CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 are preparing to turnover a 4,000 square foot pre-engineered building (PEB) to NMCB-74 later this month.
The steel facility will be used to store perishable construction materials, such as concrete, that require protection from the elements.
Having arrived in Djibouti in August, the battalion planned to complete the PEB prior to the end of deployment, but delays in project funding stalled progress which means the incoming Seabee battalion will have to pick up where NMCB-11 left off.
NMCB-11 is nearing the end of their current deployment and will be relieved by NMCB-74 who will be tasked with adding aluminum sheeting, gutters, insulation, and electrical wiring and components to the PEB.
Steelworker 2nd Class Eldon N. Fleming, from Sidney, Ohio, led a crew of 10 Seabees on the project. “I had a stellar crew – the best crew on the Det.,” Fleming said.
According to Fleming, he and members of the crew are frustrated at having to walk away from an incomplete project, but they are all proud of what they were able to accomplish during their time on deployment.
Among Fleming’s crew was Builder 3rd Class Carlos J. Padilla, from San Antonio, Texas, who Fleming boasts as one of the crew’s top performers.
The Naval Construction Force is a vital component of the U.S. Maritime Strategy. They offer deployable battalions capable of providing contingency construction, disaster preparation and recovery support, humanitarian assistance, and combat operations support.
With its home-port in Gulfport, Miss., NMCB-11 is currently deployed to multiple locations in support of U.S. Africa Command, U.S. European Command, U.S. Central Command, and U.S. Pacific Command areas of responsibility.
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