Consolidated by Dr. Frank A. Blazich Jr., Historian, U.S. Navy Seabee Museum
Seabees cross train in the skills of their colleagues and prepare for deployment with Seabee Technical Assistant Teams (STAT), later called Seabee Teams. These teams consisted of men specially selected from Naval Mobile Construction Battalions to provide direct technical assistance to friendly nations throughout the world. The teams proved exceptionally efficient in rural development programs and earned reverence as the "Navy's Peace Corps." (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy Seabee Museum)
October 16
1967: A critical need developed in the fall of 1967 for an air and helicopter station in Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam (RVN). The station was needed to counteract a threatened monsoon offensive by North Vietnamese soldiers. The Naval Construction Force responded to the threat by forming a construction battalion comprised of Seabee detachments representing nine different Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCB) working in Southeast Asia. Work proceeded on the airstrip despite the hindrance of heavy rains and occasional mortar fire. The field was officially opened on Oct. 16.
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October 17
1945: 31st and 43rd Naval Construction Regiments (NCR) inactivated; 70th Naval Construction Battalion (NCB) inactivated on Guam; 123rd NCB inactivated at Samar, Philippines.
1966: NMCB 5 main body completed movement to Camp Adenir.
1967: Seabee Teams 0512, 0808 and 0911 graduated during ceremonies at the Civil Engineer Corps Officer School (CECOS) auditorium, Construction Battalion Center (CBC) Port Hueneme, California, after 13 weeks of training by the 31st NCR.
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October 18
1942: 33rd NCB commissioned at Camp Bradford, Norfolk, Virginia.
1944: Camp Thomas, Davisville, Rhode Island, disestablished.
1945: 12th NCR inactivated.
1967: Seabee Team 0308 arrived at Phu Bai, RVN upon completion of six-month deployment.
1971: Seabee Teams 7107 and 7108 departed Davisville, Rhode Island, for reassignment to Officer in Charge, Naval Construction Battalions, U.S. Pacific Fleet Detachment (CBPACDET), RVN, and deployment to My Tho and Go Cong, RVN, respectfully.
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October 19
1943: The Secretary of the Navy designated the Advance Base Depot Receiving Barracks, Davisville, Rhode Island as Camp Thomas.
2011: Chief Builder (SCW) Raymond J. Border of West Lafayette, Ohio killed by improvised explosive device in Afghanistan while assessing a road in Paktika Province while deployed with NMCB 74.
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October 20
1945: The 30th Special NCB was inactivated at Naval Construction Training Center (NCTC) Davisville, Rhode Island. Men eligible for discharge were sent to discharge centers. The ineligibles were shipped to Port Hueneme, California for further assignment. 30th Special NCB inactivated at Davisville, Rhode Island.
1970: NMCB 5 main body departed Vietnam for CBC Port Hueneme, California.
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October 21
1943: 138th NCB commissioned at NCTC Camp Peary, Magruder, Virginia.
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October 22
1942: 35th NCB commissioned at Camp Endicott, Davisville, Rhode Island.
1967: Main body of NMCB 40 departed Davisville, Rhode Island for reassignment to the 30th NCR for duty at Chu Lai, RVN; NMCB 128 s main body deployed from CBC Gulfport, Mississippi to Camp Faulkner, Da Nang, East RVN in eight C-141 aircraft.
1968: NMCB 4 main body departed Camp Haines for Da Nang, RVN and from Da Nang to CBC, Port Hueneme, California.