BEST IN THE WEST

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The officers of NMCB-5. Front row, left to right: Ens. Jerry Wong, Alfa Company Commander; Ens. Ed Haverlah, Assistant Embark Officer; Ltjg. Rondy Evans, Assistant Operations-Public Affairs Officer; Ltjg. Jim Corl, Bravo Company Commander; Ltjg. Bill Philipson, Training Officer; Ens. Jan Dec, Material Liaison-Legal Officer; Ens. Preston Springston, Engineering Officer-Headquarters Company Commander; and Ens. Bob Loshom, Assistant Alfa Company Commander. Second row, left to right: Dr. (Lt.) Bob Timpe, Dental Officer; Dr. (Lt.) John Woods, Medical Officer; CW02 Adrion Hoover, Administrative-Personnel Officer; LCdr. Bill Rumbold, Operations Officer; Cdr. R.J . McHugh Jr., NMCB-5's Commanding Officer; LCdr. B.J. O 'Connell, Battalion Executive Officer; LCdr. W.A. "Mitch" Mitchell, Supply Officer; Lt. A I Johnson, Charlie Company Commander; Lt. Bi ll Bruckner, Prospective Alfa Company Commander; and CW02 Herb Reynolds, Echo Company Commander and Detail Falcon OIC. Other NMCB-5 officers not pictured: Ltjg. Bill Skelton, De lto Company Commander and Detail Raven OIC; Ltjg. Dave Bigelow, Embark Officer; Ens. Bill Sargent, Disbursing-Food Services Officer; and Chaplain (LCdr.) Jack Dumas.

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COMMANDER ROBERT J. McHUGH JR., CEC, USN Commanding Officer

Commander Robert J . McHugh Jr. was born February 5, 1934, in Danville, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Selma, Alabama. He at­tended the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, and was graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in June J 956 and commissioned as Ensign.

Prior to attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he was graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering in August 1960, Commander McHugh served as Watch and Division Officer in USS Saipan and later in USS Des Moines and as Aide and Flag Lieu­tenant to COMPHlBLANT.

Following bis graduation from Rensselaer Polytech nic Institute and transfer to the Civil Engineer Corps, Commander McHugh served as Shops Engineer at NAS, Oceana, Virginia; Assistant Public Works Officer at NAS, Lakehurst. New Jersey; Operations Officer aboard NMCB Three-deployed to Okinawa, Guam and Vietnam; and Public Works Officer, U.S. Naval Accivities, United Kingdom, London, Eng­land. He was promoted to Lieutenant in June 1960.

He received his Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in July 1968. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in December 1965 and to Commander in May 1968.

Before assuming command of NMCB FIVE in Vietnam in June 1971, Commander McHugh was assigned as Director, M ILCON Pro­graming Division at the Headquarters, Naval Facili ties Engineer;ng Command, Washington, D.C.

Commander McHugh is married to the former Nancy Melson of Annapolis, Maryland. They have three children. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Alabama. He holds the Bronze Star (with Combat "V"), Merito rious Service Medal , Navy Com­mendation Medal and various unit commendation, service and cam­paign awards.

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LIEUTENANT COMMANDER BRIAN J. O'CONNELL Executive Officer

Sept. 1971-0ct. 1972

Lieutenant Commander Thomas H. Emsley received his Masters Degree in Civil Engineering with a specialty in Engineering Economic Planning in June 1970 from Stan­ford University. Prior to assuming duties of Executive Officer of NMCB-5, he was assigned as Public Works Officer and OICC at the Naval Air Facility and combine~ U.S. and NATO Bose, Sigonello, Sicily. He is morrief11 to the former Nancy Morie Weis. They hove thre.1H children . '

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Prior to his assignment to NMCB-5 as Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander Brion J. O'Connell received his Moster of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Stanford University. His next duty is with the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C., as a Personal Aide and Administrative Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Naval Ope rations (Logistics). He is married to the former Kaye Christensen. They hove two children.

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER THOMAS H. EMSLEY Executive Officer

Oct. 1972-

CUCM MICHAEL S. COSTER Senior Enlisted Advisor

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LCDR JACK F. DUMAS Chaplain

The Captain tokes the reins from the "Galloping Gourmet" in the chow line.

The XO eyes the progress of work at a job site.

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The shoe 1s on the other foot os BUCA Jim Kopetzky, the supervisor, watches in bewildermen t as ltjg. Randy Evans, LCdr. Bill Rumbold, the

Captain, Lt jg. Bill Skelton and the XO try to put it all together in the construction of o hootch.

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.. Rommerin Phong.

LCdr. O 'Connell, Ens. Dec, ltjg . Skelton, Lt jg. Evans, CW02 Hoover, Ltjg . Bigelow and BUCA Kopetzky are pretty proud o f themselves ofter their first big building assignment. You guys ain't built this whole cantonment yet?

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Dr. Blackshear and Dr. Timpe were always giving someone the needle .

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Look out sports fons, its the officers agoinst the chiefs on the Nam Phong gridiron.

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The Skipper takes the wheel in EOl Som Moleko's retirement ceremony.

ltjg. Rondy Evans accepts the Meritorious Unit Comme ndation from Rear Admiral D.G. lselin, COMCBPAC, on behalf of the men of De tails X·Roy, Mustang and Clydesdale.

.. With the end of the 1971 deployment and NMCB-S's return to

Port Hueneme for its homeport period, it was a time for the men of FIVE to take a deep breath , relax and reflect back on their construc­tion ach ievements.

The battalion had completed one of the most diversified deploy­ments in the history of the Pacific Naval <:;onstruction Force, with de­tails spread across the Pacific from the United States to the Republic of Vietnam. There was Detail Husky in Adak, Alaska; Detai l Corral on Guam ; Details X-Ray and Clydesdale in the Philippines; and De­tails Maverick, Bronco, Stallion, Pinto and Mustang in Vietnam.' There w~re also Seabee Teams on Ponape, Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands, and at Soc Trang, South Vietnam. In addition, there· were "Self-Help" projects in California, Nevada and Washington.

Tributes were in order for the men of FIVE for a job "well done" on the projects throughout the Pacific. The men of FIVE were honored for their outstanding performance of duties during three award cere­monies as five Bronze Stars, 18 Navy Commendation Medals, 31 Navy Achievement Medals and 14 Vietnamese Seryice Medals were presented to battalion members. In addition, 126 other members of NMCB-5 were awarded Letters of Commendation and Appreciation, and 198 men were singled out for Combat Action Ribbons.

Treats were also in order before NMCB-5 launched the training . phase of the homeport period. On Jan. 7, 1972, the battalion hosted

its members and their wives and girl friends for an evening of dining, dancing and merrymaking at the Oxnard Community Center.

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Cdr. McHugh's wife, Nancy, LCdr. O 'Connell and his wife, Kaye, watch the proceed­ings between the Captain and Chief forest, the master of cere monies for the battalion party.

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Military training may have seemed an exercise in futility and the slogan "We Build, We Fight" an obsolete phrase that should be quiet­ly retired to the Seabee Museum as NMCB-5 entered the 1972 phase. We had been the last battalion to serve in Vietnam and the conflict was continuing to wind down.

However, NMCB-5 was to serve as the Pacific Alert Battalion in support of the Third Marine Amphibious Force while working on a host of jobs during the upcoming deployment to the Western Pacific. Many of the men of FIVE were just "boots" and had never been ini­tiated into the fight side of the Seabees. Should a crisis arise and the Marines are thrust into a trouble spot, the men of FIVE-"boots" as well as veterans-must be ready to defend themselves and any con­struction they do for the Marines or other U.S. forces.

To prepare for this eventuality, the Seabees of F IVE underwent seven weeks of military training beginning at the start of the new year and ending in mid-February.

There were classroom subjects such as combat formations; infan; try defensive tactics; nomenclature of the M-16 rifle, .45 caliber pistol, M-60 machine gun and 12 gauge shotgun; camouflage; and map reading.

After classes, the men went out into the field at nearby Broome R anch to receive training in crew-served weapons-including the use of the 3.5-inch rocket launcher, 106mm recoilless rifle, M-60 machine gun, 81mm mortar and M-79 grenade launcher.

Next, the battalion spent 10 days at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base where the men fired the M-16 rifle on a 200-yard range. A total of 92 per cent of the men shooting fired qualifying scores, a new record on the Navy training range.

Highlight of military training was an overnight combat exercise in the Camp Pendleton hills. The FIVE Seabees set up a command post on a ridgeline, dug foxholes and successfully defended their posi­tions against simulated attack by "aggressors," who were portrayed by other battalion members.

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A friend in need is o friend in the butts indeed. Very interesting, would you believe the guy thot put only three holes in this target still monoged to qualify somehow?

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Hey, No. 40, get off No. 42's target. Please Mr. Custer, we don't wont to go.

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Wired for sound. If it's a Mattel, it must be swe ll.

C-Rots: a gourmet's de light for those chow downs in the boonies.

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you see the whi tes of their eyes.

Are you sure Patton started this way?

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We've got the wor won now. The S & S troops ore on their way: Springston and Skelton's Heroes.

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So these are the big, bad aggressors. They sure don't look aggressive.

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Hey, get down man . You trying to be a hero or something?

Moment of decision for the Captain on " All right Kinkles, I've got a tough mission for you while we're waiting for Gil to get my stock­broker on the phone. Go find a McDonald's and bring me bock two Big Moes and a strawberry shake and make it snappy."

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The officers plan their strategy: how to make it to the club without getting caught.

Ready on the left ... ready on the right ... the firing line is ready.

Sizzling steaks were a welcome treat after C-Rots.

Ole had Snoopy out for military training too.

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The training phase of the 1971-72 homeport period at the Naval Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme, enabled the men of F IVE to receive refresher training in skills they may not have used in a while and a chance to learn new skills which would be handy during the upcoming deployment.

With the war in Vietnam winding down and the prospect of new projects in Okinawa, Japan, Taiwan and the Phi lippines demanding more sophisticated construction skills, the emphasis in homeport train­ing was shifted from quantitative construction to qualitative building.

The opportunity to become more proficient in rate skills that would be utilized in the quality construction that NMCB-5 expected to undertake in West Pac during the 1972 deployment was made available to the Seabees through specialized courses at Port Hueneme, at Davisville, R.I. , at Gulfport, Miss., and in on-the-job training via various base projects.

The train ing gained by involvement in various base projects at Port Hueneme not only helped to prepare the men of FIVE for the 1972 deployment, but it also served to enhance the services that various base facilities provide.

Among the accomplishments during the homeport period: Alfa Company-Tree and shrub planting project around the base

perimeter and beginning work on a parking lot for the new commissary. Bravo Company-Installation of street lamps for sidewalk light­

ing at the base's Seabee Park and an underground sprinkling system at the CBC golf course driving range.

Charlie Company-The building of three concrete block me­chanic garage bays in an addition to the N avy Exchange automotive center, covering outdoor stalls of the auto hobby shop with a roof, and putting a roof on the CBC construction equipment department's paint shed.

Detail FaJcon--Started work on the construction of a new annex to the Seabee Museum at CBC.

In addition, the FIVE Seabees joined forces with other mobile construction battalions, members of the 31st Naval Construction Re­giment's construction shops and Seabee reservists to complete construc­tion of the new Francis Military Training Center at the Naval Con­struction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme.

Also included in the homeport training was a mount-out exercise to the Naval Amphibious Base in San Diego during the first week of March. Supporting a Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory exercise, 40 NMCB-5 men. loaded trucks at Port Hueneme and went by convoy to San Diego, where they set up camp on the beach.

During their stay at San D iego, the men cleared an area on the beach and placed steel matting down as a hardstand for trucks. After completing the hardstand, the men dismantled their camp and loaded their equipment and materials aboard a tank landing ship for the re­turn trip up the coast to Port Hueneme.

The battalion could not have asked for any better exercise than this one to prepare the men of FIVE for the actual mount-out and shift of operations they were to experience shortly after the 1972 de­ployment got under way.

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On May 12, 1972, the men of FIVE said good-byes to their loved ones and reluctantly climbed aboard airplanes at Pt. Mugu for the flights to West Pac. The deployment was started.

Detail Falcon remained in California to do demolition work on several structures at the Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, to make way for the construction of a trailer park. This detail was later ex­pected to journey to Japan to work on several projects.

The main body of the 500-man battalion arrived at Camp Shjelds, Okinawa, just in time for Reversion Day on May 15. The Japanese flag was raised alongside the Stars and Stripes as the government of Oki­nawa was returned to Japanese jurisdiction after 27 years of American administration since the end of Wor1d War II.

Detai l Hawk went on to the Philippines to put the finishing touches on the house moving project that Deta il Clydesdale had started the previous deployment and to build a rinse rack to wash planes at Cubi Point Naval Air Station.

Detail R aven traveled on to Taiwan and began rehabing a barracks at the Headquarters Support Activity, Taipei. ·

On Okinawa, the main body started the final stages of work on the new officers club and BOQ. The F IVE Seabees also began con­structing an addition to the Crash Station at the Marine Corps Air Facility, Futema. a perimeter security road around Marine Corps Ammo Supply Point Two, erecting a five-mile long fence around it and installing a water distribution system.

The men had barely unpacked their bags and settled into their new jobs throughout the Western Pacific when the call came to "mount out."

Within 48 hours, the battalion's 100-man Air Detachment had staged nearly 5 million pounds of equipment and materials at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, for shipment to an undisclosed site. It was an "all hands" operation, with many men working an day and all night to successfully meet the mount out requirements.

On May 26, the first flights of C-14 I jet cargo planes began carry­ing the men of NMCB-5 's Air Detachment, their equipment and ma­terials from Okinawa.

The Air Detachment's destination was classified and rumors ran rampant throughout the battalion. When we were told that we were not going to Vietnam, everyone heaved a big sigh of relief.

Soon the remainder of the battalion would follow the Air Detach­ment, coming from the 'Philippines, Okinawa, Taiwan and even China Lake. Work at the various sites would have to be set aside for the present and restarted again later in the deployment.

NMCB-5 was the Pacific Alert Battalion and the men were hav­ing to prove early in the deployment just how alert they really were.

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Charlie Company staff huddles far talks. Left to right: BUCS Camell Williams, Lt. Al Johnson, Company Commander and BUC John Brown.

Bu3 Lorry Russell and BU3 Tony Tutogi.

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BU2 Leroy Raymond

Charlie Company's 1st Platoon, Front row, left to right: BUl Harry Whippo, BU2 Ken Kennedy, CA Fred Del­Rosario; BU3 Don King, BU3 Ron Gibbons, CN Melvin Hood and BU3 Dave Maness. Second row, left to right: BUC John Burke, BU2 Greg Gonnella, BU2 Leroy Raymond, BU3 Rich Majors, BU3 Bill Pullins, BU3 Gary Cates, BUCA Stan Pottkotter and BU3 Dennis Reneau. Third row, left to right: BU3 Dan Grinder, BUCN Marvin Amyx, BUCN Chuck McKinney, BU3 Steve Nelson, BU3 Tom Simmons, BU l Joe Roby and BU3 Larry Russell.

BU3 Ron Gibbons

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BU2 Don Bedard

BU3 Greg Gonnella

BUl Joe Roby

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BUCN Royce Holmes

BU2 Fred Terhar

BUCA Stan Pottkotter

"What do we think about o woman Seobee? She a in't here yet?"

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Some of Charlie Company's concrete craftsmen. Front row, left to right: BUCN Mike Watts, BU2 Don Bedard and BUl Fred Napier. Second row, left to right: BU3 Mike Risser, BU3 Dan Phelps, BUl Hugh Onkst, BUl Doug Dragoo, CN Chuck Green, BU3 Glen Brown and BUC John Brown. Third row, left to right: BUCN Joe Nebel, BUCN Royce Holmes, BUCN Marvin Amyx and BU3 Doug Smith.

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Front row, left to right: BUl Fred Napier, BU2 Fred Terhar, BUCN Royce Holmes, BU3 Dan Phelps, BUCN Allan Gago, BU3 Ernest Bilesimo and BU3 Glen Brown. Standing, left to right: BUC John Brown, BU2 Don Bedard, BU2 Fred Adams, BU3 Mike Risser, BUCN Mike Wotts, BUl Hugh Onkst, BUl Doug Dragoo and BUCN Joe Nebel.

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CN Melvin Hood ond BU3 Gory Cotes

BU2 Don Lorson BUl Doug Dragoo

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BUCN Charles McKinney BUCN Fred DelRosorio

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BU3 Don Grinder BU3 Don King

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BU3 Dove Moness BU3 Charles long

BUl Bill Roberson ond BUCN Marvin Amyx.

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Pouring concrete for our galley ore, left to right: BU3 Deon Sloybock, BU3 Tom Simmons, BUC John Burke and BU3 Dennis Reneau.

BU2 Fred Adams and BU3 Ken Hettler.

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"Turning and burning," the Builders of Delta Company worked like demons to transform what was once 65 acres of jungle ]and at Nam Phong into a tract of some 350 strongback hootches.

The "D" Company carpenters warmed up for the big Marine cantonment job by building strongback tents with elevated plywood floors that would serve as our homes in "Can Do Country."

After getting the battalion's new homes up, the men of Delta Company shifted to construction of the Marine hootches without break­ing stride.

An assembly Jine process of precutting and prefabricating the hootches was set up in the cantonment area. Delta Company was split into three efficient crews: a decking crew-which nailed the floors in place-was foJlowed by a sidewall crew, which erected the wa11 frames, and finally a rafter crew raised the roof beams.

The steady ping of hammers banging against nails and the whir of saws filled the air as the Delta contingent toiled both during the day and at night.

Overcoming energy sapping I I 0-degree plus heat and monsoon rains, the men of Delta Company worked relentlessly to complete 60 strongbacks while laying decks for 90 more in just one week.

In addition to the strongbacks, which were completed well ahead of schedule, the Builders of "D" Company constructed over 100 of the bigger sea huts around the base-including the commanding gener­al's headquarters and a chapel for the Marines.

Delta Company also put its skills to use in the construction of a nine-building hospital on the base, a small cantonment for the Thai security guards, poured several concrete slabs and laid heavy steel/ aluminum matting for the helicopter pad and the aircraft parking apron extension.

The Builders capped their efforts by building a sma11 "canine can­tonment" to house the dogs which were used in base security.

Whether it was the construction of a strongback hootch or a pooch hootch, the men of Delta Company did a doggone good job of Seabee building at Nam Phong.

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BUCN John Kelleher

Delta Company staff. Left to right: BUC John Johansen, BUCS Joe Niemeyer, Ltjg. Bill Skelton and BUC Poul Sommers.

BU3 Rondy Henson

BUl Ben Adriano and BUl Richard Grannan.

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UNITED STATES NAVAL MOBILE CONSTRUCTION t 1 BATTALION

U-S- PACI F I C FLEET­SEABEES,_,_

BEST IN THE WEST

Shedding some blood. a lot of sweat and even a fow tears. the men of F IVE overcame some of the most rugged conditions ever faced by a mobile construction battalion to accomplish all of their building assignments in the time allotted and in an outstanding manner during 197 1-72.

For their efforts. the Seahees of NMCB-5 earned the award of " Best of T ype" of the P<\citic Nava l Construc tion Force for fiscal year 1972.

The presentation of the "Best of Type·· award or the "E" is given an nuall y to the Sea bee battalion jn the Paci fk Naval Construction Force that turns in the most efficient and superior overall performance in projects assigned from July I of one year to J une 30 of the next year.

During 1972. NMCB-5 was assigned construction projects from Alaska to Thailand. N MCB-5 wrote the final chapter in the Vietnam era of Seabee history as it became the last Naval Mobile Construct ion Battalion to serve in the wa r zone and perhaps started a new chapter in a new era of Seabee history as it became the first Scabcc battalion to ever deploy its entire complement of men and equipment to Thailand.

After visiti ng the men of FIVE at Nam Phong, Rear Admiral D .G . lselin, Commander, Construction Battalions, Pacific, sent the following message to the coJ11mand:

"Since arriving Cat Nam Phong) you have had to live under spartan conditions and work long and di fficult hours in weather rang­ing from hot and dusty to hot and muddy and with the· ever present annoyance of jungle animals, snakes and insects. T ypical of th is type of Seabee project, personal services. mail and other comforts were at a minimum, sacrificed to further the project. This is the first test since . Vietnam of our Alert Battalion's readiness. Your response is superb in every manner and will be used as a s tandard to measure further em­ployments of this kind. I am proud, as you should justifiably be, of your construction accomplishments, but more so, I am proud of you as individual Seabees who, despite discomfort a nd personal hardship, are working to fulfill your individual tasks to make the work of your battalion successful. My personal congratulations to each man."

The following pages are dedica ted to the men of FIVE who, through . their construction achievements during 1972, proved that they deserve the title of " Best in the West."

1971 -1972

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The battalion's largest company at Nam Phong with 178 men was Alfa Company-the truckin' company. These were the Equipment Operators and Construction Mechanics. They were joined by several Machinery Repairmen and Hull Technicians.

The EOs were the proud wheeler dealers on those magnificent green machines-bulldozers, dump trucks, graders, cranes and other assorted heavy equipment.

They tore down huge mountains and they made mountains out of molehills. They carved, scooped, shoveled, filled, graded , smoothed, hauled, pulled and lifted.

When the EOs set their wheels in motion, it was usually the cue for the rest of the battalion to move into action. They transformed what once was a jungle wilderness into a small city. They carved out roads, the NMCB-5 and Marine camps, an ammunition storage dump, a fuel dispensing system and a bulk fuel storage area among other things. They lifted the steel and tin into place for the water storage tanks, wonder arch hangars and galleys.

The EOs gave equipment support to all of the other companies. In one week, they hauled an average of 15,000 cubic yards of fill dirt, working both days and nights.

The CMs were the men behind the scenes who worked around the clock to keep the wheels of the battalion in motion.

No job was too sma11 or too big for these guys. The tire shop could change the smal1est tire or the big six-foot tires on a scraper. The mechanic shop could make minor motor repairs or major motor overhauls.

Some people called them grease monkeys, but when it came to keeping the battalion ro11ing these CMs didn't monkey around.

And when there was an emergency and no replacement parts available, the MRs in the machinery repair shop could manufacture almost any machinery part needed.

Throughout the deployment, Alfa Company just kept on truckin' and the battalion just kept piling up accomplishment after accomplish­ment.

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Alfa Company staff. Front row, left to right: EQCM Johnny McCully, Ens. Jerry Wong-Company Commander, Ens. Bob Loshom- Assistont Company Commander, and EOCS Richard Gern. Standing, left to right: CMC Warren Newcomb, EOC Pe ter Gillum, EOC Fred Woodrow, CMC Bill Fisher, HTC Bill Dollar, CMC Ernest Valenzuela and MRC Rolando Santos.

E03 Stephen O'Brien operates crone.

CMCN Curtis Schultz and CM2 Free· man Spann.

A group of Equipment Operators.

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Night crew of Constructton Mechonics. In fronl: CMCN Mike Sammons, left, and CM3 Charles Stafford. Bock row, left lo right: CMCN Don Meigel, CM3 Roy Minchew, CMCA Hugh Anderson, CM2 Fronk Szmaido and CM 1 Joe Brinegar.

CMCA Don Jones

CMCN Bruce McNeill

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Equipment 0 perators of Alfa Company.

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EOCN Dick Holl

Rigging o pump in o pond ore, left to right: UTCN Chorles Peyser, E03 Edgar Smith, EOCA Jimmy Gordne r, CE3 Jim Wilson ond E02 Bob Whitacre.

E03 Tom Alves

EOCN Dave Shewmaker on bulldozer and E03 Jock Mclennon on mini-grader.

The men of MCB-4 who bolstered the Alfa Company forces.

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E02 Aoron Myers

E03 Gory Herrington

MRC Rolondo Sontos ond MRFA Ken McCord monufocture onother port.

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~ Concrete culverts ore looded on lowboy for delivery to job sites.

E02 Jim Lewis on o ditcher.

CMCN Tom Sudduth hunts for the problem. CM2 Verlin Proctor is up lo his armpit in work.

Aspholt is poured into o wai ting truck at the asphalt rock.

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Top two photos: Equipment Operators of Alfa Company.

Us worry? Are you kidding? We're the asphalt crew. EOCN Mike Allen, BUCN Charlie Hampton, EOCN Terry Sheffield, EOCA Jimmy Gordner, EOCN Gory Sutherland, E02 Cliff Greenfield and EOCN Dennis Goodwin.

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CMCN Gary Worrell.

Construction Mechanics Jeff Hinson, David Devonshire and Dove Albright.

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EOCN Roy Evens.

E02 Ed Randolph maneuvers the super dooper scooper.

CMCA Gabriel Vicente

" Okay Chief, now that we got this thing apart, what do we do next?" CM'J Tom Stackhouse ond CMCN Dove Albright 9sk CMC Bill Fisher.

E03 Jim Hudgins and EOCN Zeke Zellis. E03 R.J. Johnson

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CM3 Tom Stackhouse and CN Bob Cox in repair parts.

EOCN Lee Penn

EOCN Tom Mclteth and EOCN Tom Millham.

E02 Tom Solbeck and 'EOl Peter Ertel.

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E03 Bill Watts

CMCN Ron Deon and CM3 Bill Kinch.

Some of the Construction Mechanics whose around the clock efforts kept the equipment rolling throughout the deloyment.

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Doesn't this whot-you-moy-coll-it go with this thing-a-mo-jig? CMC Warren Newcomb, CM 1 Stuart Hampton ond CM2 Jim Homm try to solve the riddle.

CN Jesse Cisneros CMCN Lorry Hancock

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CM2 Ken Spaeth, EOCN Roy Tuesing ond CM3 Dove Smith.

Construction Mechanics check one of the 5-ton dump trucks.

Front row, left to right: CM2 Lorry Rozar, CMC Bill Fisher, CMC Warren Newcomb ond CM2 Freemon Spann. Second row, left to right: CMCN Fronk Crispens, CM3 Dove Fuhrman, CMCN Dave Wood, CMCN Gary Gage, CMCN Corl Jones and CMCN Lorry Hancock. Top: CMCN Ron Deon ond CM3 Bill Kinch.

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E02 Paul Lumpkin on a g rader.

E03 Bill Watts o pe ra tes a crone. SW2 Claude Jomes

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The men of Bravo Company gave us and the Marines the works­water and power works that is. The Construction Electricians and UtiJitiesmen were "Nam Phong Water and Power Works, Inc." Man­ning the Bravo Company shops was a small group of Builders and Steelworkers.

The CEs installed generators, set up poles and then climbed the poles to string the miles of wires that would carry the electrical power from one corner of our camp to another. They also performed the same service for the Marines' camp, which was about four times the size of our camp. They connected all interior wiring for both camps and maintained each power system. They also installed the electrical dis­tribution system to the Nam Phong Air Base flight line.

Without generators as a source of power and CEs to hook up the electrical distribution system, we would not have been able to use any power tools to get the many jobs done; we would have had no reefers running to keep our food fresh and drinks cold; we would not have been able to run fans in our hootches; we would not have been able to watch movies; and we would not have been able to go to an EM Club to enjoy a cold beer or soda and play the juke box. Power also gave us lights to do the various night jobs and allowed us to pass the evening hours away by writing letters home, by reading, by watching the weekly shows, and by playing games of cards, ping-pong, chess and checkers.

The UTs supplied Nam Phong with water and maintained camp sanitation. They ran a water supply line to our camp and conscien­tiously kept the water buffaloes filled with precious H20 for drinking, shaving, showers, for preparing meals and for the laundry among other things.

Outside our camp, the UTs laid over one mile of 8-inch pipe in just three days in their part of construction of the air base water stor­age system. They also completed an overflow system for the water storage tanks, 4-inch distribution lines to the two galleys in the Marine camp, all the plumbing for the galleys and showers, and installed boilers in the galleys.

Life was rugged at Nam Phong, but thanks to the good works of the CEs and UTs we did not have to go without water and power, comforts which are usually taken for granted in the U.S.A. but were much appreciated in the jungle.

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Brevo Company's 3rd Platoon. Front row, left to right: BU2 Rick Holland, UT3 John Bull, CE3 Pot Koshorek, CE3 Oscar Leal, UTCN Don Saenz, BU3, Jim Meyer and UTCN Gory Carpenter. Second row, left to right: UT3 George Tatum, CE2 Leroy Laniawe, CE2 Pete LePere, BU3 Jim Travis, BU3 Stephen Bruce, SW2 Rolph Dozie r, UTC Fred Von Horst, BUCN Joel Anderson, CA Richard Yoke, UTCN Tony Comacho and SWCN Mike Sellers. l st Platoon. Front row, left to right: UTl Stanley Moody, UTl Paul Hill, UT2 Oscar Tello, UT3 Al Evonuk, UTCN Dennis Koski, UT3 Lorry Dulac and UT3 Lozaro Silva. Second row, left to right: UTl Mike Evans, UTl Roger Isaacs, UT2 Pete Schwortz, UT2 Joe Wore, UTCN Mike Griffith, UTCN Lonnie Cox, UT3 Not Jaeggli, UT3 Don Corley, UT3 Earl McGuire, UTCN Donny Saari and UT3 Stan Kendall.

... -~~----- ... t o.1..• · ~ "'i

100

Bravo Company staff. In front, ltjg. Jim Carl, Company Commander. Standing: UTC Fred Van Horst, UTC Curtis Moore, CECS Robert Moffat, CEC Eugene Bousquet and CEC Wiley Estes.

CE3 Charles Radley, Bravo Company yeoman.

101

Night crew of Construction Elec­tricians. Front row, left to right: CE3 Jock Weaver, CE2 Craig Lippa, CE3 Don Stieve and CE3 Harold Klouser. Back row, left to right: CEl Charlie Becker, CE3 Robert Darrah, CE2 Steve Mer­ando and CECN Jeff Nelson.

Construction Electricians of Bravo Company. Front row, left to right: CE2 Lorry Piveral, CE2 Terry C°l)won, CEl Taavili Tuitamo, CEC Eugene Bousquet, CEl Bert Delo Cruz, CE2 Ed Mortin and CE2 Dick Mays. Second row, left to right: CE3 Tom Barnes, CE3 Craig Hambright, CECN Darrell Peterson, CE3 Mike Leonard, CECN John Fiore, CECN Richard Holmes, CE3 Don Andrews and CE3 Done Schumacher. Top row, left to right: CE3 Dan Smith, CE3 Merlin Graaf, CE3 Stephen O 'Brien and CECA Bob Shearhart.

CECN Richard Steele hooks up a light.

UT3 Lazaro Silva and UTCN Danny Saari.

CECN Darrell Peterson

UT3 John Bull g ives a little elbow grease in hooking up an elbow.

103

BUCN Joel Anderson creoles his own fireworks while cutting metal in the Bravo Company shop.

CA Richord Yake, BU3 Jim Travis and BU3 Stephen Bruce in Bravo Company shop.

104

BU3 Jim Meyer

105

UT3 Bob Kaspar

CE2 Pete LePere

UTCN Gory Carpenter and UTCN Tony Camacho, two of our sanitary engineers.

CEl Bert Dela Cruz

106

": ...

Gelling a charge out of their job are CE2 Leroy Laniowe, CEl Archie Johnson and CE3 Oscar Leal.

A couple of pole cats?

UT2 Joe Ware

107

Bravo Company Power, the CEs in action. Does CE stand for "Can Do Easy?"

UTCN Charles Peyser

108

CE3 Merl in Graaf

UT3 Dulac and UT2 Tello work on boiler for golley.

CE3 Stieve

CA Yoke, BU2 Holland and UT3 Northcutt.

109

UTCN Don Henry being held prisoner in o water storage tank?

CE2 Ed Martin

\ \

CE3 Harold Klouser and CE3 Robert Darrah.

CE2 Terry Cowan and CE3 Tom Barnes

CE3 Don LeClair and CE3 Graaf.

110

CEl Becker UT3 Evanuk and UTCN Koski.

CE3 Craig Hambright hooks up power to the Aight line.

11 1

The hard charging Builders of Charlie Company tackled a variety of projects at Nam Phong, "hop-scotching" from one job si te to an­other.

"Versatile" became Charl ie Company's middle name, with the men carrying a trowel in one hand and a hammer in the other. Al­though molding and sculpturing concrete was their specialty, the Charlie crew had several occasions to prove that they could swing a hammer as well as they could finish concrete with a trowel.

Charlie Company began its building efforts in our camp, con­structing many of the buildings-including the mechanic shop, numer­ous sheds and shelters.

Next, the men of "C" Company engineered and directed the operation of their own concrete batch plant, which resulted in over 1,800 cubic yards of concrete being poured into various jobs around the air base.

The craftsmen of "C" Company molded the concrete into decks for two galleys, which will handle 1,000 Marines each, as well as lay­ing decks for the Seabee camp galley and dining hall. They also poured concrete slabs for 12 shower buildings in the Marine camp, two founda­tions for arresting gear on the Nam Phong Air Base runway, 14 head­walls for culverts and numerous pads for sheds located around the base.

Another job for the Charlie Chargers was the repair of 100 square feet of concrete airstrip at each end of the Nam Phong runway, which had been damaged by heat from the jet planes. Charlie Company added to its efforts by building 10 heavy timber security towers around the base.

The men of Charlie Company even have the distinction ( ?) of being the head men of NMCB-5. When the battalion and the Marines had an urgent need for outhouse comfort stations, good old Charlie Company came to the rescue. With a prefabricating production line, the men built 50 of the vital "4- and 6-holers" in short order. T hey capped their effort by custom designing a private one-holer privy for the base's commanding Marine general.

Whether the task was constructing outhouses or laying a concrete deck for a big galley, the versatile men of Charlie Company toiled during the day and at night, in the sun and in the mud, and got the jobs done.

112

II

Charlie Company staff huddles for talks. left to right: BUCS Cornell Williams, Lt. Al Johnson, Company Commander and BUC John Brown.

Bu3 lorry Russell ond BU3 Tony Tutogi.

114

1

BU2 Leroy Raymond

Charlie Company's 1st Platoon, Front row, left to right: BUl Harry Whippo, BU2 Ken Kennedy, CA Fred Del­Rosorio; BU3 Don King, BU3 Ron Gibbons, CN Melvin Hood and BU3 Dave Maness. Second row, left to right: BUC John Burke, BU2 Greg Gonnella, BU2 Leroy Raymond, BU3 Rich Moiors, BU3 Bill Pullins, BU3 Gary Cates, BUCA Stan Pottkotter and BU3 Dennis Reneau. Third row, left to right: BU3 Dan Grinder, BUCN Marvin Amyx, BUCN Chuck McKinney, BU3 Steve Nelson, BU3 Tom Simmons, BU 1 Joe Roby and BU3 Larry Russell.

115

BU2 Don Bedard

BU3 Greg Gonnella

BUCN Chuck Green

BUl Joe Roby

116

Royce Holmes

BU2 Fred Terhar

BUCA Stan Pottkotter

" What do we think about a woman Seabee? She ain't here yet?"

117

Some of Charlie Company's concrete craftsmen. front row, left to right: BUCN Mike Watts, BU2 Don Bedard and BUl Fred Napier. Second row, left lo right: BU3 Mike Risser, BU3 Don Phelps, BUl Hugh Onkst, BUl Doug Dragoo, CN Chuck Green, BU3 Glen Brown and BUC John Brown. Third row, left to right: BUCN Joe Nebel, BUCN Royce Holmes, BUCN Marvin Amyx and BU3 Doug Smith.

118

,

119

Front row, left to right: BUl Fred Napier, BU2 Fred Te rhar, BUCN Royce Holmes, BU3 Dan Phelps, BUCN Allon Gago, BU3 Ernest Bilesimo and BU3 Glen Brown. Standing, left to right: BUC John Brown, BU2 Don Bedard, BU2 Fred Adams, BU3 Mike Risser, BUCN Mike Watts, BUl Hugh Onkst, BUl Doug Dragoo and BUCN Joe Nebel.

120

CN Melvin Hood ond BU3 Gary Cates

BU2 Dan Larson BU l Doug Dragoo

121

BUCN Charles McKinney BUCN Fred DelRosorio

BU3 Don Grinder BU3 Don King

122

,

BU3 Dave Maness BU3 Charles Long

BUl Bill Roberson and BUCN Marvin Amyx.

124

Pouring concrete for our galley are, left to right: BU3 Deon Sloyback, BU3 Tom Simmons, BUC John Burke ond BU3 Dennis Reneau.

BU2 Fred Adams ond BU3 Ken Hettler.

125

)

"Turning and burning," the Builders of Delta Company worked like demons to transform what was once 65 acres of jungle land at Nam Phong into a tract of some 350 strongback hootches.

The "D" Company carpenters warmed up for the big Marine cantonment job by building strongback tents with elevated plywood floors that would serve as our homes in "Can Do Country."

After getting the battalion's new homes up, the men of Delta Company shifted to construction of the Marine hootches without break­ing stride.

An assembly line process of precutting and prefabricating the hootches was set up in the cantonment area. Delta Company was split into three efficient crews: a decking crew-which nailed the floors in place-was followed by a sidewall crew, which erected the wall frames, and finally a rafter crew raised the roof beams.

The steady ping of hammers banging against nails and the whir of saws filled the air as the Delta contingent toiled both during the day and at night.

Overcoming energy sapping 110-degree plus heat and monsoon rains, the men of Delta Company worked relentlessly to complete 60 strongbacks while laying decks for 90 more in just one week.

In addition to the strongbacks, which were completed well ahead of schedule, the Builders of "D" Company constructed over 100 of the bigger sea huts around the base-including the commanding gener­al's headquarters and a chapel for the Marines.

Delta Company also put its skills to use in the construction of a nine-building hospital on the base, a sma11 cantonment for the Thai security guards, poured several concrete slabs and laid heavy steel/ aluminum matting for the helicopter pad and the aircraft parking apron extension.

The Builders capped their efforts by building a small "canine can­tonment" to house the dogs which were used in base security.

Whether it was the construction of a strongback hootch or a pooch hootch, the men of Delta Company did a doggone good job of Seabee building at Nam Phong.

126

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BUCN John Kelleher

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Delta Company staff. Left to right: BUC John Johansen, BUCS Joe Niemeyer, Ltjg. Bill Skelton ond BUC Paul Sommers.

BU3 Randy Henson

BUl Ben Adriano and BUl Richard Grannan.

128

left to right: BU3 Larry Tammi, BUl Willie Compton, BU3 Dale Thompson, BU2 Johnny West, BU3 Gary Heck, BU3 Larry Lantz, BU3 Wallace Hemminger, BU2 Steve Allen, BUCN John Kelleher, BU3 Schroeder Jones, BUCN John Robasciotti and BU3 Clyde Nakashima.

Front: BU3 John O'Connor. Second row, left to right: BUl Bill Roberson, BU3 Rod Austin, BU3 Calvin Coots, BUCN Gary Bjerke and BUCA Jim Kopetzky. Third row, left to right: BU2 John Carlson, BUCN lyndahl Kats, BUCN Lyle Booth, BU3 Dovid Williams and BUCN Dwight Nash.

129

Left to right: BU3 Lee Poole, BU2 Jim Hart, BUCN Lyle Booth, BUCN Mark Mitchell, BU3 Randy Henson, BU3 George Green, BUCA Jim Kopetzky, BUCN Keith Cary, BUCN Charles Bishop, BU3 Rodney Austin, BU3 Joey Parish, BU3 Johnny Nelson, BUCN Mike Gardner and BU3 Greg Guy.

\

BU3 Dale Thompson BU3 John Sheaffer

BUCN Lyle Booth, BUCN Keith Cary and BUCA Jim Kopetzky. BU3 Joey Parish

130

Left to right: BUl Bill Roberson, BU3 Bob Haigler, BU2 John Carlson, BU3 Calvin Coots, BU3 David Williams, BUCN Dwight Nash, BU3 T.O. Brown, BUCN Gary Bjerke, BU3 Doug Anderson, BU2 Wayne Adams and BUCN Mike Brockway.

131

J

BU3 John O'Connor, BUCN Dwight Nash and BUCN lyndahl Kats.

Gary Bjerke

132

BUCN Mike Thompson

BU2 John Carlson

BUCN lewis Wilbur and BU3 Gary Heck

BU3 Calvin Coots and BU3 David Williams

BU3 Larry Lantz, BU3 Wallace Hemminger and BU3 Schroeder Jones.

133

BUCN Charles Bishop and BU3 Lee Poole BU2 Steve Allen

BUCN Mike Gordner

BU3 Johnny Nelson

134

BU3 Bob Haigler

BUCN John Robasciotti and BU3 Lorry Tom mi

Left to right: BUCN Gory Bierke, BU2 Johnny W est, BUCN Schroeder Jones, BU2 Steve Allen, BUCN Dwight Nosh, BU3 Dole Thompson and BU3 W .R. Jones.

135

BUCN Mark Mitchell A deck for a strongbock hootch goes up.

Left to right: BU3 George Green, BU3 Lee Poole, BU2 Steve Allen, BUCN Mike Gordner and BU2 Jim Hori.

136

A flat tire con ruin your entire doy os BU3 Wolt Jones discovers.

BU3 Greg Guy, BU3 Doug Anderson ond BUCN Mike

Brockway.

BUCN Bill Reinmuth

137

The Coptoin briefs Delto Company on Norn Phong projects.

Bock-oching job of loying steel / aluminum matting for o helicopter pod.

Strongbock hootch deck supports ore lined up omid mud puddle,.s,

138

Helicopters wheel in on pod completed by Delta Company.

The sprawling strongbock hootch residential area built by Delta Company for the Marines.

I 139

Nam Phong presented new challenges to the men of FIVE. To meet these challenges, the battalion gathered together 37 of its Steel­workers and formed a new company- Echo Company.

Although Echo Company was the smallest company in the batta­lion, it was asked to accomplish some of the biggest projects at Nam Phong. The Steelworkers would have to show that they had the mettle to become masters of metal construction.

They soon proved, however, that they were equal to the task as steel and tin structures began to rise from amid the jungle. Like a giant jigsaw puzzle that takes shape piece by piece, these structures took form as the Steelworkers welded, bolted and fitted beams of steel and sheets of tin in a coordinated effort.

It was back-aching labor to lift heavy metal and it took cool dudes to handle and crawl on metal that heated to 130 degrees under the Thailand sun. Sometimes they had to get down on their hands and knees and put their faces next to the hot earth to get the job done. Other times they had to climb high in the air on scaffolding and balance themselves on beams high above the ground to get the job done.

They accepted the challenges and conquered the rugged tasks. The results of their labors:

-More than 500,000 square feet of steel/aluminum matting laid for the aircraft parking apron extension;

- Two 1,000-man galleys erected for the Marines; -Four steel water storage tanks, each 24-feet high and with a

126,000-gallon capacity to provide a plentiful supply of water to the air base;

- Erectjon of six "wonder arch" hangar buildings, each 48 by 72 feet and 24-foot high, adjacent to the aircraft parking apron;

-Plus numerous smaller projects around the air base. When NMCB-5 departed Nam Phong, the Steelworkers left behind

metal monuments of their expertise that will stand for many years as reminders to the base residents that the Seabees were there.

140

Echo Company Staff, left to right: SWC David Bre ukland­er, CW02 Herb Reynolds (Company Commander) and SWCS Allen Stoeckel.

First "wander arch" goes up at Nam Phong.

Steelworke rs of Echo Company, left to right: SWl John Rooney, SWCN David Hol­loway, SWl Bill Henry, SN Dickie Harbord, SW3 Tony Ibarra, SWCN Russell Kuce ra, SW3 Te rry Crowley, SW3 Weldon Hinze, SWCN Tom Condon, SWCN John Harmon and SW2 Terrry Price.

SW3 Tony Ibarra, SWCN Stephen Swanson and SW2 Cloy Nolen.

142

SW3 Guy Bates and SWCN David Holloway.

Left to ·right: SWl Som Beatty, SWCN Stephen Swanson, SW3 Stewart Swart, SW2 Clay Nolen, SWCN Everett Jonas, SW3 Barry Mclain, SW3 Ed Pigate, SW2 Bob Nevin, SWCN Steve Nix! and SWCN Charles Vivion.

left to right: SWl Louis Tolles, SW3 Earl Rollman, SW2 Wayne Prosser, SW2 Willie Boggan, SW3 Tom Kohn and SW3 Guy Bates.

143

SW3 Earl Rollman SWl John Rooney

1 I SW2 Tom Sturgeon and SW3 Stewart Swart. SWCN Charles Vivian

144

SW2 Carl Butler SW2 Harry Conn

SW2 Tom Sturgeon

145

Two of the four 126,000-gollon copacity steel water storage tanks toke shape al Nam Phong .

. · / , , .. , .·

_.··

Steelworkers strodle beams as galley framework is erected.

146

SW2 Rich Kilgore

SW2 Willie Boggan, SW3 Earl Rollmon arid SWC David Breuklonder. SW3 John Roche

147

SWCN John Hormon

SW3 Weldon Hinze and SW3 Terry Crowley.

148

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~1 SW3 John Glennon

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SW2 Bob A k c er

149

SWCN Paul Ramsey

150

SW3 Barry Mclain SW2 Wayne Prosser

The proud men of Echo Company and one of their ochievements: a "wonder arch" hangar.

151

Headquarters Company is primarily composed of "men of the fleet" who have been summoned from various ports of call to provide the support necessary to keep the FIVE Seabees' "Big Green Machine" rolling smoothly along.

At Nam Phong, the men of Headquarters Company formed the nucleus of NMCB-5's self-contained camp, "Can Do Country." They were the Storekeepers, Disbursing Clerks, Yeomen, Personnelmen, Gunner's Mates, Boatswain's Mates, Stewards, Commissarymen, Hos­pital Corpsmen, Dental Technicians, Photographer's Mate, J ourna1ist, Ship's Servicemen, Postal Clerks, Radioman and Electronics Techni­cians.

Also among this group were the Engineering Aides, who handled the surveying and drafting, as well as a sprinkling of other Seabee rat­ings.

The men of Headquarters Company plowed through mounds of red tape and hurdled seemingly endless obstacles to provide the ser­vices so vital to the well-being and morale of the battalion.

Despite being situated out in the jungle in "no man's land," the men of FIVE still received all the supplies and gear they needed, regular pay, good chow and medical/dental care, haircuts, laundry service, mail, a phone link to our loved ones at home via MARS, entertainment and recreation, and all our rights and benefits were taken care of through the Admin/Personnel Office.

And, last but not least, the men of Headquarters Company ar­ranged our transportation so that we could leave Nam Phong when our jobs were ~ompleted.

152

'1 "· ' .;•;\, ,

A D M I N

PNC PAUL HAYWOOD Career Counselor

PN2 Jim Coburn

154

p E R s 0 N N E L

CW02 ADRIAN HOOVER Admin/Personnel Officer

PN 1 Lorry Dorsey

YNl Dove Watson ond YN3 Terry Cline burn classified moteriol.

YN3 Phil DeAmiches

SN Jim Nomchek

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155

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YN2 Kent Carothers

;-..-:r , _ -YNSN Jim Hall

SN Ken Deon

HM2 Ric:h Crippen

MEDICAL &

DENTAL

HM l Bruce Frazier

•

DTG2 A 1 Graham

The Medical Department, guardians of our health. Left to right: HM 1 Butch Reppert, HM2 Mike Grossarth, Dr. (Lt.) Bill Blackshear, HM l Bruce Frazier, HMC Paul Forest, HM l Marcelo Manansala, HM2 Rich Crippen and HM l Bill Raynes.

I I ~

Dr. (Lt.) Bob Timpe and Dentalman Dan McEntee put the bite on a patient .

156

Left to right: CS2 Dave Green, CS3 Tom Graf, CS3 Steve Barker, CSSN Richard Steese and SD2 Ernesto Quion.

GALLEY

CSC Wilbert Hill, "The Galloping Gourmet of Can Do Country," hands out snacks to hungry Seabees during one of his frequent visits to job sites at Nam Phong.

Cooks and Stewards. Standing left to right: CSSN Don Gries, CE2 Craig Lippa (galley Master-at-Arms), CS3 Doug Haffener, CS2 Don Boston, CS3 Ken Thompson, CS l Ed Phillips and SD3 Antonio Acantilado. Front row, left to right: SDl Anacleto Ruiz, SD3 Orlando Miguel, CS3 Merle Ries, SD3 Demetria Misa and CS2 Bob Cole.

157

The Engineering Aides, also known as "Acme Duck Works," ready for a rugged day of surveying and drafting. left to right on the truck: EA3 John Butler, EACN Don Dewey, EA3 Vic Agotep, EACN Mait DuBois, EA3 Don Miller, EACN Mike Stewart, EACN Bob Dennis, EACN Tom Hockin, EACN Al Linne and EA3 Jim Patton. On the running board: EA 1 Bob Watson, EACN Chuck Roehl and EA3 Don Berkey.

EA2 Jon Von Tilburg and EACN Mail DuBois.

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ENGINEERING AIDES

EA3 Don Berkey

EA3 Vic Agatep and EACN Don Dewey.

EAC Don Anderson Ens. Preston Springston

158

LCDR. Bill RUMBOLD Operations Officer

LTJG. RANDY EVANS Asst. Operations Officer

sues LARRY BROOME Operations Chief

OPERATIONS-PLANNING & ESTIMATING

SWC BOB MORELAND Safety Chief

CEl NIAL HARRISON Planning & Estimating

SN KEITH DIBS Operations

UT3 JOHN PARKER Planning & Estimating

159

CECN LEVI GANDY Operations

CEl JOHNNIE SMITH Planning & Estimating

EMBARK

TRAINING The Embark Staff, masterminds of the mount outs. Left to right: E03 Dale Brokaw, Ltjg. Dove Bigelow (Embark Officer) a nd CEC Sonny Wells.

The Training Dept., the men responsible for keeping us ready for ony contingency. Left to right: GySgt. Ron Taylor, BUl Jim Gastineau, Ltjg. Bill Philipson (Training Officer) and EA3 Dennis Egli.

The men responsible for the use and care of the battalion's weapons. Front: GySgt. Ron Taylor. Left to right: GMG2 Nick Giggetts, GMG3 Terry Renick and GMG2 Martin Flores.

160

ARMORY

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'

The MARS crew, who operated the phone link to our loved ones bock home in the stoles, was composed of RM2 Al Miles, left, and ETN2 Eddie Busbee.

MAA

Gomer and Ole hold morning colors at Nam Phong.

MARS Crew

SECURITY

The Moster-at-Arms force. Front: BM 1 John Olechnicki, left, and BM2 Manuel Gomez. Standing, left to right: BMC Hal Wilkins, BM2 Majors Maxwell, BM2 Lorry Collins and CE2 Jim Bagnall.

The Comp Night Security Platoon. Front: BU3 John Morrill. Seated, left to right: BUCN George Close, BU3 Charles Tio, UTCN John Masterson and BM2 Gil Swearingen.

161

LCDR. W.A. "MITCH" MITCHELL Supply Officer

ENS. Bill SARGENT Disbursing Officer

SUPPLY

SK2 lorry Blank

Supply Dept. personnel. Bock row, left to right: SKl Honk Elliott, SK2 Lorry Blank, SK2 John Thomas, SK3 Tim Chesbro and DK3 John Allmon. Center row, left to right: SKl Ron Oloso, SK3 Jim Wasinge r, DK2 Wayne Andrews, SK3 John Fortin and DKC Rosendo Serrano. First row, left to right: SKl Lonnie Kelly, SKC Leo Mortel and BUCN Ed Shoffstall.

162

DK2 Wayne Andrews

SK3 John Fortin

l DK3 John Allmon

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SKl Honk "Tired" Elliott

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CTR

SK3 Jim Wasinger

Central Tool Room crew. Kneeling: CE3 Tom Kmetz. Standing, left to right: SK3 Jim Massingil, EOCA Steve Zito, BUCN Ed Shoffstall and E02 Larry Bible.

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SK2 Willie Sharp BUC Don Nichols, left, and UTl Tom Troutman.

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p a r t s

SKl Ron Olaso

164

CM2 A 1 Ortiz, left, and SK3 "Kinkles" McCoy.

POST OFFICE

PC2 Bill Marcy SA Jim Fisher

LAUNDRY

Operators of the Nam Phong "wonder wash" laundry, left to right: SH2 Pot Magnotte, SH3 Gory Hunt and SH2 Jim Hoadley.

G R E E N s

I s s u E

SHSN Gil Ortiz and SHl Jim Bennett in Greens Issue.

165

BARBER SHOP

SHSN Gene Timperley has o hairy iob.

The material liaison (MLO) crew. Standing, left to right: UTC Russell McKenzie, SKl Lonnie Kelly, SK3 Tim Chesbro and Lt. Joseph Bivins. Sitting on the forklift, left to right: CE3 Tim Fritts, E03 Fronk Brannen, CE2 Charles Johnson and SN Harold Ofsthun.

MLO

UTCN Jim Byrd

Chaplain Dumas conducts Sunday Protestant worship services under the big top.

166

Chow was one of our favorite things at Nam Phong.

Special Services men BUCA David Lee, left, and EOl /DY Ed Gallagher unload soft drinks for the EM Club.

PNSN E.K. Eldridge

TN Rolando Salvanera

Chaplain Dumas and some of the men of FIVE with the people at Maranatha Bible School and Leper Clinic at Nong Kham, Thailand. The men of the battalion contributed over $1,500 to the school and clinic through pur­chase of handicrafts made by the people and through weekly donations at church services while in Thailand.

167

CM2 Lou Minick operates crane at Ponape. BU2 Butch Zimecki lays block for visual aids building.

NMCB-5's answer to the Peace Corps in the Pacific Islands is the CAT-Civic Action Team. NMCB-5 has had two CA Ts helping to build a better world through projects on Pacific Islands during the 1972 deployment.

Seabee Team 0520 was stationed on Ponape, East Carol ine Is­lands, and Seabee T eam 052 1 was deployed to Truk, Marianas Islands.

Arriving on Truk and Ponape in late June, the Seabee Team mem­bers fanned out around the islands to put their skills to use on numerous projects. Local residents aided their own cause in several of the pro­jects, working as trainees alongside the FIVE Seabees.

Among the projects undertaken by the " islanders" were repair and reconstruction of buildings damaged by typhoon Lola, construction of numerous buildings, installation of water catchment systems and building of several roads through dense rain forests.

In addition to the goodwill spread through construction, the Sea bee Teams provided much needed medical assistance to the island residents, treating hundreds of patients in the outer areas of the islands.

Members of Seabee T eam 0521 on Truk were : Ltjg. Bob Kirsch­ner (Officer in Charge) , BUC Norbert Dreiling, EOI M.M. Branch, C M I Harold Osterday, HM 2 Elmer Naknuch i, E02 Fred Shabo, CM2 William Jeter, EA2 Lee Ell sworth, BU2 Duane Johnson, SW2 Mark Reid, UT3 Jim Hooker, BU 3 .J ohn Breehl and CE3 Richard Allen.

EOC Herb Sneed Ltjg. Steve Larson, OIC Team 0520

168

SEABEE TEAM 0520-PONAPE

The men of Seobee Team 0520, Ponape. Front row, left to right: CM 1 Harry Cramer, E02 Howard Mitchell, BU3 Duane Gross, SW3 Jim Wilt, BU3 Ed Hedgecock, UT2 Len Compton and EOC Herb Sneed. Back row, left to right: BU2 Butch Zimecki, E02 Sam Phillips, CM2 Lou Minick, CE3 Chuck Wolf, HM 1 Grant Naylor and Ltjg. Steve Larson, Officer in Charge.

BU3 Ed Hedgecock HM l Grant Naylor gives driving lesson to Ponapean trainee.

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SW3 Jim Wilt cuts plate for radio antenna.

169

CM l Harry Cramer gets an engine running.

The Seabees of NMCB-5 have earn­ed a reputation of doing their best in any endeavor during the 21 years the batta­lion has been accompl ish ing construction projects. The proud tradition that is re­flected in the "Can Do" spi rit is as much a part of the Seabees of today as it was 2 1 years ago when the first "men of FIVE'' grabbed their tools and energetically werit to work.

Naval Mobile Construction Batta­lion FIVE was commissioned on July 10, 1951 , at Port Hueneme, Calif .-one of a new breed of mobile construction batta-1 ions to be authorized during the Korean conflict and the third to be formed in the Pacific area.

After an initial period of organiza­tion and training, the battalion deployed on the first of several trips to Cubi Point in the Philippines. The battalion's main task at Cubi Point was the mammoth job of turning a huge jungle mountainside into a Naval Air Facility, complete with an airstrip.

At the end of three consecutive de­ployments-the first one lasting 22 months, the second one 13 months and the third 10 months- the Seabees of FIVE had played a major role in completing an earthmoving project that has been des­cribed as second only to the building of the Panama Canal. Today, the men of FIVE only spend an average of seven to eight months on a deployment, but they still manage to complete impressive construction projects in the time allotted.

Following the big Cubi Point pro­ject in late 1955, NMCB-5 went from the steaming jungles of the Philippines to the frigid climate of Alaska, spending two deployments there until 1957.

NMCB-5 next went on its first "shot­gun" deployment to the mid-Pacific, hav­ing detachments at Midway, Pear] Har­bor, Kahoolawe, Saipan and Chichijima.

Then it was back to the Philippines again in 1958-59, this time to Cubi Point's neighbor Subic Bay where the outstand­ing performance turned in by the men of FIVE brought the battalion its fi rst

171

coveted "Best of Type" award. During the next four years, NMCB-5

made four deployments to the Western Pacific-two of them to Guam and two on. Okinawa: Once on Okinawa and once on Guam, the Seabees battled killer typhoons and helped the local people through disaster recovery operations.

Jn 1961, the battalion's deployment to Okinawa became a milestone in Sea­bee history as NMCB-5 was assigned as the first "Alert Battalion." Its mission was to maintain a high state of material and personnel readiness, and to conduct training for contingency operations in the event the Seabees were needed on short notice at any trouble spot or disaster area in the Far East.

In mid-1964, NMCB-5 returned to Okinawa and for the second time assumed duties of "Alert Battalion."

The following year, the battalion launched its first effort in Vietnam. This was the first of six consecutive deploy­ments by NMCB-5 to Vietnam, which lasted until November 1971 when the men of FIVE closed out the Vietnam campaign of the mobile construction battalions.

During their stints in Vietnam, the Seabees built bridges, roads, cantonments and a large variety of base faci lities-you name it, the men of FIVE did it. Their projects were not just to aid the war effort, but to build a better country for the Vietnamese. Their building efforts still stand today as monuments to remind the Vietnamese of the Seabees' "Can Do" spirit.

The construction performance in Vietnam during fiscal year 1968 earned the "Best of T ype" of the Pacific Naval Construction Force and Pel tier awards for the battalion.

The battalion's most recent achieve­ments are chronicled in this book.

Now, NMCB-5 is perhaps entering a new era, but whatever the challenge it is expected that the men of FIVE will con­tinue to proudly uphold the tradition and spirit that has been evident in the batta­lion's first 2 1 years.

PRESENTS

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PHI RON MARKOVICH Photography

LTJG. RANDY EVANS Public Affairs Officer

BU3 BOB " SKI" STEPNOWSKI Art-Layout-Cover Design

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BU3 BOB " SMITIY" SMITH Photography

JO l MIKE McGOUGAN Editor

EACN AL LINNE Art-Layout