PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 supported the U.S. Army 4th and 25th Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) in the completion of their joint readiness exercise (JRE) in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Sept. 17, 2019.
NMCB-133’s Detail (DET) Gulfport was tasked with clearing a beaching area and constructing a ramp for the IBCT to offload equipment from a landing craft, utility (LCU) vessel. Constructing an offloading area out of nothing was no easy task.
“When we first arrived, there was nothing but a 10-foot grass area on the beach,” said Builder 1st Charles Page, NMCB-133 site leading petty officer. “It took us about a day and a half to clear the area and build the timber ramp.”
The Seabees were onsite to maintain the functionality of the ramp as maintenance experts. Working hand-in-hand with the Army units during the exercise.
“We were there to make sure nothing fell apart while they were unloading the equipment from the LCU,” said Page. “We even had some of our guys operate some of their equipment, driving off of the vessel while showing us what it is they do.”
The JRE was combined arms exercise designed to assess strategic operational readiness with an integrated capability response by USARPAC, FORSCOM, and USTRANSCOM responding to a no-notice level III Sea Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise (SEDRE) in an effort to establish joint partnerships and expand joint capabilities to support expeditionary operations.
The Seabees efforts, while small in comparison to the overall mission was vital to the success of the exercise. The Seabees finished using the ramp and LCU to onload and offload some of their own equipment.
“We really appreciate the work that the Seabees have done hear in such a short notice,” said Lt. Col. Damien Boffardi, commander, Task Force 11. “This was an excellent example of showcasing what the Seabees ‘Can Do’.”
The ARTIC ANVIL/JRE exercise represents the culmination of years of coordinated effort to highlight and market the interconnectedness of South Mississippi’s military infrastructure. It is the first time a brigade (4,500 Soldiers / 1,450 pieces of equipment) will deploy to Camp Shelby utilizing all the components of the South Mississippi Defense Corridor including port, rail, and highway systems.
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 09.09.2020 03:12 |
| Story ID: | 342500 |
| Location: | PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NMCB-133 Supports Operation United Front, by PO1 George Bell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
