The Life of a SEABEE

Unknown ^ | 1945 | Unknown

[silent majority rising]

You can have your khaki But I'll take my navy blue For there's still another fighter That I'll introduce to you.

His uniform is different, The best you'll ever see, The Japs call him a Seadog But his real name is Seabee.

He was trained in old Rhode Island, The land that God forgot, Where the mud is 14 inches deep And the rain will never stop.

He has set many a table And many the dish he's dried He also learned to make a bed, A broom he sure can guide.

He has peeled a million onions And twice as many spuds. He also spends his leisure time Washing out his duds.

Now sister take this little tip That I'm handing out to you, Just grab yourself a Seabee For there's nothing he can't do.

And when he gets to heaven St. Peter he will tell, "Another Seebee reporting, sir, I've served my hitch in hell."

[silent majority rising]

I am posting this elegant poem that was written during or shortly after World War II, that I found pasted in an old photo album of my father, James. He served in the Seabees in 1944 through 1946 and was part of the mission to build airstrips on Guam, after it was liberated from the Japanese in August of 1944. He arrived 5 days after the island was declared "secure", even though there were still 5000 Japanese on the island and a few remaining battles being fought. I do not know who authored this poem. It might have even been by my father (it sounds like him). I am posting this in memory of all of the Seabees who died, along with all of the other soldiers, sailors, and airmen who died defending this great nation of ours. Most of those who fought in World War II are no longer with us in body, but their spirits will live forever. Thank you for your great sacrifice. Remember the Fallen!

[nesnah]

👍

[M Kehoe]

Bttt.

5.56mm

[MuttTheHoople]

In the Army AIT, I trained with Seabees who just finished Basic Training in 1995. They were a great bunch of sailors.

[Not_Who_U_Think]

I sent this to an old SeaBee buddy, thanks for posting!

[Vermont Lt]

It’s a Jody.

[linedrive]

I have a copy of a picture from Life magazine (1944) of my grandfather representing the SeaBees on Bougainville with a Marine. I would like to post here but I can’t find it right now. Reminded by your comment that often times my grandfather’s unit would be stretched before the supply lines with the Marines on most of their missions (if that is the term).

[PGalt]

^

[CrazyIvan]

Masters of “Streamlining the procurement process.”

[silent majority rising]

My Dad told me that the Japanese would come out of the jungles to surrender to them because they were starving to death. They had already eaten every monkey and dog on the island, and the SeaBees would feed as many as they could, but had to turn most away. They had no place or provisions to take them as prisoners. This was one of the saddest effects of the war in Guam..He told me that when they were doing the dirt work to prepare the landing strips, they were being shot at, almost on a continual basis. However, the longer they worked, the less the shooting, so I suppose that is when the Japanese gave up (theoretically)...

[mware]

Remember reading Helmet for My Pillow, where Sledge mentioned how the Marines would jump in the Seabees chow line. The Seabees never complained and told them they were always welcome.

[linedrive]

My grandfather (actually grandmother would tell us through his letters and newspaper clippings) told of the same incidents of Japanese interaction. Also remember my grandma telling us he had a hard time getting boots since they extended supply lines and the Japanese were frequently too small. He refused to take boots from American soldiers

[SaxxonWoods]

Thanks for posting, I sent it to the son of a WWII Seabee from New Jersey who will appreciate it very much!

[poconopundit]

At our U.S. Naval Base in Sasebo, Japan, I worked for a year under a lieutenant commander Seabee.  Naturally he was in charge of the facilities of the Naval Base. As fine a man as you'll find. Smart, friendly, and able to laugh.  He was short like me, but he had excellent muscle tone and obviously worked out. Remarkably, after almost 40 years, I still remember a few things he taught me: FOCUS.  You can accomplish any number of things in life, but to get things done you need to be focused. SLOW STEADY PRESSURE.  If you persistently keep asking for what you want, you WILL get what you want. But you must apply "slow steady pressure" and be patient. KNOW YOUR PRIORITIES.  While the particular priorities will vary depending on your job, choosing your priorities follows certain principles.  So for the Naval base it was: KEEPING THE LIGHT ON.  Nothing can get done if your utilities are not working at a naval base. So this is your first priority -- make sure to keep your utilities infrastructure up to date. MISSION CRITICAL.  On a naval base, the port facilities are your second priority because it's the mission of your naval base. ROOFS.  The need for particular buildings will come and go over the years, but to keep all your options open, you absolutely need to ensure the roofs of the buildings are watertight, especially in a rainy country like Japan. THE CUSTOMER.  Your boss, whoever he is, will have his priority projects. And you need to address those needs after the other 3 priorities are being met. * * * So I conclude from my only acquaintance with the Seabees: they are a first class organization...

[seabeeson]

My Dad was proud that he was a SEABEE, 24th NCB, 1942-1946.

[sauropod]

+1