Culture of Fitness Increases Seabees' Mission Readiness

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- The Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 participated in a command tactical march at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Miss., July 2, in order to prepare for their upcoming field training exercise (FTX).

The tactical marches are being done once weekly in place of traditional physical training to get NMCB 133 accustomed to their heavy gear and the hot weather they will face in August.

The FTX is a three-week raining exercise that focuses on the combat readiness of a battalion. With temperatures already above 100 F, it can be very easy to get a heat related injury that could possibly cause extreme nausea, headaches, severe internal injuries to vital organs or even death.

"It's a great idea to get accustomed to the weather conditions to the area that you get deployed to," said Builder 3rd Class Benjamin Staub of NMCB 133.

NMCB 133 falls into ranks at 6:45 a.m. wearing their construction utility uniforms, modular tactical vests, Kevlar helmets and camel backs. The marches consist of a 2.5 mile on-base course over flat top roads.

The Seabees of NMCB 133, like other battalions, are expected to be capable of fighting and building in extreme weather while wearing their bulky tactical gear. The marches work muscles that normally don't get used as much which increases each Seabees' core strength.

"The tactical march is fun and a good exercise. It helps us to come together as a team and motivates us to do better," said Builder Constructionman Jason Kelly.

The tactical marches also help promote leadership and a sense of teamwork. The marches let junior troops lead in a safe environment so that they will be in better shape during FTX and deployment.

For more news from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133, visit www.navy.mil/local/nmcb133/.