They build & they fight

Seabees from three detachments of Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 202 (CBMU 202) recently embarked to Camp Blanding, the Florida Army National Guard's primary training area located in Clay County south of Jacksonville, for 10 days of firearms and field training designed to teach combat skills essential to completing the Seabees' mission.

This first-of-its-kind training for CBMU 202 brought together 80 personnel from its three southern detachments: NAS Jacksonville, NAS Key West and NSB Kings Bay, Ga., along with headquarters staff from Little Creek, Va. The exercise tests the battalion's readiness for deployment by placing the unit in a simulated conflict while Seabees complete realistic missions.

The famous Seabee logo was designed by Frank Lafrate, a civilian employee of the Navy during the initial construction of the Naval Air Station at Quonset Point, R.I. early in 1942.

After reveille at 5 a.m., day one began with classroom instruction on camp layouts and how to set up an effective perimeter and entry control point (ECP) - the first line of defense between the people of a surrounding area and a military operations area.

Day two kicked off by taking their classroom knowledge into the field to execute placement of large coils of concertina wire, set up tents and shelters, as well as an ECP where vehicles and people will be searched.

Day three improved their communication and land navigation skills for both day and night operations. Finding checkpoints after sunset was more difficult than anticipated and reinforced the importance of navigation to survival in the field.

Day four saw Seabee warriors instructed on the basics of combat reconnaissance patrols. At nightfall, the trainees went on patrol in areas populated by aggressors who gauged the each squad's reaction to different types of real-life combat situations.

Members from CBMU 202 assume a column formation during Riot Control Training at Camp Blanding, Fla.

For the next four days, Seabees learned all about the care and operation of weapons used to defend their unit's area of responsibility. Weapons included the M16 rifle (carried by each member), M9 pistol, M500 shotgun, M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun and the M240B medium machine gun. During this evolution, the Seabee Warriors learned how to break down and clean the weapons, as well as load, unload, and correctly position and fire each weapon in safe and effective manner.

The final day was spent policing the training grounds to ensure the camp and ranges were as pristine as the first day. Somehow, loading up convoys always goes faster when troops are headed home and there was no exception to this evolution. Overall, the combat training platform at Camp Blanding was a success; there were no safety incidents or mishaps and all 80 Seabees returned to their detachment sites better prepared to complete their mission in the event they are deployed to a combat area.

Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 202 provides public works support at Naval Support Activities, Forward Operating Bases and Fleet Hospital/Expeditionary Medical Facilities during wartime or contingency operations.CBMU 202 also provides disaster recovery support to Naval Regional Commanders in CONUS.

Headquartered in Little Creek, Va., CBMU 202 has active Detachments in Naval District Washington, NSB Kings Bay, NAS Jacksonville, NAS Key West, and two reserve detachments in Camp Lejeune, N.C.

CBMU 202 goes through Constantine wire training during the camp set-up section of their training exercise.

Seabee Fire Team members conduct Òhasty set-upsÓ with their M240BÕs, simulating expedient set-up when on a patrol or when moving into a hostile area.