"SEABEES SAY": SEABEE Sentiments from Iraq

Selected excerpts from Chief Construction Mechanic Lee Longacre, NMCB-14 Ramadi, Iraq

1.) "The Seabee flag that the SVA island gave me to fly here has had to be repaired from high winds and I plan to have the names of our KIA's and their rates embroidered on it here, hopefully there will be no more names added to it too. Don't plan to wash the dirt off of it, apparently it's going to Davisville, Rhode Island when I get back, if they want to wash it that's their business but it flies here proudly and at half mast for a week when we lost our guys."

2.) "I've been busy as the only chief left in alpha company and the senior person as well, I was left with nothing short of a train wreck when it comes to paper work but time will take care of that hopefully by next Wednesday I'll have it straight, it is cumulative from the last guy who ran the place and the battalion who turned over the equipment from, I've been at it for a week and a half now 10 hrs a day. The navy runs on paper above my paygrade so they have to be fed like any other animal.

Got 68 pieces of CESE (civil engineer support equipment) right around 15 million dollars worth some of it as old as 1977. I wish all of my tractors were the old tactical type instead of the commercial internationals we have they just don't hold up. I've got 2 of the old 800 series tactical with Cummins NH250 engs in them and they ALWAYS run don't break just plain good trucks. The MTVR's (medium tactical vehicle replacement) are 15 ton trucks with state of the art running gear with electronic everything from engine/trans to abs and traction assist (the inverted operation of ABS), 425 HP 3111 caterpillar engines this truck is an animal and will dance on any 2 pieces of rolling stock put together, trouble is I only have three assigned to me and only one is here, about $130,000.00 a copy.

The sand storms have decreased in frequency, but it is hotter than the hubs of hell and with the 'shark winds' they pick up enough dust to coat you with fine dirt similar to baby powder in consistency.

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