Naval Base Ventura County Open to Public During Seabee Days

PORT HUENEME, Calif. (NNS) -- Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) hosted the 22nd Seabee Days, June 28-29, at NBVC Port Hueneme, to honor the men and women of the Civil Engineer Corps.

Seabee Days is a free, annual event held on base and open to the public. This year's Seabee Days featured military displays, live entertainment, comedy acts, family-friendly puppet shows and dance performances. Visitors also enjoyed local arts and crafts booths, carnival rides and a variety of foods for purchase, with most proceeds going to military relief.

The event started with a full dress military formation and parade known as a "passing review." More than 500 Seabees executed military drills and marching techniques, followed by three military vehicles displaying their "crew served" weapons and a formation fly-over by two Navy E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft.

"The parade was so inspirational," said Helen Williams of Little Rock, Ark., who attended Seabee Days with her nephew. "I'm so proud of Roderick for serving, and it was a wonderful experience to be a part of Seabee Days here in California."

After the ceremony, visitors moved on to the military displays. Many of the displays were built by the Naval Construction Training Command and showcased each of the different Seabee jobs, also known as rates.

"Today we are trying to explain a little bit of every facet of work that we do," said Construction Electrician 1st Class (SCW) Jared Adams, construction electrician school instructor.

"It gives civilians an opportunity to see what we do in this base and what we accomplish forward deployed throughout the world."

Seabee instructors explained the roles of builders, equipment operators, engineer's aides, construction electricians, construction mechanics, steel workers and utilitiesmen rates in the Navy.

"We have the main school for Seabees on this base," said Adams who participated in his third Seabee Days with this year's event.

"This is a great opportunity to show tax payers the trades we are teaching their sons and daughters, many of which are coming out of high school looking not only to serve their country but also to gain a skill they can take to the civilian world to support their family. Showing these young men and women what we have to offer helps recruitment, especially for the Seabee rates."

Seabee Days offered a wide variety of construction displays ranging from a timber tower, Bailey Bridge system, Southwest Asia hut, a four-hole burnout latrine facility and several pieces of construction and disaster recovery equipment. Also on display was an array of construction machinery. Some of the displayed vehicles included mobile drilling platforms. This equipment is the same used by Seabees all over the world, including those deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"Seabee Days is a great opportunity for the local community to come on base, experience a military atmosphere and to get a closer look of what the Navy Seabees are all about," said Construction Electrician 1st Class (SCW) Brian Handshy of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4.

"All the displays really give the public a true idea of what we do at homeport and on deployment."

Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 2 hosted a display showing the unique capabilities it brings to the naval construction force.

"UCT is a small unit made up of all the Seabee rates whose job is to take construction from the shoreline to the water," said Builder 1st Class (SCW) Michael G. Reece.

"We set up this water tank here for Seabee Days as a way to show our diving capabilities, and we also give the kids a chance to try on the diver's hardhat. It's hot out here, so we play with the kids by splashing them and soaking them with water guns."

Other military displays oriented toward children included rappelling for kids and face painting with camouflage paint. There was also a carnival with more than 8 rides and activities for children and adults.

For more news from the 30th Naval Construction Regiment, visit www.navy.mil/local/30NCR/.