Enlisted Advisor (SEA) and Assistant Officer in Charge (AOIC). "I'm looking for-ward to a safe deployment and hope the troops take back great memories of our partnership with the Latvi-ans."

The fire training tower project is one of many dis-aster preparedness projects undertaken by the U.S. Em-bassy's Office of Defense Cooperation in Latvia in close cooperation with the Latvian Government and the Latvian National Armed Forces. Projects like these are possible because of the successful relationship that the US military has with its Latvian counterparts.

In addition to the training tower, ten fire and rescue stations across Latvia, in-cluding Ventspils station will receive renovations in the next few years at a total value of $1.9 million.

U.S. Ambassador Garber also had the opportunity to visit and tour the Seabees primary project site for the past two and a half months, a five acre gravel laydown pad and a dune cut which will enable Marine tanks to be offloaded, during BAL-TOPS 2010, with minimal damage to surrounding trees and vegetation.

Ambassador Garber thanked the Seabees for their efforts, especially dur-ing such severe weather conditions in the country during this time of the year.

“The Ambassador’s visit was great,” said Chief Equipment Operator Jerry Greer. “It gave us a really good opportunity to show her the work we’ve done and what Seabees can do to advance U.S. relations abroad.” www.navy.mil/local/nmcb7

Latvian and American Officials Open Renovated Fire Training Tower in Ventspils, Latvia

Story By Lt.j.g. Li-wei Chen Detail Officer in Charge (OIC) / NMCB 7 Public Affairs

U.S. Ambassador Judith Garber speaks to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 Seabees and Ventspils firefighters during a dedication ceremony in Latvia on May 26. The Office of Defense Coop-eration via U.S. European Command's Civil Military Operations office provided $25,000 to renovate the Ventspils fire training tower. NMCB 7 Seabees performed the renovations during their detachment to Ventspils, Latvia in support of Exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2010.

Photo by Lt. Cmdr. Duc Nguyen

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Detail Liberia Receives Commendation Story By Steelworker Constructionman Apprentice Stella Trusty


Detail Liberia Officer in Charge, Lt. Aaron Allison receives an Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Commendation Certificate from Lt. Col. Daniel Moore, on behalf of NMCB 7, as an appreciation for construction improvements at Camp Edward Binyah Kesselly (EBK).

Detail Liberia receives commendation certificate from Lt. Col. Daniel Moore, Commanding Officer, Armed Forces of Liberia’s (AFL) 23rd Infantry Regiment, on May 10 for camp construc-tion improvements.

The Seabee detail arrived in Liberia on February 15 to construct two AFRICOM counter-narcotics terrorism (CNT) projects and conduct discretionary projects in sup-port of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Coast Guard, as well as AFL Soldiers and Engineers at Camp Edward Binyah Kesselly (EBK) Mili-tary Barracks.

To date, Detail Liberia has cleared and made significant improvements of an existing 200 meter by 75 meter small arms range for AFL soldiers.

Official Navy Photo

This horizontal project pre-sented a great opportunity to increase the AFL’s opera-tional and training readiness while providing invaluable hands on training for Seabee Engineering Aids and Equip-ment Operators in their pri-mary construction skills.

Upon completing improve-ments to the camp’s small arms range, the Seabees cre-ated a one acre national cemetery on the EBK com-pound, dedicated to the Armed Services of Liberia. ” I cannot thank the Seabees enough,” said Lt. Col. Moore. “Your hard work and skill has blessed this Army, increasing pride and owner-ship in our installation and military tradition.”

Detail Liberia continues its construction of a CNT

funded AFL Coast Guard Boat Ramp and a concrete masonry unit (CMU) perime-ter wall. Construction of the Coast Guard boat ramp is currently 50% complete and currently scheduled for com-pletion by early June.

The CMU wall construc-tion has been a success to both the Seabees and AFL Engineers, due to the military to military training evolution between the units. “The aca-demic curriculum, consisting of program management and CMU construction, is a val-ued success for both parties to hone managerial skills and construction techniques,” said Navy Lt. Aaron Allison, detail Officer in Charge (OIC).

Other camp improvements included the clearing of vege-

tation, around newly con-structed barracks, to create additional parking and minor road repair within the facil-ity.

Detail Liberia is currently projected to complete all construction tasking by mid-June, where they will return to the battalion’s deployment mainbody site of Rota, Spain.

Acceptance of the Armed Forces of Liberia’s Commen-dation Certificate, on behalf of Cmdr. Jayson D. Mitchell, Commanding Officer of Na-val Mobile Construction Bat-talion (NMCB) 7, was Lt. Aaron Allison, detail Officer in Charge (OIC), and Chief Builder Joe Williams, Assis-tant Officer in Charge (AOIC). www.navy.mil/local/nmcb7

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Chaplain Curtis blessing boat ramp construction site Detail Liberia Seabee placing boulders along boat ramp

Detail Liberia Seabees and AFL Coast Guard

Detail Liberia Seabee finishing concrete

Detail Liberia Seabee placing rock Detail Liberia Seabees convoying to jobsite

First block on AFL coast guard wall project Detail Liberia Seabee demonstrating

concrete mixing to AFL Engineers Photo Illustration by MCC Yan Kennon

CMU wall footer construction

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Detail Senegal began construction projects in Thies (pronounced chess) to support Exer-cise FLINTLOCK 2010, a part of the African Partnership Initiative.

The detail of Seabees will primarily concen-trate their construction efforts on two projects; a Military Operations on U r b a n T r a i n i n g (MOUT) facility and a Known Distance Range for small arms training.

Shortly after arriving in Thies and establishing their base camp, the Sea-bees quickly mobilized project crews and began working at their respec-tive project sites with unwavering motivation.

Construction of the MOUT facility will re-quire the Seabees to place and finish more than 420 linear feet of concrete formwork, to include the mixing of 32 cubic yards of concrete by hand. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of Seabees to complete this tasking,” said Builder 2nd Class Richard Sant iago-Martinez, project crew-leader.

The Seabees expect that the $50K MOUT facility, estimated to re-quire more than 210

man-days of labor to complete, will be fin-ished by the end of June.

Construction of the small arms range will require the Seabees to place and finish more than 436 linear feet of concrete formwork, to include mixing 25 cubic yards of concrete by hand. This project, at an estimated cost of $16,500, will encompass 155 man-days of labor.

“Each crew, armed with various skill sets, areas of expertise and a “Can-do” attitude is meeting all challenges head on,” said Chief Warrant Officer Antoine Stephens, detail Officer in Charge (OIC).

FLINTLOCK is part of an annual exercise pro-g r a m a i m e d t o strengthen security insti-tutions, promote multi-lateral sharing of infor-mation, and develop in-teroperability among the partner nations of the Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership. As part of this program, FLINTLOCK helps to achieve United States Africa Command objec-tives for military-to-military training and multinational regional cooperation. www.navy.mil/local/nmcb7

A Detail Senegal Seabee operates a gas cutter during con-struction of a Military Operations on urban Training (MOUT) facility.

Seabees sets batterboards to establish building corners prior to construction of a MOUT facility.

NMCB 7 Seabees Arrive in Thies, Senegal; Projects Begin in support of Exercise FLINTLOCK 2010

Story and Photos By Builder Constructionman Zachary A. Wallace


A Seabee installs a ladderwell during MOUT construction

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Story and Photos By Builder Constructionman Zachary A. Wallace NMCB 7 Public Affairs

Seabees Bring MCMAP to Senegal

Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) is the teaching of physical, mental, and character discipline that helps form the modern day Marine warrior. This no longer applies solely to Ma-rines. It has now become widely accepted by naval units throughout the Fleet, to include our very own Sea-bees.

NMCB 7’s own, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Adrian Riley, a black belt instructor and current Independent Corpsmen (ID) for a Detail Senegal, is currently helping others achieve the character-istics associated with the MCMAP program. “I truly enjoy watching my students

grow and apply this knowl-edge to become more disci-plined and have a more humble outlook in all as-pects of their life,” said Ri-ley.

“Doc” Riley, as he is com-monly referred to by the Seabees assigned to Detail Senegal, is a two year MCMAP instructor who has prior experience in the mar-tial arts disciplines of Kempo, Tae Kwon Do, Ca-poeira, and Jiu-jitsu. “Doc” Riley originally became attracted to Marine Corps Martial Arts, not just for the combat skills, but also the training in leadership as-pects of this program. “When I was stationed at the

Marine Corps Recruiting Depot (MCRD), I originally viewed it as a hand-to-hand combat course. But after further research, I found that it was a defined leadership course which really sparked my interest in the program,” states Riley.

HM2 Riley recently com-pleted the instruction of a MCMAP class for Detail Senegal, for a group of vol-unteer Seabees. Beginning at Tan Belt qualifications, the students grasp the basic techniques, placing empha-sis on teaching moral, char-acter, and leadership skills. Immediately following Tan Belt instruction and qualifi-cation, the Seabees moved right into the Grey and Green Belt course of instruc-tion.

Extensive training was required from the Seabees who participated. The par-ticipants logged in excess of 16 hours a week, with quali-fying tests administered on Sundays. In all, the five MCMAP pa r t i c ipan t s achieved their Tan, Grey and Green Belt qualifica-tions.

“These belts were earned with blood, sweat and deter-mination,” said HM2 Riley. “The student’s clearly dem-onstrated sustained profi-ciency at all levels.” The knowledge and skill the par-ticipants obtained at the Green Belt level, classified as intermediate, states that the student understands the core fundamentals of the MCMAP program, which also allows the student to become an instructor.

See MCMAP page 34

16

Hamramba School Opens in Moroni, Comoros Islands Story By Engineering Aide 2nd Class Gregg Morris


Rear Adm. Brian L. Losey, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, center right, and Co-morian President Ahmed Abdallan Mohamed Sambi, center left, cut a ceremonial ribbon at the Hamramba school dedication in Moroni, Comoros.

Seabees assigned to Detail Comoros com-pletes construction of the Hamramba School in Moroni, Comoros, the first major Seabee construction project in the Comoros Islands.

The Seabees endured countless days of sweat in 120 plus degree heat indexes to ensure the successful completion of the Hamramba School, a humanitarian project that is sure to have a lasting impact for decades to come. “This was an out-standing team effort and partnership with the lo-cal military and govern-ment of Comoros,” said Chief Builder Hippolito Quiles, Mission Com-mander for NMCB 7 Detachment Horn of

Africa project in the Co-moros Islands. “The teamwork and hard work to make this pro-ject a success was truly impressive.”

NMCB 7 was tasked with the completion of two 300 square meter concrete masonry unit (CMU) block school buildings with three separate classrooms each. In addition, the Seabees were tasked with constructing a 25 square meter male and female latrine facility to include associated elec-trical and plumbing fin-ish work. The entire project began four NMCB deployments ago, with NMCB 7 completing the final 15 percent.

The capital city of

Moroni, located on the Grande Comore Island, is the largest city in the Comoros Islands and is known for its beautiful beaches and tropical rain forest climate, in which the Seabees ex-perienced first hand.

Being a smaller self sufficient island, the typical construction methods that the Sea-bees regularly use were not available to the de-tachment. “Working on a project with numerous challenges, as well as the prevalent language barrier between us and the local military assist-ing, provided a level of difficulty that many of the young Seabees here have never dealt with,” said Quiles.

Upon arriving at the site, the Seabees imme-diately went to work,

occasionally using methods that even the more experienced Sea-bees have never used. For instance, concrete batch plants were non-existent; instead the Seabees mixed all their concrete by hand. Even equipment such as pump trucks, vehicles used to assist in more difficult concrete pours, were not an option.

After hand mixing their concrete, the crew was forced to use two-gallon buckets and wheel barrels to transfer the material to the ac-tual area of placement.

“This was the toughest project that I have en-countered since joining the battalion” said Equipment Operator Constructionman Tho-mas Welker. The aus-tere location of the pro-

See COMOROS page 34

Detail Comoros Seabees present a commemorative plaque to Comorian President Ahmed Abdallan Mo-hamed Sambi to be displayed in the school, during the ceremonial ribbon cutting ceremony.

Official U.S. Navy Photo Official U.S. Navy Photo

17

Seabees assigned to NMCB 7 Detail Romania pose with Task Force-East (TF-E) Com-mander, Colonel Gary Russ and Mayor of Sarichioi, Cristian Vitali Finoghen, following a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of a school fence construction project in Sarichioi, Romania.

Construction Complete in Sarichioi; Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Held Story Written By Utilitiesman 2nd Class Jeffery Walter


Seabees from NMCB 7 Detail Romania recently attended a ribbon cutting ceremony in Sarichioi, Romania to celebrate their finished project work with the local com-munity at the town’s vo-cational school. A five man detail finished con-struction of a new pe-rimeter fence around the school in early April. With the onset of spring, the town mayor, Cristian Vitali Finoghen, and school officials invited the detail and other de-tachment members to the ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the

completed project. Also in attendance was U.S. Army Col. Gary Russ, C o m ma n d e r , T a s k Force-East (TF-E).

M a y o r F i n o g h e n thanked Colonel Russ and TF-E for their sup-port during the project and the continued hu-manitarian efforts of U.S. forces in the region. The mayor then thanked Steelworker 3rd Class Stephen Ford, project crew leader, and his crew for their dedicated hard work and efforts in com-pleting the project in a very timely manner, without setbacks and of

“Magnificent” quality. Col. Russ also praised the crew’s hard work in the completion of the project. “I saw the start of this project and it’s now nice to see the end results,’ said Russ. “This was not an easy project to work on and the long travel distances and the harsh weather conditions didn’t help, but you and your crew did a great job,” Russ told SW3 Ford.

Mayor Finoghen and Col. Russ cut the red, yellow and blue ribbon, representing the Roma-nian flag, into three pieces during the cere-mony, to signify the completion of the pro-

ject. Mayor Finoghen and Col. Russ each kept a section of the ribbon, with the third section being retained by the school. Following the ceremony the entire group of attendees toured the school and had the opportunity to mingle with students and school faculty.

Mayor Finoghen then invited the Seabees on a personally guided tour of the Romanian coast, ex-plaining the significance of his town and the im-portance of the Black Sea to the local commu-nity. After the tour, the entire group was treated to a luncheon were Mayor Finoghen and guests exchanged stories.

NMCB 7 Detail Roma-nia is currently deployed to Romania and Bulgaria in support of CDR Task Force - East (TF-E). Their mission is to execute Humanitarian and Civic Assistance (HCA) projects in the local community and Exercise Related Con-struction (ERC) support-ing American and inter-national forces (NATO) in combined training ex-ercises. Their efforts provide support to thea-ter security cooperation (TSC) in the AO and a commitment to host na-tion development and relationships.

Photo by Lt.j.g. Eric Hower

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Detail Morocco deployed near CAP DRAA, Morocco, a Moroccan military training area near the town of Tan Tan, in support 0f Exercise AFRICAN LION on May 1, 2010, to CAP DRAA, Morocco. The detail com-pleted the construction of a 100x40 and a 30x40 foot K-span, including the installation of end walls, roll up and personnel doors, electrical panels, receptacles and overhead lighting. Estimated project completion cost was approximately $656,000, with an estimated 540 man-days of labor.

SW1 William Bruchey BU3 Royshawn Ferguson

CE3 David Shaw CE3 Justin Speer

Secretary of the Navy, Honorable Ray Mabus, took time to advance four NMCB 7 Seabees during a his site visit to the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) areas throughout the AFRICOM region.

Photos Illustration by MCC Yan Kennon

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LIMBE, Cameroon - Seabees assigned to NMCB 7 Detachment Cameroon clear a 150 x 200 meter area in Man O’ War Bay Camp to initiate the construction of a Sports Complex for the Battalion Rapid Intervention (BIR). The Sports Complex will consist of a swimming pool, soccer and volleyball court, two basketball courts, football pitch, two tennis courts, and a gym.

LIMBE, Cameroon - Chief Hospital Corps-man Robin Ward, as-signed to NMCB 7 De-tail Cameroon, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Ubaldo, and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Bermudez, assigned to Marine Force Africa, conduct Combat Life Saver (CLS) training to 25 officer and enlisted members of the Battalion Rapid Intervention (BIR). The week-long class covered power-point presentations and hands-on training in first responder care and basic combat wounds.

Photos By EOCN Patricia Jenkings

Photo By EOCN Patricia Jenkings

20

Dispatch / Projects My most memorable moment of Operation UNIFIED RE-SPONSE was providing hu-manitarian assistance to the Hai-tian people at the capitol build-ing. Being able to assist those, who are in such desperation, was very gratifying.

Equipment Inspector My most memorable moment was going out to the recreation area to play games with the local kids, near our base camp, and just seeing the appreciation they had for all who were in Haiti to support relief efforts, especially the Seabees.

What was your most memorable experience while supporting Operation Unified Response in Haiti?

EO3 Garry Robinson FT. Lauderdale, Fla.

CM2 Nicholas Cole Houston, Texas

EO3 Lamaar Moore Norfolk, Va.

Dispatch / Projects My most memorable moment was the completed construction of Camp Petionville for inter-nally displaced persons (IDP) camp for the displaced families. Just seeing the comfort and re-lief that we brought to the Hai-tian people was remarkable.

21

Builder 1st Class Joseph Waddell

April 30, 2010

Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Christopher Sisco

May 5, 2010

22

Builder 1st Class Christopher Watts

May 17, 2010

Equipment Operator 3rd Class Richard Rack

June 1, 2010

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Not Pictured: • CM2 Joseph Larson (Air Detachment): Reenlisted May 19, 2010 • YN2 Alvin Hauer (Detachment HOA): Reenlisted June 7, 2010

Steelworker 2nd Class Christopher McPeters

June 2, 2010

Logistics Specialist 1st Class Morris Hicks

June 8, 2010

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SWCS Jose Torres Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal

Lt. Cmdr. James Brown Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal

Lt.j.g. Li-wei Chen Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal

UT1 Michael Foster Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal

CM2 Nicholas Cole Flag Letter of Commendation Joint Task Force Port Opening

25

EO3 Garry Robinson Flag Letter of Commendation Joint Task Force Port Opening

EO3 Lamaar Moore Flag Letter of Commendation Joint Task Force Port Opening

EOCN Rhett Woodworth Flag Letter of Commendation Joint Task Force Port Opening

CMCN Michael Bachman Flag Letter of Commendation Joint Task Force Port Opening

26

Lt. David Hill Seabee Combat Warfare Officer

CE2 Michael Brophy Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

ET2 Robert Sanchez Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

CE3 Gary Lucas Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

SW3 John Berg Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

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HM3 Richardo Hayward Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

SW3 Travis Mohlhenrich Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

CM3 Lucas Ranburger Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

BU3 Joseph Schiflett Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

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LS3 Nicholas Farrish Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

UT3 Jason Steele Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

LSSN David Adams Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

BUCN Brandon Bigelow Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

EOCN Shawn Hinton Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist

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Promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade

Advanced to Construction Electrician 3rd Class

Selected to Master Chief Constructionman

30

Front Row: BU3 Anthony Messina, BU3 Corey Blake, SW3 Kolani Andrade, CM3 Jonathan Owens, BU3 Kevin Foley

Back Row: CM3 Don Johnson, BU3 Jonathon Bucknam, EA3 Peter Knudsen, CM3 Casey O'Sullivan, SW3 Christopher Malcomb, UT3 Michael Galvin

Front Row: CE2 Bruce Huff Jr., CE2 Daniel Lenhart, SW2 Derek Abad, CS2 Surrayyah Jones, UT2 Christina Morgan, UT2 William Templeton

Back Row: EO2 AJ Dunn, BU2 Michael Vandevender, CE2 Ja-red Carbone, BU2 Jeffery Jutz, BU2 Hector Romero Jr., EO2 David Meadow

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UT2 Kenneth Young

BU2 Jesse Marsh

EO2 Brandon Jeans

BU3 Tyler Welch

BU3 Casey Shenefield

CM2 Keith Ellerbach GM3 Travis Ohrtman

BU3 William Davis BU3 Prince Anumah

BU3 Corey Womack CE3 Jonathan Ritschard

BU3 Joshua Messer

BU3 Russell Brown

BU3 Brandon Bigelow

EO3 Aaron Albergottie

32

Our Seabees word direct from them to you! CM3 Daniel Stubbs Alfa Company Stubbs Family, Hello to my family. I love you very much Honey and I can't wait to come home to our new baby girl Khloe. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. CMCN Matthew Wright Alfa Company Wright Family Hello to my family and Fiancé in Michigan. I love all of you and miss you. Can't wait to get back. CE2 Derek Field Detail Israel I just wanted to let my two very special ladies back home know that they’re in my heart and in my thoughts everyday. I love you!! XOXO. BU1 Brandon Simons Echo Company To my beautiful wife and best friend Heather: I love you so much! Thanks for being there for me when I need you the most! See you in December!! UT2 William Templeton Detail Montenegro Marcy, I just want you to know that Daddy loves you very much. I think about you all the time, and all the hard work I’m doing, I’m doing for you. You are my little princess and I will be home before you know it. I love you. Love Daddy. CE3 Bryce Balderson Detail Israel To my wife and daughter, I love you and miss you both like crazy!! Can’t wait to get home and spend all my time with ya’ll. UT2 Eric Bayer Detail Sao Tome To my wife and son, I love you and miss you both. Can’t wait to be home again.

SW2 Christopher McPeters Delta Company To Ericka, Tucker, and Carter. I miss you guys and can’t wait to see ya’ll. Be safe and I love you. ALFA Company 1st Platoon NMCB 7 Family Members, Sending all our Love and Thanks to all of you for the generosity and support we receive from you. Thanks Again! CM1 Albert Muzic Alfa Company Muzic Family, Hello everybody, do-ing well here. Miss you tons and can't wait to come home and hold you all. LOVE and MISS YOU Lots! CMCN Darin Wilson Alfa Company Wilson Family, Hello to my family back in Georgia. I miss you all a lot and can't wait to see you again! Love Ya’ll. CMCN Dustin Lindgren Alfa Company Lindgren Family, Hello to all my family and friends back in Minne-sota. Can't wait to see all of you again. Lots of Love from Spain. CM2 Alvarez Gonzalez Alfa Company Gonzalez Family, Hello to my family in Mississippi and my family in Idaho. I miss everyone and I'll be back soon LOVE YOU! CM2 Manuel Iglesias Alfa Company Iglesias Family, Hello to my family in Virginia Beach, Va. Miss you all and Love You! Hope to be back soon. BU3 Robert Dobbs Detail Montenegro To all my friends and family, I love ya.

SWC P G Hayes DET Horn of Africa “To my beautiful and supportive wife Roxanne, I love you and miss you. To my kids: Seth, Get the grass cut Aaron, Do your Homework Shelby, Clean your room Madison, Get out of my recliner I love and miss you guys so much Your always in my heart and thoughts.” UT3 Justin Natale Detail Senegal Hey Aimee I miss you and I’ll be home soon, love you. UT1 Thomas Wilhorn Detail Senegal To my wife Kendra, and my two boys, Clayton and Carson: I love you very much, and miss you even more. SWCA Kaylor Mainor Detail Senegal Hey mommy and Kat. And everyone else. I miss you guys and hope to see ya’ll soon. Love ya’ll. BUCN Zachary Wallace Detail Senegal To my fiancée Courtney and my par-ents, I love and miss you all very much and I’ll see you very soon. MCC Yan Kennon HQ Company To my beautiful family, thanks for the support and love you’ve given me during this deployment. Wish you all well and look forward to see-ing you in the distant, but near fu-ture. You are all “Great Americans”. BU3 Martin Riddle DET GTMO I miss you all. Take care Ma, Pops, and Mike. I love you.

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UT3 Bernetta HQ Company Congratulations to all the graduates of 2010. Love you guys and keep moving forward in life. YNSN Jacorey Swain HQ Company Big ups to that Robles guy. Keep ya head up, you are somebody. Congratu-lations to Watson for having the most game in the command and all of his boxing accomplishments. And to Seaman Daryl…..BRRRR! HM3 Corey Barre HQ Company Hey Kaitlyn, hope you’re having fun with Grandma. I can’t wait to come home and see you. I love you big bunches. EACN Christopher Kumpf HQ Company Hello to my wife Amy and my new daughter Kiley. Love you, see you soon. EA3 Peter Knudsen HQ Company Hey Bridget, I love you more than any-thing! I can’t wait to see you. LT Matthew Lutynski Staff Kris & Bella, miss you guys. Try and stay out of trouble… I know that will be hard for one of you. Love Mat. Magnificent PAO NMCB 7 I would like to thank all of the family and friends of NMCB 7 for your con-tinued support of your Seabees. You can rest assured that they are perform-ing above and beyond expectations! Keep the “Care Packages” coming! We are all looking forward to returning home in the near future. OORAH! MAGNIFICENT PAO... OUT!

ITC Reese Foreman HQ Company To my family, I miss you much. CECN Ian Kipp Delta Company Gulfport, I’ll see you next Friday. CS3 Derhon Finch HQ Company Greensborg, I miss you guys. I’ll be back soon. Japan, I miss you Babe, one day closer! Aishiteruyo! UTCN Akea Landers Delta Company To my friends in HOA, I miss ya and we have only 6 more to go. Hang in there, we will be home soon. Miss you SWCN Harris and BU3 Anu-mah. YN2 Jimmie Watson HQ Company “Go Bulls” YNSN Daryl Jones HQ Company “Happy Father’s Day to all!” BUCA Victoria Haley Delta Company IT2 Mcnair, I miss you. I will be home soon. LS2 William Newton HQ Company To my wife Sheila and stepdaughter Kayla, I miss and love you. CE2 Bruce Huff HQ Company Best wishes to my lovely wife Shawnteal Huff. I’ll be seeing you soon and keep your head up. Your dreams will come true. Love you. HM1 Shealeasa Sims HQ Company Happy Birthday Hospital Corpsman!

SW3 Jay Strassner Detail Israel To my wife and family, I can’t wait to see you all. We have a lot of time to make up. I love you all very much. BUC Diane Paddock Detail Sao Tome Sending big hugs and kisses to my husband Ryan and my three beautiful kids Nicole, David, and Scooter. I love you and can’t wait to see you all soon!! To my nephew, Manuelito Singer, Welcome to the world! UT1 George Brooks Detail Sao Tome Hey Baby! I miss you and the kids. See you all soon, I love you. BU3 William Svoboda Detail Montenegro To all my family and friends back in the states, I miss you and will be home soon. Colleen, I love you. BU2 Mark Anderson Detail Sao Tome To all my family and friends, much love to all of ya. I’ll see you on the flipside when I get back to the states. BU3 Joseph Fekete Detail Sao Tome To all my friends in Gulfport, miss you all! Mom and Sam, I miss you both so much and can’t wait until December for all of us to be together. Also before I forget, I miss you Big Sis! Love you all! EOCN Krystle Harris Alfa Company To my family, I miss you all! EOCN Jennifer Scurlock Alfa Company To my family in Panama City, Fla., love you and miss you. See you soon.

Our Seabees word direct from them to you!

34

While much different in style than traditional martial arts, MCMAP proves to be an effective disciplinary program, combining ground fighting, joint manipulation and armed or unarmed com-bat. “One of the reasons I enjoy MCMAP is that it takes the characteristics of all disciplines and molds them together into a style that is adapted to a military setting,” said Riley.

Achieving the qualifica-tions of Green Belt were:

From MCMAP page 15 Builder 3rd Class Daniel Hutchinson, Utilitiesman 3rd Class Justin Natale, Construction Electrician Brooke Thompson, Builder Constructionman Zachary Wallace, and Construction Mechanic Constructionman Joshua Adams.

With qualifications com-plete, these MCMAP gradu-ates are eager to share their new knowledge and help shipmates grow through team cohesion and the Navy Core Values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.

MCMAP participants receive their Green Belt certifi-cates. Front Row: CECN Brooke Thompson, BUCN Zachary Wallace, HM2 Adrian Riley (instructor), BU3 Daniel Hutchinson. Back Row: CMCN Joshua Adams, UT3 Justin Natale.

Detail Senegal Seabees strike a pose, catching in-structor HM2 Adrian Riley by surprise, after complet-ing Green Belt qualifications for the MCMAP program.

ject provided many of the crew a chance to learn all facets of con-struction techniques. Steelworkers mixed concrete, mechanics were operating the equipment they typi-cally fix, and electri-cians were placing fin-ishing work. It was this display of camaraderie that was the driving force to the Seabees completing the project on time.

T h e H a m r a m b a School was officially completed on May 12, 2010. A ceremony, to commemora te the school completion, was held on site. In atten-dance were Comorian President Ahmed Ab-dallan Mohamed Sambi and Rear Adm. Brian Losey, commander of Combined Task Force-Horn of Africa. Many city residents were on hand to witness the ceremony, including a local school choir that sang the Comorian na-tional anthem to begin the ceremony. Local government officials, Mr. Niels Marquadt, U.S. Ambassador to the Comoros and Madagas-car, and Rear Adm. L o s e y d e l i v e r e d speeches during the ceremony.

In his speech, Ambas-sador Marquadt thanked the Seabees for their work and the legacy they will leave behind.

President Ahmed Ab-dallan Mohamed Sambi stated "This school is certainly a privileged place for the education of our children."

The gratitude from the local population was evident on all their faces. Children ex-pressed excitement to be able to begin classes in what many called the nicest school on the Is-land. Music played and people cheered as the Comorian President toured the completed buildings for final ap-proval.

Steelworker 3rd Class Justin Holloway and Construction Mechanic Constructionman Robert Perrine, the last Seabees to leave Moroni, had the honor to present Presi-dent Sambi a com-memorative plaque to be hung on the exterior of the school. “Seeing how much the commu-nity appreciates our work really makes it all worth while,” said Con-struction Mechanic Constructionman Robert Perrine.

Detail Comoros Sea-bees will return to Camp Lemonnier to re-join the rest of the De-tachment Horn of Africa Seabees, assigned to NMCB 7, where they will continue to operate throughout the rest of their scheduled deploy-ment.

From COMOROS page 16

35

Unusual expenses and special pays and entitlement before, during, and after a deployment can make it hard to budget. But if you take the time to make sure you understand your finances and plan your family's spending, you can stay financially fit during deployment. The following information can help.

Your deployment entitlements If you know and understand your deployment pays and enti-

tlements, you'll be in a much better position to budget and to stay financially fit. Remember to use these extra pays wisely -- for instance, to pay down debt, and to save with the Savings Deposit Program available during combat deployments. And be sure to check with your unit's administrative section to confirm what you will be receiving.

If you're deployed for more than 30 days, you are eligible for certain entitlements. If it is a combat deployment, short or long, depending on your unit, you will receive other compensation for your hardships.

Here are the entitlements: • Family Separation Allowance (FSA). This entitlement is

given to any service member deployed away from their family for more than 30 days. If you are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, this pay will show up every month you're deployed. It ends when you come home.

• Combat Zone Tax Exclusions. If you're receiving hostile fire pay because of assignment to a combat zone, the pay will be tax exempt. Although this means an additional amount in your paycheck, be mindful that this change in income may affect your taxes the following year.

• Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger Pays. Depending on where you're deployed, if you're eligible you may receive this pay of $225 per month.

• Per Diem. This is money paid out for each day you're de-ployed if the deployment is longer than 30 days. This pay will usually show up when you get home.

• Hazardous Duty Location Pay. This is a monthly payment for certain deployments. In Iraq and Afghanistan, you should receive this pay of $100 per month.

Special operations or rapid deployment unit In these types of units, where deployments can happen literally overnight, your entitlements can fluctuate quickly. Be careful not to overspend. The following tips can help you stay on track financially: • Check your Leave and Earning Statements regularly. Go to

https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx or make sure that your spouse or another trusted family member checks your state-ments to make sure that you're receiving what you should be receiving.

• You may be entitled to other special duty pays. Your spe-cial duty pays, such as jump pay or other special pays, should continue during the deployment. Be sure to check on this each month.

• Be careful if you are accidentally overpaid. In some units,

pay may change dramatically and quickly, so it's possible that you may be overpaid at some time. If this happens, be sure to report it to your administrative section. Don't spend the extra money until you have confirmed that it's truly yours. If there is an overpayment, the error will be noticed eventually and you will be required to pay back the extra amount. Depending on the circumstances, the repayment may be taken in a lump sum, or it may be taken over sev-eral paychecks.

• Live off of your usual financial plan. Don't think of extra pays as extra money. Save as much as possible and set up payments to pay down credit cards and debt.

• Before deployments, set up an automatic payment to spe-cial savings/or investments. Money you don't see is money you won't spend. Make sure your family member can view these accounts, and make sure your money is going to the right place.

• Make sure you always know how to handle the bills. With rapid deployments, it's especially important for you to make sure your trusted family member has a full under-standing of all of your household bills and access to the necessary accounts. Make sure you:

• Make a detailed list of your bills and when they are due. • Set up automatic allotments for any bill that is recurring,

like car payments or mortgage payments. • Make sure your family knows if there are other bills that

need to be handled differently. • Through the deployment, if possible, keep in contact with

your family member and make that sure your bills are be-ing paid.

• Communicate with your family member before you leave. Make sure you agree on your budget, and make sure that you're honest about your expenses.

Take advantage of extra savings during deployment The Department of Defense (DoD) offers unique savings

plans during deployment. If you take advantage of these higher-rate savings you can build a nice nest egg. Here are a few op-tions: • Savings Deposit Program. At a very high rate of 10 per-

cent, this is an excellent option for savings. It is only avail-able during deployment. Go to www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2001/n12112001_200112112.html to find out more. You can also talk to a financial advisor on your installation to learn about the program.

• Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). If you don't invest regularly in this DoD safety net, definitely do so during deployment. You're not likely to miss the money coming out every month and you'll enjoy the benefits later on. Go to the TSP site at www.tsp.gov for more information.

• Your Military Star Card offers special lower interest rates during deployment. Make sure you or your spouse contacts your Exchange Credit Services before the deployment. If you have other credit cards with a very high interest rate, look at the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act at www.defenselink.mil/specials/Relief_Act_Revision/ to see if you're eligible for reduced rates.

Courtesy of Military OneSource

36

Most parents know the importance of teaching their children how to stay safe in their community. It's also essential to your teach your child how to stay safe in the "virtual community" on the Internet. The process begins with setting a few household rules about avoiding problems online. Depending on your child's age and maturity, you may also want to take some extra steps such as installing filtering software or drawing up a writ-ten contract that spells out your guidelines for staying safe in cyberspace.

Safety basics on the Internet

Even if you don't know how to use a computer, it's vital to set household rules for staying safe online. Tell your child to: • Never give personal information to someone she's met on

the Internet. Let your child know what kind of information you don't want her to give to people she's met online, such as your last name, address, phone number, credit card num-bers, or the name of her school. Make sure she understands that she shouldn't say anything she wouldn't say over the phone -- for example, that she's home alone.

• Never agree to a face-to-face meeting with someone she's met online. Explain to your child that, on the Internet peo-ple can easily lie about their age, interests, or where they live. Someone who claims to be a teenage girl could easily be a man who lives in another state or even country. Tell your child that if she'd like to have a face-to-face meeting with someone she's met online, she should tell you so that you can evaluate the situation and, if you approve of the meeting, go with her.

• Never respond to e-mail or other messages that seem weird or make her feel uncomfortable. Even if she doesn't give out personal information, your child or teenager may come across disturbing messages in her e-mail, in chat rooms, or on electronic bulletin boards. Tell her to leave a Web site if she sees anything that bothers her or sounds odd. Ask her to save any e-mail messages that disturb her so that the two of you can decide what to do about them.

• Never give her Internet account or other passwords to any-body but a parent. Talk about some of the dangers that could occur if she gave the password to a Web site or her Internet account to one of her friends. What would happen if she and her friend had a fight? Or if the friend used the password in a place where somebody else might be watch-ing, such as a library or school computer room?

• Never send photos to someone she's met online. Sending photos may seem harmless to your child. After all, the pic-tures don't contain information such as telephone or credit card numbers. But once a photo is e-mailed, she has no control over what happens to it and it could end up some-where she doesn't want it.

• Never accept a password or e-mail account from someone she's met online. Instruct your child to tell you if somebody tries to give her a password or new account. Some people try to set up new accounts for children so that they can communicate with them without arousing the suspicions of parents.

When setting ground rules for Internet use, the most impor-tant thing you can do is make sure your child feels comfortable telling you about any problems she may run into online.

Online dangers

Many of the risks on the Internet are complex or subtle. Even very thoughtful and intelligent children may not understand the problems that could arise out of a seemingly innocent online conversation. You can help by talking about some of the poten-tial difficulties and encouraging your child or teenager to ask questions if there's anything he doesn't understand. • Arguments on the Internet. It's natural for children to get

into heated arguments. On the Internet, these can get out of control quickly. When you're online, you don't have all the cues (such as a smile or friendly tone of voice) that can help you interpret a message in real life. Some forms of humor can come across as rude or hostile in cyberspace, and you might want to give your child or teenager ideas on how to avoid this problem. For example, he could count to 10 before sending a message or use emoticons or electronic smiley faces -- such as :) for a smile -- to show that he means a comment humorously.

• Flaming. In chat rooms and elsewhere, it isn't unusual to see examples of "flaming," or posting a nasty remark (typically in response to a comment that someone didn't like). Often it's best simply to ignore these remarks, be-cause anything you say may provoke an even nastier re-sponse. But if your child or teenager has been emotionally hurt by flaming, you might suggest a few ways to respond, such as avoiding a particular chat room or saying, "I don't think what you said is funny, and I don't like it, so I'm go-ing to sign off now." Be sure your child knows not to be a "flamer."

• Loss of privacy. Some Web sites ask for personal informa-tion before allowing you to enter the site, play a game, or download music or software. For example, a music site might ask your child or teenager to list the names of his favorite bands or how much money he spends on CDs each month. Companies may not collect personal information about children under 13 without their parents' permission, but giving out this kind of information can cause problems even for older children. One of the potential difficulties is that a company may sell information about your child's tastes to others, and your child's electronic mail box may fill up with "spam," or electronic junk mail. You might tell your child that if he finds a great site that he can't enter without answering questions, he should come to you and you'll look over the questions together.

• Inappropriate material. One of the most common dangers for young people on the Internet is the possibility of com-ing across inappropriate material. This could include Web sites of a sexual or violent nature or sites devoted to hate or the use of illegal substances. Talk to your child about what you consider to be inappropriate. You may also want to limit Internet use when you're not home or consider putting the computer in a public

Courtesy of Military OneSource

See INTERNET page 38

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May/June Comic

space where you can perodically check what your child is doing online. • Inaccurate information. It's easy to become overwhelmed

by all the information the Internet can provide. Children need to understand that just because they read something online doesn't mean it's true. Help your child learn strate-gies for verifying online information, such as visiting not-for-profit Web sites or using resource guides provided at local libraries to find approved sites for research.

• Threats. It is illegal and hurtful to make threats or harass other people online. It can be especially dangerous to do these things in a public place, such as a Web site or chat room. Remind your child that anything he says in these areas can be read by many people, may remain in sight for a long time, and may have serious consequences for him and for anyone he writes about. Tell him never to post any message that could hurt another person and never to give the names, addresses, and phone numbers of anyone he knows. It's also important for your child to avoid making remarks that could be seen as a threat, even if he's trying to be funny. ("I'll kill you if you tell anybody this, but ...").

Tips on helping your child stay safe

One of the challenges of using the Internet is that cyberspace is always changing. Guidelines that work today may not work tomorrow, either because your child has become more mature or because online technology has changed. Here are some extra steps you can take to keep your safety measures up-to-date. Use the Internet with your child. Exploring the Internet together will give you a better sense of any new risks that may be in-volved and how your child can avoid them. If you aren't good with computers, ask your child to show you some of her favor-ite Web sites or consider taking one of the free courses in un-derstanding the Internet that are offered by many public librar-ies. • Draw up an online safety contract. Your child may find it

much easier to remember your safety guidelines if you write them down on paper or in an electronic file. Ask her to tell you what she thinks the most important rules are, and then talk about any others that you think are necessary. Review your safety contract periodically to make sure that it keeps up with the changing technology. You can find a sample document called "Staying Safe Online: A Young Person's Contract," on the Web site for the Children's Part-nership (www.childrenspartnership.org ).

• Keep your computer or Internet access in a public room. Your child or teenager may be less likely to visit unsafe or inappropriate sites if other family members are watching.

• Install software that can make it safer to use the Internet. Most computer stores sell a variety of software programs that can screen out some of the dangers on the Internet. Some software programs will block your child's access to certain kinds of Web sites, such as those that are sexual, violent, or hate-filled. Others will filter out some of the objectionable material that's available online, and still oth-ers will allow you to monitor your child's e-mail or restrict her Internet access to certain times of the day. Many pro-grams provide a combination of these features or can be tailored to your specific needs. Some of the most popular

From INTERNET page 36 include Cybersitter, Cyber Patrol, Net Nanny, and X-Stop. You can find reviews of these and other programs on the Internet or in parents' or computer magazines. • Call the police or 911 if your child faces an immediate

threat to her physical safety. It's important to take immedi-ate action if your child is getting threatening e-mail mes-sages or receiving phone calls from someone she's met online or if she's agreed to a face-to-face meeting with somebody she's met online. Law enforcement officials can suggest what to do next or put you in touch with child pro-tection agencies in your area.

Finally, remember that most children and teenagers get many

benefits from the Internet and never face a serious threat to their physical safety online. In that sense, talking about online safety is a little like talking about safety at the playground. While it's vital to point out the dangers, it's also important to keep things in perspective. Your overall goal is to show your child that while you want her to understand and avoid online dangers, you also know how much fun and how useful the Internet can be.

Resources A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety

This FBI publication includes information and tips for parents about teaching children internet safety and minimizing the risks of online use. www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm Military HOMEFRONT www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil

A Department of Defense Web site for quality-of-life infor-mation designed to help troops and their families. Provides con-tact information for military installations and communities worldwide, resources for military families on a variety of top-ics, and detailed information about the Family Advocacy Pro-gram (FAP), including risk factors for abuse, reporting require-ments and options, prevention strategies, and links to the FAP Web page for each service branch. (Click on "Troops and Fami-lies," then on "Interpersonal Abuse.")

Family Advocacy Program (FAP) locator www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil

For the FAP locator, click on "Military Installations: Locate Programs and Services." In the first search box, scroll to and click on "Family Advocacy Program" and complete the other requested information.

39

¡Hola! Once again to all of the family, friends and loved ones of the “Magnificent” SEVEN Sea-bees.

The weather here in Rota has been great as the month of May has flown past, and June is almost a memory. As my deployment counter tells me that we are 49% complete, our focus and mission ori-entation must not waiver.

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate all of our Seabees who were recently promoted to the ranks of 1st Class, 2nd Class, or 3rd Class Petty Officer. This is a great achievement and should give you the inspiration to plan and strive to continue that trend. I expect our newly pro-moted Seabees to embrace to added responsibility and continue to surpass expectations and set the example for others to follow. To those who were not advanced, now is the time to begin prepara-tions for the September advancement cycle.

I would also like to welcome our Air Detachment back from Haiti, where they performed flawlessly in support of Operation Unified Response. As you may have seen earlier in this newsletter edition, some of our Seabees received Flag Letter of Com-mendations for their “Magnificent” performance efforts during Joint Task Force Port Opening. This is the performance that we have grown to know and expect here at NMCB 7, and our goal is to continue this type of performance well through-out this deployment and into our homeport cycle.

On behalf of NMCB 7, I would like to wish all of the Seabee mothers and fathers a Happy belated Mother’s / Father’s Day. We hope you all enjoyed your day and look forward to spending this day with you next year.

Throughout the month of May and June, your Seabees have been doing a “Magnificent” job. Whether it’s punching out and supporting detach-

ments and details, or completing MCD pro-jects, the troops con-tinue to give there all. Most importantly, we are getting the job done in a safe manner, which is our #1 prior-ity.

During off-duty hours, our Seabees have had the opportunity to enjoy MWR spon-sored tours and trips to such places as Gibraltar, Vejer de la Fronterra, Marbella, and Portugal. I ask our Seabees to take full advantage of the travel opportunities here in Spain and throughout Europe. To some, these are once-in-a-lifetime ex-periences that are sure to produce great memories.

As we approach our upcoming “Over the Hump Party” on July 30, to signify our half-way point of the deployment, we look forward to reflecting on our accomplishments thus far in the deployment. But our reflection must be brief, for we have an-other five grueling months ahead of us, which will take continuous safety consciousness, focusing, planning, and execution! A task that your “Magnificent SEVEN” is more than capable of doing.

In closing, I’d like to thank you all for your con-tinued support during our journey. To our Om-budsmen and FRG, we thank you too for the “Magnificent” effort you have put forth in keeping our families up to date and the assistance you have given those in need. Keep the care packages, pho-tos, and emails coming to the troops, Oorah SEVEN!

CMDCM(SCW) Curtis Cassell

Documents

NMCB 7 May/June Newsletter