By Seabee Magazine, / Published March 14, 2016
Submitted by NCG 1 Public Affairs
Active, reserve and retired Seabees and their guests attend the 74th Annual Seabee Ball, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, Calif., Feb. 20. (Photo by MCC Lowell Whitman/160220-N-HA376-004)
Seabees from around Naval Base Ventura County gathered at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, California, for the 74th Annual Seabee Ball, Feb. 20.
More than 1,000 active duty, reserve and retired Seabees filled two floors of the library to commemorate the Seabees 74th anniversary, the Navy Civil Engineer Corps' 149th anniversary and 174 years of Naval Facilities and Engineering Command (NAVFAC) history.
Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, Vice Adm. Nora Tyson attended as the guest of honor. Tyson assumed operational control of Naval Construction Group (NCG) 1, based at Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme, California, in August 2015.
Tyson spoke of her past experiences with the Seabees, praised their accomplishments, and detailed their unique mission capabilities.
The Seabees are unrivaled in building partnership capacity throughout the Pacific, said Tyson. Every time you deploy, you open doors for future collaboration and access as we look to gain trust and establish mutual respect among partner nations.
Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, Vice Adm. Nora Tyson delivers remarks as the Guest of Honor during the 74th Annual Seabee Ball, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, Calif., Feb. 20. The ball was held to commemorate the Seabees 74th Anniversary, the Naval Civil Engineer Corps 149th anniversary and 174 years of Naval Facilities and Engineering Command history. (Photo by MCC Lowell Whitman/160220-N-HA376-086)
Tyson said Seabees improve local communities through construction efforts and also play a critical strategic role in building and sustaining relationships between partner nations, non-governmental organizations and international organizations.
Whether building facilities for our troops in Afghanistan, helping residents recover from natural disasters, or building clinics and schools in underdeveloped areas, your technical expertise and Can Do spirit provides the presence, partnerships and purpose our Navy and our nation depend upon, Tyson added.
Following Tysons remarks, the youngest and oldest Seabees in attendance were recognized with a cake cutting, and after a robust rendition of the Song of Seabees, the expeditionary engineers celebrated with music and dancing.
NAVFAC, established in 1842, is the Navys oldest systems command. The Navys Civil Engineer Corps was established in 1867, following the Civil War.
The Seabees were created on March 5, 1942, after Adm. Ben Moreell, chief of the Navys Bureau of Yards and Docks, recognized the need for a militarized construction force. Following Pearl Harbor, the Navy saw the formation of Naval Construction Battalions.
With the motto We Build, We Fight, the Seabees have gone on to construct thousands of miles of roadway and airstrips, entire bases and thousands of other projects around the world.
Naval Construction Group (NCG) 1 prepares Pacific Fleet Naval Construction Force units to conduct deliberate construction in support of Combatant Commanders, Numbered Fleet Commanders, Marine Air-Ground Task Forces and other warfighter requirements.
U.S. 3rd Fleet was formed during World War II, on March 15, 1943, under the command of Fleet Adm. William F. Bull Halsey. It leads naval forces in the Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy.
EQCM Jim Daniels (Ret), a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, salutes after being recognized during the 74th Annual Seabee Ball, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, Calif., Feb. 20. (Photo by MCC Lowell Whitman/160220-N-HA376-050)
