Sailors in a foxhole? Navy SEABEES at Camp LeJeune of course!

The following is an account of the field exercise held at the end of a two-week military skills training period for Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-14. This Naval Reserve unit composed of detachments in Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico received intense infantry skills training in class and on live fire ranges at USMC Base Camp LeJeune, N.C. in 1993. A three day field exercise highlighted by several attacks from Marine aggressor forces was a practical test of the skills learned in class and on live fire ranges in the previous week and a half. The Battalion moved by convoy to the exercise area and began to set up a standard defensive perimeter to get the exercise underway.

The defensive perimeter occupied during the FEX was an existing nearly continuous trench system with sandbag and timber machine gun positions on both sides of the only entrance road. In perimeter defense, the 360 degrees of a circle are divided into four quadrants, with one line company (A, B, C, or D, ) assigned to defend each quadrant. Headquarters Company was located in the center, along with Alfa Co's Weapons Platoon whose heavy .50 cal. machine guns were there to serve as a mobile reserve able to quickly reinforce sections of the perimeter under attack. The Weapons Platoon also manned 81mm mortars, centrally located to provide fire support far outside the limits of the entire perimeter.

As Rifle Platoon commander in Alfa Company, my area of responsibility ran from the M-60 machine gun nest on one side of the entrance road, around one quadrant to the boundary of the next company's area. Besides the M-60 crew, I was responsible for the manning of the perimeter defensive trench with whomever was not on construction project work or any other camp details. The most memorable incident came during an aggressor attack in the pre-dawn hours of the second day. A Marine infiltrator ran through our camp from somewhere behind my quadrant and was headed back out right through Alfa Co's area. We only became aware of his presence from shouting and firing in our rear, and then his own loud cursing when he tripped over guy wires supporting our large radio antennae. He recovered quickly but was captured by one of the pursuers coming from our rear and later released. The flashes and noise of gun fire several times during both darkness and daylight kept everyone on adrenaline high most of the time and sleep was limited to only short naps at odd times day or night. In the drawdown and moveout phase after the FEX, many opportunities for napping while waiting for transport were greatly appreciated!

--Normand Dupuis EOC USNR-(Ret. )

"Hummin' around the Beehive!" Borrowed USMC HUMVEE outside SEABEE barracks. Note extended exhaust pipe for driving through surf in amphibious landings.	SEABEE commercial cargo truck beside borrowed USMC 5 ton tactical cargo truck in Alfa Co. motor pool.
One helluva beach buggy! USMC 5 ton cargo truck with special flotation tires for assaults over soft beach sand!	Alfa Company M-60 machine gunner and his trusty weapon rest beside their former "home", the gun emplacement beside the perimeter entrance road.
Equipment Operator Douglas Day, Orlando, Fl. and fellow SEABEE defender wearily await transport away from the exercise area and back to a hot shower and comfy rack!	It's all over now! Chief Equipment Operator Normand Dupuis poses with SEABEE International cargo truck as the unit leaves the field exercise area.

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