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NOVO SELO, Bulgaria – Navy Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133, Naval Expeditionary Combat Command deployed from Rota, Spain to Novo Selo Training Area to complete military construction projects during Operation Resolute Castle during May, June and July 2016.
For these Seabees, this was an opportunity to plan, practice and participate in an operation which impacted Eastern Europe, while at the same time training on new skills.
Operation Resolute Castle is a construction operation in Eastern Europe spanning across Estonia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania. This operation is led by the United States military and focuses on emboldening local economies, increasing training opportunities, and improving the security of the region. Expansion of military infrastructure throughout the area will allow for training operations in the area for years to come.
The Seabees’ role in this process was to increase the infrastructure at Novo Selo Training Area, allowing it to support greater numbers of servicemen. They embraced their job and kept an incredible attitude throughout the entire construction.
“We put up a pavilion by the [morale and wellness] building, which included installing pavers and setting up heavy wood framing. We also did the brake test building down by the motor pool, which meant a lot of metal work, which was time consuming,” said Steven Alianell, a Builder Third Class with the Seabees, and one of the sailors who participated in the construction.
Alianell enjoyed the experience, saying, “I loved the Bulgarian food. Work wise, I enjoyed being able to add to the base for improvements that will be here a long while.”
Morgan Klaus, a Constructionman with the Seabees, spent most of her time during the operation installing metal sheathing, and helped install all the flashing that goes across the morale building and the brake est building. Klaus, who enlisted just one year ago, is on her first deployment. Even though she received training as a welder, she was the fastest in the whole unit when it came to laying cinderblock.
“The faster I was doing them the quicker I got done with them!”
“Both of my parents were Marines, and they spoke very highly of the military,” explained Courtney Boothe, a Constructionman with the Seabees who comes from a military family and enlisted in order to perform humanitarian service, “The humanitarian side of the Seabees is what attracted me.”
Jordan Ross, Constructionman with the Seabees, spent the majority of his time on the brake test building, which was designed to house expensive brake-testing equipment through harsh Bulgarian winters. Ross explained that this required a very specific type of construction.
“We had to insulate all the walls, put up plywood on the interior and exterior, put metal flashing on the interior and exterior, and ran wire throughout the building,” Ross said.
Fides Ybanez, an Engineering Aide Third Class, has been central to the Seabee’s planning process.
“We do drafting, analysis, and materials testing. They tasked me with two drawings, one for stairs, and another for surveying,” explained Ibanez. The planning process involved her working with the Tennessee Army Guard.
“The 194th, the Surveyors, they helped me a lot. It was good experience. Spc. LaPointe for example, is a surveyor in the civilian world and I learned a lot from him. I think a lot of people who know me would know I’m very happy where I am. I love my job.”
| Date Taken: | 07.11.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2016 03:09 |
| Story ID: | 204877 |
| Location: | NOVO SELO, BG |
| Web Views: | 368 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Navy Seabees Complete Construction Projects in Bulgaria, by CPT Matthew Gilbert, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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