Admirals and Fleet, Force Master Chiefs Visit Seabees in Afghanistan

Courtesy Photo | Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, talks with Lt. Cmdr. Scott Kelley, a Seabee with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 26, at the battalion’s supply yard at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, April 6. NMCB 26, a reserve battalion based in Harrison, Mich., is deployed to Kandahar as part of Task Force Overlord. The task force, commanded by 25th NCR from Gulfport, Miss., is responsible for all construction engineering and engineering support in South and Southwest Afghanistan. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Kenny E. Ragland)  

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN

04.06.2011

Courtesy Story

25th Naval Construction Regiment

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – The commanders of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, and their Fleet and force master chiefs, visited seabees deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, April 6.

Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox, NAVCENT, and Rear Adm. Michael Tillotson, NECC, toured the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 26 compound, meeting with, and handing out coins to, the deployed sailors. Fox presented coins to several of NMCB 26’s Michigan and Midwest-based Seabees. Seabees from the reserve battalion, based in Harrison, Mich., showed Fox and Tillotson the command’s Material Liaison Office yard and the equipment essential to the seabees’ mission in Afghanistan.

"The visit from Vice Adm. Fox and Rear Adm. Tillotson was extremely positive,” said NMCB 26 executive officer, Cmdr. Gregory Schell. “I had a feeling that f they had more time, the admirals would have stayed and allowed our 'Bees to continue to talk their ears off about their equipment and the job they're doing here."

The Naval delegation took questions from the seabees before leaving for a dinner with officers and chief petty officers from the battalion. The next morning, 30 enlisted seabees from NMCB 26 and 25 NCR joined the admirals and master chiefs for breakfast.

Fox, Tillotson and their Fleet and force master chiefs visited the 25th Naval Construction Regiment prior to their time with NMCB 26. There, they received a brief on seabee operations and Task Force Overlord from 25th NCR Commodore, Capt. Allan Stratman. 25 NCR is the command and control element of the task force, which is responsible for combat engineering and engineering support in South and Southwest Afghanistan. The task force is made up of 10 engineering battalions and units from the Army, Navy and Air Force.

• Date Taken: 04.06.2011
• Date Posted: 04.07.2011 09:54
• Story ID: 68399
• Location: KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF