By Lt. Cmdr. Leia Guccione, NMCB 17 Public Affairs
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 17 will be decommissioned during an official ceremony, Sept. 28, Fort Carson Events Center, Fort Carson, Colo. Cmdr. Michael A. Read, commanding officer, NMCB 17, will preside over the decommissioning ceremony, retiring the unit s colors until they are needed again for service to our country.
As a reserve unit, NMCB 17 provides combat-ready construction support to the First Naval Construction Regiment in support of Naval Expeditionary Combat Command. Known as the Desert Battalion, it is made up of eight detachments from the Rocky Mountains and Southwestern United States, as well as troops from across the United States.
The battalion was originally commissioned in 1942 for service during World War II, and completed construction missions in both the European and Pacific theaters of the war. The battalion was de-activated for a period after the war s conclusion, and was later re-commissioned as a reserve battalion in 1962. The battalion has since supported Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.