Photo By Lt.Cmdr. Hien Vu | Equipment Operator 1st Class Michael Levesque takes photos on a construction site...... read more read more
“Memories last forever. As for the rest, they come and go.”
Equipment Operator 1st Class Michael Levesque lives by this astute observation. His 14-year Navy career has been a string of lifetime memories pieced together by deployments and mobilizations to parts unknown across the globe.
Immediately after enlisting in 2010, he deployed to Afghanistan and then Okinawa, Japan, with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 40, “the Fighting FORTY.” Then he became part of Seabees’ history when the battalion was decommissioned Sept. 12, 2012, after an illustrious 70 years of service.
Levesque continued making his own history when he was transferred to NMCB 4, and went back to Afghanistan and Okinawa. He was later assigned to the Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1 that set up the pontoon causeway in the September 1950 Inchon Landing during the Korean War. General Douglas MacArthur, commander of United Nations Command, came ashore over this pontoon pier on D-Day plus 2. (https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/Ships/Amphibious-Construction-Battalion-ACB-1/About/)
During his time at ACB 1, he participated in several exercises in the United Arab Emirates and South Korea before transferring to Naval Special Warfare Group Two Logistics and Support Unit with the Stuttgart, Germany detachment. “By then, I had already visited seven countries,” said Levesque, who qualifies to wear both the Seabee combat warfare specialist (SCW) and the expeditionary warfare specialist (EXW) insignias. “With my current assignment here at Fleet Activities Chinhae (CFAC), I have been to 40 countries.”
Levesque was not all too thrilled to be sent to Korea on back-to-back overseas assignments because he had already been away from his family and the United States for five years. But the tide gradually changed in favor of the Land of the Morning Calm. “I do enjoy Korea. The base is pretty, and its people are great. The local culture interests me a good deal as I have primarily been exposed to western culture. CFAC is definitely a nice place to be stationed.”
His official CFAC duty is transportation director. “I essentially run the motor pool,” he said. “I manage our vehicle resources throughout the Korean peninsula, schedule and approve vehicle requests, and support customers’ transportation needs, including handling U.S. personnel’s licensing.” In addition, he coordinates the base preparation and response to typhoons. He is also a command financial counselor, command pay and personnel administrator, and treasurer of the First Class Petty Officer Association, among other duties.
His favorite collateral duty, though, is being a stringer photographer for Navy Region Korea’s public affairs office. He has volunteered his time on and off duty to capture the command’s official events and functions. His works are published on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) website at https://www.dvidshub.net/ and featured on CFAC Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NAVY.CHINHAE.
Levesque’s love of photography reinforces his motto of “Memories last forever. As for the rest, they come and go.” This duty station is a great place to create memories, he commented. “There is a lot to see and do when you join the Navy for adventures like this. You just have to take advantage of the many opportunities the military offers and enjoy the experience.”
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.17.2024 22:25 |
| Story ID: | 481577 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Seabee’s Photography Passion Takes him Around the World, by LCDR Hien Vu, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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