NAVFAC Celebrates Seabee Birthday

WASHINGTON – Naval leadership and the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Headquarters concluded the week recognizing the 80th birthday of the Seabees and the 155th birthday of the Civil Engineer Corps (CEC).

Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday, wished the CEC and Seabees a “Happy Birthday” and displayed his appreciation and recognition for their expertise in design, construction and infrastructure sustainment around the world.

In the first of two command ceremonies, active duty, and Reserve members of NAVFAC came together Mar. 4 for the annual “Seabee Memorial Run,” a four-mile command run commencing from the historic Washington Navy Yard. Featuring more than 50 runners, the course winded past the National Mall and such historic sites at the Martin Luther King, Jr., and Lincoln Memorials, before ending at the Seabee Memorial, located at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Seabee Memorial, sculpted by former Seabee Felix de Weldon, features a number of large panels depicting the many missions that Seabees have undertaken globally since 1942, and prominently displays a large sculpture of a bare-chested, muscular Seabee, rifle slung over one shoulder, offering a helping hand to a small child.

“There is no better place to end this memorial run than here at the Seabee Memorial,” said Force Master Chief of the Seabee Delbert Terrell Jr. “This memorial symbolizes the nature of our Seabee as builders who fight, and yet also extend humanitarian aid wherever and whenever needed.”

The memorial provided the backdrop for the second portion of the commemoration as Rear Adm. John W. Korka, commander, NAVFAC and chief of Civil Engineers, was joined by Terrell on Mar. 5, to celebrate the heroism and accomplishments of the Naval Construction Force, past and present, with wreath-laying ceremonies at the memorial and the gravesite of the “Father of the Seabees” Adm. Ben Moreell.

“From around the world, our Civil Engineer Corps, and Seabee communities join together to celebrate our great history and re-commit ourselves to build upon the strong legacy and foundation laid by all those who have come before us,” said Korka. “We will stay true to our hard-earned motto: ‘With compassion for others, we build, we fight for peace with freedom.’”